A walk around Chomutov centre and the Černovice Bronze Age hillfort to the west of town: 5 km

• Chomutov is a town in northwest Bohemia, situated just below the Krušné hory (Ore mountains) that straddle the Czech-German border in northern Bohemia. Chomutov is mostly known as an industrial town, with a coal mining history. However, the town actually dates back to at least the mid 13th century, when it was acquired by the Teutonic Knights.
• The historical town center in Chomutov is a protected zone due to a wealth of different architectural styles, ranging from the rare early Gothic Church of St. Catherine to the Renaissance town hall and Baroque former Jesuit college. The main square is dominated by the neo-Gothic tower (which actually dates from the early 16th century).
• The attractive historical center is definitely worth a visit but is quite small, so exploring the few streets does not really qualify as a proper walk! If driving to Chomutov and wanting a short walk in the nearby hills, consider heading west to visit the important Černovice Bronze Age hillfort site. This oval 6ha site was apparently fortified by the Knovíz culture some 3000 years ago. The settlement was presumably connected to the extensive tin mining that began in the Ore mountains during the Bronze Age.
• In the first millennium, the site was refortified by Slavic settlers and the remnants of the rampart wall and gateways are still visible today, as well as some intriguing medieval mining pits and an undated cistern. The whole summit area is lightly forested with oak trees.
• Although it is possible to walk to the hillfort from the town center (it is approximately 6 km from there), the approach path is not particularly attractive. So, if possible, take a car as close as possible (parking near the industrial storage complex) and walk up from there.
• The 2 km path up to the hillfort from the storage complex (Černovice – silo) is not steep or difficult but can get icy in winter. There is just less than 200m of height to ascend-descend. Back in Chomutov for refreshments, try ALALU Café for good coffee and cakes or the well-known Restaurace Republika, just a couple of hundred metres from the historical center.

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

Directions

• Starting at Černovice – silo, follow the YELLOW hiking trail towards Hradiště. The centre of the hillfort is reached after 2 km
• Continue on the unmarked footpath through the fortress, exiting through the old gateway on the far side
• Loop around the northern and then eastern flanks of the hill following the unmarked footpath, until returning back to the YELLOW trail