Walks in the ‘fairytale forest’ above Bílina: 3 km to 7 km
- Bílina is an ancient town situated between Teplice and Most in northwest Bohemia. Possibly best known today for its Bílinská Kyselka naturally sparkling mineral water, the town appears in history in the early medieval period as a Přemyslid stronghold. The town was owned for a long period by the Lobkowicz family, to whom the dominant Baroque chateau and mineral water plant was returned after the 1989 revolution.
- Forty years ago, Bílina was also known for its unique ‘fairytale forest’, which was created in 1974 by local resident Jaroslav Sekyra, who carved more than 130 life-size fairytale figures from wood and placed them along a forest path above the town. Many of the figures disappeared or were damaged in the subsequent decades, but efforts have been made recently to restore and supplement the figures, adding some familiar modern day animated characters.
- The trail is amusing, and not just for families with children! The section of forest path with the statues is not long – around 500m – and is accessible with a stroller. However, after walking through the ‘fairytale’ section, there is a longer circular route available through the attractive mixed forests above the town, which finishes by passing the site of an old Přemyslid hillfort dating from the 10th century (of which only traces remain visible).
- Starting in the town center it is around a 1 km walk to reach the start of the fairytale trail (longer if starting at the train station). The full circuit in the forest is around 6 km long (7 km if starting at the train station). The full trail has 130m of height to ascend/descend. None of the paths are difficult, but after the fairytale section they are not suitable for strollers. There are various refreshment options available in Bílina town 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
- From the train/bus station follow the GREEN trail into the town center (direction Bílina nám.). The main square has parking spots for those driving
- In the town square, join the YELLOW hiking trail. If planning on doing the full loop the trail can be taken in either direction (clockwise or anticlockwise), but if planning on just visiting the fairytale section follow the route with the shorter marked distance to Pohádkový les
