Along the cycle path from Nový Jičín to Hodslavice, birthplace of František Palacký – 10 km

• František Palacký is considered the leading figure of the 19th century Czech National Revival. An important Czech historian and politician, Palacký is often given the title, ‘Father of the Nation’ alongside Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV and Tomáš Masaryk (the first Czechoslovak President). He is not, however, a figure that well known outside the Czech borders.
• Palacký came from a relatively humble Protestant family background, born the 5th of 12 children to a family resident in the small Moravian village of Hodslavice. The pretty family house (pictured in the header photo) is now a museum and is well worth a visit, located just a few kilometers to the south of the attractive town of Nový Jičín. Combining a visit to Hodslavice with a stop (or stay) in Nový Jičín is well worthwhile. The latter town is actually a nice base for exploring north Moravia.
• Located at a strategic position along the historic ‘Moravian Gate’ trade corridor, Nový Jičín was a thriving trading center by the end of the 15th century, when the aristocratic Žerotín family acquired the estate. In the early 16th century the Žerotíns reconstructed the town castle into a state of the art Renaissance castle, with a unique system of ten turrets to defend the town (only three of which remain today). The castle today hosts part of the regional museum. Over the following centuries the town center developed its unique Renaissance-Baroque character overlaid on the original medieval plan.
• There ware a couple of walking routes from Nový Jičín to Hodslavice. The easiest route is to the follow the 6271 cycle path starting at the eastern edge of Nový Jičín and heading south following the course of the Zrzávka stream. The cycle track is mostly a dedicated asphalt path. Close to Hodslavice, leave the cycle track and follow the stream into the village centre along the side roads. This 9 km route can be managed easily with a stroller. There are buses back to Nový Jičín from Hodslavice.
• While in Hodslavice, in addition to visiting Palacký’s house, there are a number of newly created ‘framed’ viewpoints located on the slopes overlooking the village, the closest of which is 500m up the slope just the museum (map point 6).
• There are a couple of pubs for a quick beer in Hodslavice, but for food it is best to choose one of several good options in Nový Jičín, either before or after the visit to Hodslavice. A personal favourite is Kavárna Doma, which has a nice enclosed terrace area (map point 4, just off the main square).
• A longer but harder route (12 km to 14 km depending on the route chosen) follows a more rugged footpath into the hills to the south of Nový Jičín before circling back to Hodslavice. This route also follows an interesting education-nature trail. When fully researched this route will be included in the guide at a later date.

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 the main bus station (also next to the train station and two parking areas), follow the RED hiking trail into the main square, which is reached in 500m
• Either explore the town centre (including the chateau) now or after the return from Hodslavice.
• To pick up the cycle path, head northeast along one of the side streets (eg along Hoblíková) and then turn right onto the RED hiking trail. This links with the 6271 cycle path
• Follow the cycle track for 5.8 km until reaching the Hospůdka na Dolním, where the track veers away from the stream
• Leave the cycle track at this pint and follow the side streets which run parallel to the stream and main road, to reach the center of the village after 1.5 km