*Discovering castles along the Sázava river – from Zruč to Ledeč: 25 km (with shorter options)*

• The Sázava river is one of the most beautiful waterways in the country and is justly popular with water sports enthusiasts as well as those on foot. Much of its 225 km length is navigable in a small boat and there are also many excellent hiking trails close to the river.
• Conveniently, a railway also runs most of the length of the river, from Žďár nad Sázavou until the Sázava merges with the Vltava just to the south of Prague. There are many regional stations along the track and the trains are reasonably frequent, which creates lots of opportunities for one-way walks along the Sázava (of which several appear in this guide – they are most easily found using the Sázava regional filter).
• One of the attractions of walking along the Sázava river is the remarkable number of castles and chateaux that were constructed along the waterway. Most originated in the 13th and 14th centuries. Many today are just crumbling romantic ruins hidden away in the riverside forests (such as the 13th century castle near Chřenovice). A few, such as the chateau in Zruč nad Sázavou, have been rebuilt into spectacular mansions. Others still need some work to return them to their former glories – like the only partly restored but still impressive Gothic castle overlooking the town of Ledeč nad Sázavou.
• Each of these examples of aristocratic estates along the Sázava can be visited on the Zruč to Ledeč trail outlined in the map below. This follows a section of the Via Czechia long distance footpath (central route). and can be done as a one way walk by using the regional train line between the two towns. As there are a couple of intermediate stations, the route can be shortened or split into segments if preferred.
• The route shown below assumes a start in Zruč, which is quicker to reach from Prague than is Ledeč. However, the route can be reversed is desired. Starting in Ledeč would mean the hillier sections are tackled in the first half of the walk, and there is a slight height gain advantage as the walk would be heading downstream.
• The Neo-Gothic chateau at Zruč nad Sázavou, which was built on the site of an older Renaissance castle, is one of the best preserved (and photogenic) chateaux in Bohemia. Consider touring the chateau and its extensive gardens before heading upstream towards Ledeč. For some refreshments before beginning the long walk, try the excellent ZRUČné dobroty café directly in the chateau area.
• The section of trail from Zruč to the halfway point at Chřenovice train station is mostly flat (with one small hill) and some nice sections directly beside the river. Thereafter, the trail runs mostly in the hills on the north side of the river but does drop down to visit the ruins of Chřenovice castle, perched on an escarpment overlooking the river. The remarkable 13th century cylindrical tower needs some preservation work and there is a fundraising box on site. The castle can also be reached quickly from a request stop on the train line: Chřenovice-Podhradí.
• The main train station at Ledeč is reached before the town centre and castle, but it is worth continuing for the extra kilometer or so, to visit the castle area. In addition, there is a fine viewpoint overlooking the town – Skalní vyhlídka – which is worth climbing up to, if having enough time (and energy) before catching the train back. There is a nice café – Kavárna Kovárna (map point 10) on the route to the castle, which is worth a stop.
• The full route (including the short extensions to visit Zruč chateau, Chřenovice castle, the Skalní vyhlídka viewpoint and Ledeč castle) is just over 25 km, with around 500m of height to ascend-descend. None of the paths are difficult or particularly steep. The paths are a mix of asphalt road and forest tracks. Apart from the suggested refreshment spots in Zruč and Ledeč, there may be open refreshment areas during the summer season at a couple of camping areas beside the river and at the pub in Chřenovice (but it is best to take supplies for the whole journey just in case…)

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version 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 Zruč train station, follow the access road for 300m to reach the Zruč nad Sázavou junction and there join the RED hiking trail which leads into the chateau area after a further 500m
• Return back along the RED trail and head towards Chřenovice. The station there is reached after 12 km
• Continue on the RED trail for a further 4.4 km to reach the Chřenovice castle ruins – signed with a diversion marker to the right, 100m before reaching the Chřenovice – Podhradí, žst junction
• Continue from there on the RED trail for 4.8 km to reach Ledeč station. Continue along the main road to reach the castle area – there are signposts leading up to the entrance
• The route to the Skalní vyhlídka does not have trail markers, so is best followed by using the mapy.cz application to find the footpaths and the footbridge over the river