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*A short historical walk near the village of Březina in the western Křivoklátsko hills – 5 km*

  • At the western edge of Křivoklátsko range, 10 km to the north of the town of Rokycany, an important Slavic fortress was constructed around the 8th century AD on a 619m high flat topped hill, that today is simply called hradiště. This was one of the first Slavic fortified settlements in Western Bohemia. As with many Slavic Bohemian hillforts, the builders may have reused and developed older Iron Age, possibly Celtic, fortifications.
  • There is a fine viewpoint at the summit of the hill and the easy walk up through the mixed Křivoklátsko forests is particularly scenic in wintertime, especially on a snowy day. At the foot of the hill is the extensive park area belonging to the Březina estate owned for more than five hundred years by the aristocratic Šternberk family.
  • There is a 19th century Empire style mansion at the entrance to the park area with a picturesque chapel in the foreground. Further into the park, on a rocky knoll, the ruined remains of the 14th century castle that once controlled the territory.
  • Overall, this varied circular walk totals little more than 5 km, with around 140 m of height to ascend-descend. None of the paths are steep. The are buses to the Březina zámek from Rokycany. In the nearby village of Březina there are a few parking spots on the side roads. There are no refreshment spots in the village or on the route.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.cz’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

  • Starting at the Březina – rozc. trail junction (next to the bus stop, 700m north of the village center) join the RED trail in the direction of Březina park
  • After 500m pass the mansion (on the right) and chapel (on the left) and continue uphill on the RED trail
  • After 1.2 km reach the Hradiště – odb. k vrcholu trail junction. Turn left and take the 200m diversion to the hillfort and viewpoint. The old ramparts are still visible circling the fortress
  • Return back to the junction and continue on the RED trail in the direction of Polesí Hradiště which is reached in 700m
  • At Polesí Hradiště turn right, remaining on the RED trail and continue on the forest track
  • After 750m, the RED trail turns sharply left uphill on a forest footpath. Do not take this path, but instead continue slightly downhill on the forest track
  • After 600m the track meets the YELLOW hiking trail trail on the edge of the village
  • Turn right onto the YELLOW trail. After 300m the medieval castle is on the left
  • Continue on the YELLOW trail back past the Empire mansion to return to the bus stop in 700m
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