A short walk to Křížová hora (623 m) above Český Krumlov, along the pilgrimage route: 4 km
- The climb up to Křížová hora to visit the Baroque pilgrimage chapel is a popular short walk for those staying in Český Krumlov. The Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built in 1710 and today houses a temporary exhibition.
- There are two approach paths up the hill starting from Český Krumlov. The circular route shown in the map below approaches using the steeper of the two routes and descends along the ‘main’ route which is lined with seven Baroque Stations of the Cross. There is a fine view from the hilltop year-round, but it is best to visit when the chapel is open (likely spring to autumn but opening times do not appear to be published anywhere).
- The route is just under 4 km long assuming a start from the main square in Český Krumlov and involves 150m of height to ascend/descend. The paths are not difficult, but the trail is not really suitable for strollers. There are no food refreshments on the hill, but there may be simple drinks available inside the chapel as part of the exhibition.
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 Český Krumlov main square, exit the inner town by crossing the Dr. E. Beneš Bridge to the south of the main square
- This gives access to the town park and the historic Plešivec district which can be explored before crossing the Linecká bridge
- After crossing the bridge, turn right to walk up Tavírna street to reach the Na Kovárně junction, where the red-white marked nature trail is joined
- Follow the nature trail up Na Kovárně street to reach Křížový vrch trail junction, near the top of the hill, after 900m
- The entrance to the chapel is 100m from the junction, following the BLUE trail
- For the descent back to town, follow the BLUE trail all the way back into the town square, which is reached after 1.7 km
