The Chlum Nature Park educational trail near Mladá Boleslav – 8 km

• The Chlum educational trail is situated on the outskirts of Mladá Boleslav and circles around the Chlum protected nature reserve, which is an elevated plateau featuring important woodland and archeological sites. A well prepared series of 10 information boards (in Czech only) highlight different features of the natural environment and the archaeological findings from the site.
• The most impressive feature on the circuit is the extraordinary remnant of the fortification wall that protected the southern flank of the Hradiště Chloumek. Only a part of the massive rampart and accompanying moat remain but it is still impressive. The plateau area has been occupied at least since the late Stone Age (Eneolithic) but it is likely first fortified at the end of the Bronze Age, some 3000 years ago. This site clearly became an important Slavic settlement from around the 8th century AD, and both ends of the plateau were fortified in this period.
• Many significant archaeological findings from the area are discussed in the the information boards, including a unique clay statue of an earthen ram, which was then modelled in stone and sited below the rampart wall at the Chloumek hillfort.
• The trail starts in the village of Nepřevázka, which is connected by bus and regional train with Mladá Boleslav. There are parking spots in the village, particularly on the side road by the village swimming pool. The trail runs for approximately 8 km in anti clockwise direction starting near the bus stop. The paths are not particularly steep and mostly on good farm tracks. There is 180m of height to ascend-descend on the journey. Just past the bus stop is the pension-restaturant Na Statku, which serves hot food and has an outside seating area.

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Directions

• Starting at the Nepřevázka bus stop, walk up the main road for 200m to reach the Nepřevázka trail signpost. Here, turn right in the direction of Na Hrádku and follow the nature trail markings (green-white diagonal stripes) in the anticlockwise direction
• The trail first visits the old fortification of Chlum, with its earth ramparts and ditches (less massive than than wall at Chloumek). This was the site of a medieval wooden fortress likelz built on the remants of a an early medieval-Slavic fortification connected with the larger fortress at Chloumek 1.5 km further along the plateau
• After passing (or walk on top of) the Chloumek hillfort rampart descend the northern flank of the hill through woodland to reach the Karlův Vrch trail junction
• At Karlův Vrch turn left and circle back to Nepřevázka below the western flank of the hill, following the nature trail marks