The Komárov nature trail at the northwest edge of the Brdy highlands: 8 km to 10 km

• Komárov is a small town located at the northwest edge of the Brdy range of hills, just a few kilometers southwest of the larger town of Hořovice. Komárov has an interesting history dating back to the 13th century but is probably best known today as the site of country’s first ironworks and cast iron foundry, which was established in 1791.
• One of the town’s most notable owners was the Bohemian knight, Jindřich Otto of Los. Otto was one of the principal leaders of the Estates Uprising in Bohemia at the start of the 30 Years War. On 21 June 1621, the knight (aged 80 at that time) was executed by beheading (along with 26 other leaders of the Uprising) on Prague’s Old Town Square.
• The town’s castle was demolished at the end of the 19th century and then rebuilt (on the original Gothic/Renaissance foundations) into a school. The building now houses an ironworks museum. Mining of iron ore had been an important source of wealth for the town since the 13th century and a couple of the medieval mineshafts are visible on an interesting nature/educational trail, which was established in 2013.
• The 10 km long education trail, which has 12 information boards (only in Czech), outlines the history and and natural attractions of the area. It is a pleasantly varied trail, which passes three small lakes as well as the towering rock formation Mrtnická skála (apparently this is the only permitted climbing terrain in the whole of the Brdy PLA). The last of these ponds, Záskalská reservoir, allows swimming from its grassy banks.
• The trail then takes a short loop into the Brdy hills to visit the mining area before circling back to Komárov through some attractive villages. There are some good views over the Brdy hills and towards the Křivoklátsko forest area.
• It is not a difficult trail, partly on forest/meadow footpaths and partly on country lanes. It involves around 200m of height to ascend/descend, most of which can be avoided by skipping the (optional) 1.5 km loop into the forest to view the mineshafts. For refreshments on the route, there are a couple of village pubs along the way (eg the Na Chaloupkách in Chaloupky village).
• It is worth combining the trip to Komárov with a visit to nearby Hořovice. Hořovice has a lovely Baroque chateau and park area. It also boasts some fine cafés and restaurants , including the popular Na Krétě restaurant.

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Directions

• Komárov can be reached by bus from Hořovice (which has mainline train connections with Prague). There are various options for (free) parking in the center of Komárov
• The nature trail begins at Nám. Míru square and is well marked with green-white diagonal nature trail markers. The trail should be followed clockwise, initially along the Červený stream
• After 2.8 km the trail climbs into the Brdy forests for the 1.5 km loop to visit the mineshafts. If desired, this loop can be skipped by following the YELLOW hiking trail. This rejoins the nature trail after 100m