*A circuit from Horoměřice, via Statenice, Únětice and the Kozí hřbety ridge: 10 km to 13 km*

• This is one of the most interesting and varied medium length walks to be found on the outskirts of Prague. It starts in the popular commuter town of Horoměřice, passes through a forested area close to Prague airport, traverses the historic villages of Statenice and Únětice before returning to the start point along the unique rocky ridge, Kozí hřbety.
• The latter is the site of one of the most important archaeological finds in Central Europe. It also offers some great views of the surrounding landscape. All three villages have recommended refreshment spots and there is even a mysterious menhir to investigate along the way!
• In 1928 a group of workers discovered a horde of remarkable decorated bronze weapons hidden beneath a rock on Kozí hřbety, overlooking the Únětice stream valley. The craftsmanship of these 4000 year old blades was unlike anything discovered in the region before. This unique horde can be today be viewed in the archaeology section of the National Museum in Prague.
• Únětice actually gave its name to one of the most important early Bronze Age societies in Europe. Around 2300 BC, a new technologically advanced culture began to emerge in central Bohemia, characterized by its unique bronze and copper metalworking techniques. Artifacts originating from the Únětice culture have since been discovered as far away as Ireland, Scandinavia and the Balkans. The culture spread to dominate a large part of Central Europe for at least five hundred years.
• For most visitors the region, however, Únětice is probably more famous today for its award-winning beers (which have probably not yet spread as far as the Bronze Age artifacts, but give them time – they they have only been brewing since 2010!). The privately owned brewery is located on the edge of the village (map point 7) and is a popular destination for bikers, hikers and generally anyone passing by. It serves excellent unfiltered beers and there is an extensive food menu. It is definitely worth a visit.
• If the brewery is full (quite likely on sunny weekends) there are various excellent alternative refreshment options along this route. In Statenice, try the newly opened (2023) stylish Czech restaurant, Statenka (map point 3). Horoměřice also has a few options, including the highly regarded Italian restaurant, Unico Osteria e Caffe.
• There is one other quick stopping point in Horoměřice – not for refreshments but rather to consider a question… How old do you think the small sandstone ‘menhir’ is (located next to the Kindergarden school – map point 9)? No one seems to know…Is it Celtic, Bronze Age or a more modern addition to the Horoměřice landscape? Very old standing stones are actually quite rare in Bohemia (most were toppled and destroyed long ago). This one is not very big but could potentially be quite old… Decide for yourselves!
• The full route shown on the map below is just under 13 km long, with 160m of height to ascend/descend. Most of this ascent is the climb up to Kozí hřbety from Únětice, which is steep for a short section, but not difficult. There are rocky sections along the ridge, but the footpath is good and these are not particularly challenging. If desired, the trip can be shortened by a couple of kilometers by skipping the forest section near the airport, by taking the marked cycle route from Horoměřice to Statenice.
• For those wanting a longer walk, consider adding on the 10 km loop starting the Únětice stream valley , which passes through Roztoky. This walk is described separately, here.

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

Directions

• Horoměřice village has frequent bus connections with stations on the Prague metro line A. There are a couple of smal parking areas in the center of the village
• From the village center, join the RED hiking trail heading towards Sv. Juliána, which is reached after 2.6 km
• At the Svatá Juliána junction, turn right onto the YELLOW trail heading towards Statenice
• Follow the YELLOW trail for 4 km through Statenice to reach the Černý Vůl junction
• At the junction, turn right onto the BLUE trail heading through Únětice village
• After 2.5 km on the BLUE trail, reach the Alšova vyhlídka junction
• Here, turn right onto the GREEN trail which leads up onto the Kozí hřbety ridge and back to Horoměřice, which is reached after 3.3 km