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Walks to Giant’s Castle in the Šumava hills – a remarkable prehistoric monument: 3 km to 19 km

  • According the medieval legends, Obří hrad was constructed from rocks and boulders from the hideous Šumava giants. This remarkable hillfort is situated at close to 1000m in the Šumava mountains and there are still sections surviving of the dry stone walls which are some of the oldest in the country, dating from around 500 BC, when the Celtic tribes settled in the region. Obří hrad (Giant’s castle) is also the highest fortified prehistoric site in Bohemia.
  • The site was clearly unsuited for year round settlement, being covered in deep snow for up to six months of the year. It seems this was a sacred or ritual site for the Celts, but the effort made to build the protective outer wall and inner acropolis walls (which have now mostly crumbled into deep piles of rubble) is quite astonishing. It brings to mind some of the ruins of ancient Greece, perched on high mountainsides. Perhaps the Celtic warlord who ordered the site’s construction was once a mercenary leader who fought in those far flung lands. The Bohemian Celtic warbands were certainly known for their long distance travels…
  • There are several ways to reach Obří hrad and for those driving there is a small parking area at the settlement of Popelná, situated on a side road between Kašperské hory and Zadov. It is just 1.5 km from this parking area to the summit of the hillfort. There are three information boards on the route (only in Czech) discussing features of the fortress.
  • However, the trails from either Zadov or Kašperské hory offer a nicely varied, but much longer approach to the hillfort. The route shown below is a nice circular route starting at the attractive medieval town of Kašperské hory, including section beside the pretty and fast-flowing Losenice river. The route totals 19 km, with 600m of ascent/descent. Most of the route is on quite side roads or forest paths. Only the trails within the hillfort are challenging.
  • There are no refreshment options on the route, apart from at the start and finish in Kašperské hory, so take sufficient fluids and supplies for the journey.

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 in the centre of Kašperské hory, follow the RED trail for 8 km to reach the small settlement of Popelná
  • Here, turn onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Obří hrad and climb 1.2 km to reach the outer wall of the hillfort
  • Continue into the fortress and take the marked path to reach the viewpoint at the far edge of the acropolis area
  • Return back down the hill on the same path to the Popelná junction and then continue on the YELLOW trail in the direction of Pod Milovským vrchem, which is reached in 2.4 km
  • Here, turn left onto the BLUE trail and follow this for 6 km back to the center of Kašperské hory
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