Short walks in the Janovický forest near Říčany – 5 km to 10 km
- The town of Říčany, located 20 km to the south east of Prague, has a long history. In the late 13th century, the chamberlain to Bohemian King Ottokar II constructed a fine stone castle next to the village stream. The stonework was so good it survived a siege by a Hussite army in the 15th century, the ravages of the 30 Years War in the 17th century and masonry hunters in the succeeding centuries. The ruins on the outskirts of town are one of the very few surviving examples of castle walls from this early in the Bohemian medieval period.
- In the 19th century Říčany became a popular location for out of town villas for the wealthy, who were able to access their mansions using the new Prague to Vienna railway line. Říčany retains some of that up-market image today.
- By the early 20th century the town had also become a frequent destination for day trips from Prague. To attract even more tourists, two swimming lakes were created. Both lakes are still popular for a a cool summer swim. The ponds lie at the edge of attractive mixed forest areas that offer hikers a variety of walks in surprisingly rugged woodland, before a possible refreshing dip in one of the lakes.
- The walk described below starts at the Jureček lake, which (apart from offering the opportunity for a cool swim) has a well regarded restaurant at its edge, with a large summer terrace. Jureček lake has a large parking area for those driving, or it is an easy 1.5 km walk along quiet streets from the mainline Říčany train station.
- The mixed woods adjoining the lake – Janovický les – are unusually varied and interesting for a forest so close to Prague. The sections beside the Rokytka stream feel more like a mountain area than a suburban forest. There are large sections of blueberry bushes for fruit hunters in the late summer.
- Several shorter or longer loops can be undertaken in the forest using marked or unmarked trails. The suggested walk shown on the map below is 8.3 km long, follows marked trails and involves just 80m of height gained/lost. Although the trails are easy, they are often muddy forest footpaths, and so not generally suitable for strollers (apart from the initial sections close to the lake).
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
- Start at the car park next to Jureček lake, located just at the north east edge of Říčany. If travelling by train, take the GREEN walking trail from Říčany station in the direction of Jureček (reached after 1.5 km)
- Begin the walk on the GREEN hiking trail, along the northern side of the lake. Continue on the GREEN path as it gradually rises alongside the Rokytka stream
- After 1.8kmthe trail reaches a crossroads, with the GREEN hiking path turning left. Continue straight on – this is the marked nature trail (green-white diagonal stripes). Along the route there are several information boards, mostly discussing the natural environment of the forest
- Cross under the main road, and after 1.3 km the nature trail reaches at the junction with the BLUE hiking trail. Turn left onto to the BLUE trail
- Stay on the BLUE trail for 1.9 km (mostly on forest tracks, but with a short section on the road), reach the Janovický les trail signpost at the junction with the RED trail. Turn left onto the RED trail and follow this trail back to the Údolí Rokytky trail signpost which is reached after 2.5km
- At the Údolí Rokytky sign turn right back onto the GREEN trail and return to Jureček lake on the outbound path. The lake, with its restaurant is reached after 700m
