*Walks in the countryside northwest of historic Sedlec-Prčice: 7 km to 20 km*

• Sedlec-Prčice is a twin town in the Příbram district of Central Bohemia. It is perhaps most famous today (at least with Czech walkers) as the end point for the Praha-Prčice long distance trek, which usually takes place in the third weekend of May. Most of those taking part in the Praha-Prčice hike are probably too tired to notice, but the countryside around Sedlec-Prčice is rather attractive and is certainly worth exploring.
• Although the twin town was only created in 1957, the Prčice component has a very long history (dating back at least to the 11th century). In the late 12th century, the town was probably given given as a reward to (or at least administered by) the former royal butler, Vítek I, who thenceforth became known as Vítek I of Prčice.
• Vítek I is most notable as the founder of some of most famous Bohemian noble houses of the Middle Ages. The family of Vítkovci (whose most prominent house was the Rosenbergs) came to dominate the politics (and ownership) of much of south Bohemia for several centuries.
• Little remains in Prčice of its early medieval past – the original Romanesque church of St. Lawrence on the main square now stands in its reconstructed Baroque form, as does the pretty chateau with its fine English park (sadly now closed to the public after a change in ownership in 2021). However, a private museum has been created in the neighbouring town Sedlec, dedicated to the legacy of Vítek I.
• The museum is run by the owners of the medieval themed brewery/restaurant, Pivovar Vítek z Prčice. There is also an ambitious project to recreate a replica of the 12th century fortress on the site of the brewery (map point 2). It is definitely worth a stop on any walk in the area.
• Several attractive walking trails converge on Sedlec-Prčice, which makes the twin town a good base for walks in the nearby countryside. The landscape became known in the 19th century as Český Meran, apparently due to a resemblance to the landscape around the northern Italian mountain town of Merano. Despite the name, the hills that form a ring around Sedlec-Prčice only reach just above 700m, but they do include the well known ski resort of Moninec.
• Outlined in the map below is a nicely varied circular route to the northwest of the twin town. The route passes through the historic village of Jesenice, dominated by its important 13th century Church of the Holy Trinity. The outbound route passes through open countryside and old villages on easy trails, whereas the return path to Sedlec-Prčice makes use of a relatively new asphalt cycle path, which is part of the Prague/Vienna long distance cycle path.
• There are frequent buses back to Sedlec-Prčice from Jesenice for those just wanting to make this a one way route (it is around 8 km to Jesenice via the countryside trails and 7 km along the cycle track). Walking on the cycle path (which goes though very attractive countryside) is a good option for those walking with strollers.
• There are a couple of diversions from the circular route can can be done to increase the length of the walk by a few kilometers if desired. Firstly, there is a marked education trail around the twin town (focusing on the the history and legends of the area). Undertaking the full trail adds an additional 4 km to the basic 15 km route.
• There is also a short (900m) unmrked education trail in Jesenice with information boards relating to the Holy Trinity church and the Ways of the Cross path onto a nearby hill. Finally, there is 900m optional diversion from the main trail to Zvěřinec Castle (map point 5), the remains of a 14th century fortress now almost hidden in the forest.
• The simple 15 km circuit (without diversions) has less than 200m of height to ascend/descend and all the trails are easy. Adding the diversions increases the height gain/loss by around 100m. The trail markers are slightly more sporadic than usual, so following the route on a map (or the mapy.cz phone application) is advisable.
• Along the route there are various refreshment options in addition to the (recommended) Prčice brewery/restaurant, including the Strnadovský mlýn restaurant, just off the cycle path half way between Jesenice and Prčice (map point 8). The restaurant has also placed a self-service drinks machine directly on the cycle path (map point 9)!

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

Directions

• Sedlec-Prčice can be reached by bus from the mainline train station of Heřmaničky, but most visitors will probably arrive by car. There is extensive free parking in the Prčice main square
• From the square, join the GREEN trail head towards Sedlec and stay on the this trail for 3.7 km as far as the Kvasejovice junction
• At the Kvasejovice junction, turn right onto the YELLOW trail heading towards Malkovice
• Continue on the YELLOW trail for 2.2 km to reach the Zadní Boudy junction. Here, there is the option to divert to the left to visit the Zvěřinec Castle ruins (a 900m diversion). Return back to Zadní Boudy after this diversion
• From Zadní Boudy, continue on the RED trail towards Jesenice – the bus stop is reached in 2.5 km
• In Jesenice if continuing for the full circuit, join the cycle path heading back to Prčice just after the Holy Trinity Church
• The cycle trail leads directly back to Prčice after 6.4 km