Short walks from Louny (II): along the river to the Březno archaeological museum – 7 km

• The royal town of Louny is located on the rover Ohře, some 50 km northwest of Prague. It is an interesting town, originally founded by king Ottakar II in the 13th century. The town center is still enclosed by its 15th century fortifications and there are a number of fine buildings from the 16th to 18th centuries to discover on its streets, not least being the late Gothic masterpiece, the Church of St Peter’s, designed by the famous architect Benedict Rejt.
• Louny is worth exploring on a day trip, or potentially as a base for trips into north west Bohemia. There are a number of pleasant small hotels located in the old town, including the well-regarded Hotel Caramell and Hotel U Radnice.
• There are several walks available in the area of Louny, including hikes up the nearby volcanic hills of Raná and Oblík. For a short walk after or before exploring the old town, consider the separately described circular 7 km route along the scenic paths beside the Ohře river stopping at the historical hamlet of Lužerady for refreshments.
• Alternatively, consider taking the one way 7 km route along the river from Louny to the village of Březno, which is described below. Just outside Březno there is an unusual open-air experimental archeological museum with reconstructed ancient dwellings. The museum is based on actual archaeological findings from the area, including the reconstruction of the 5th millennium BC Neolithic longhouse, which is is the centerpiece of the exhibition. The area close to the river seems to have been inhabited almost continuously through the Stone and Bronze Ages, and then again in the first millennium AD, particularly by early Slavic settlers.
• The site is still used for testing ancient techniques and living conditions and there are animals on the site. During the peak season staff on the site will demonstrate several of these techniques, mostly for the benefit of visiting children and school parties. The museum is usually open fro March to December.
• The almost flat walk from the center of Louny follows town and country lanes all the way to the museum, so is suitable for strollers and is reached in 5 km. The route passes the important Gothic church of St Peter, which has an earlier Romanesque section. Continue on the country lanes for 2km to reach the village of Březno, which has buses and a train station for the return trip to Louny. It is possible to buy drinks at the museum ticket office, but there are no food refreshments directly on the trip.
• Louny has a wide variety of excellent refreshment spots. For good coffee and ice cream try Cukrána Fragolose on the main square. For more substantial fare, try the restaurant Merlot, near the beautiful 15th century Žatec gate, or for a more traditional pub, try the Šalanda, opposite St Peter’s Church.

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

• From the center of Louny (Mírové náměstí), take the YELLOW hiking trail in the direction of Březno
• After 800m pass the church of St Peter on the right side
• Continue on the YELLOW trail for a further 4.2 km to reach the museum
• From the museum continue on the YELLOW trail for 1 km, until the trail turns left off the country lane to climb the hill on a footpath. If walking with a stroller continue on the country lanes, through the village, to reach the bus stop or train station in just over a kilometer (the YELLOW trail arrives in the same place, just taking a route through the forest and over Březenský hill)