*Along the river Labe from Pardubice to Kunětická hora castle: 8 km to 17 km*

• Kunětická mountain is a dominant landscape feature in the otherwise quite flat Labe river plain to the north of Pardubice. This volcanic intrusion rises nearly a hundred meters above the river and must have been an important landmark since prehistoric times.
• The site has clearly been occupied at various times since the Neolithic, but the castle visible today on the summit actually dates from 1421, when the Hussite general Diviš Bořek constructed a fortress to protect the territories he controlled in eastern Bohemia. Later that century the Pernštejn family added late Gothic and then early Renaissance features to the castle.
• In 1645, the castle was besieged and virtually destroyed by the Swedish army at the end of the Thirty Years War. It lay in ruins until a reconstruction program began early last century. That process continues, but parts of this important castle are now open to the public and include some interesting exhibition areas.
• Kunětická hora can be reached in various ways. There are buses to the foot of the mountain from Hradec Králové and  Pardubice. There is also a large (paid) parking area just 700m walk from the summit of the hill. However, for those with the time the approach to the mountain starting at Pardubice is really worthwhile.
• There are two possible walking routes from Pardubice: a 9 km approach using the scenic footpath along the Labe river, or a more direct 7 km cross-country route. Both can be combine for a super circular trip, or either approach taken one way, catching the bus back to Pardubice for the return journey.
• Consider completing the trip with visit to the spectacular Pardubice castle built in early Renaissance style by Vilém of Pernštejn at the end of the 15th century. For the short historical tour around Pardubice, see the separate page. This 3 km tour can easily be connected with the Kunětická hora trip.
• Both approach routes mentioned above are completely flat on good footpaths, until reaching Kunětická hora. The 100m climb up the mountain is also on a good path. There are several refreshment options on both approaches to the mountain as well as a snack bar directly in the courtyard of the castle. In the summer months there is often a mobile ice cream stall offering very interesting homemade flavors.

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

Directions

• Pardubice has good bus and train connections, including directly with Prague, but the main bus and train stations are 1.5 km from the old town, so catching a bus to Náměstí Republiky might be advisable for those wanting to avoid the extra 3 km walk. There are several paid parking options closer to the town cente, including the Parkoviště Mezi Mosty, which is directly on the Kunětická hora walking route – see the finish marker in the map above
• Starting at Pardubice castle, the longer approach route along the Labe river follows the RED hiking trail, whereas the shorter approach route follows the GREEN trail. Both are signposted to Kunětická hora
• For a circular route, it is suggested to take the longer (RED) trail for the outbound journey and the GREEN trail for the return trip