Along the Ohře river east from Louny (+ optional educational trail around Slavětín): 12 km – 20 km

• The river Ohře is one of Bohemia’s most attractive rivers, meandering gently for over 300 km from its source in the Bavarian hills to join with the river Labe (Elbe) at Litoměřice. Shortly before it reaches the Labe, the river flows through a number of historic towns, including the royal town of Louny, which dates from the 13th century, when it was founded by king Ottakar II.
• Louny town center is still enclosed by 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.
• There are a number of shorter walks from the town center (search under the ‘Louny’ location for a full listing), but for a longer full day trip consider following the river for a section as it heads eastwards towards the Labe. Take advantage of the regional train line, to make this a ‘one way’ way between Louny and the village of Slavětín.
• The route can be done in either direction (but the map below assumes a start in Slavětín with a finish in liuny, to enjoy some refreshments in the town center at the end of the walk! The direct path between Slavětín station and Louny město station is approximately 12 km long, but this can be extended by up to 7 km following the education trail around the village of Slavětín, famous for its unusual Romanesque-Gothic church, with rare Gothic murals (to see them requires contacting a caretaker in the village) and as the birth place of the Czech poet, Konstantin Biebl.
• At a minimum, it it worth taking a 1.5 km diversion to see one of Bohemia’s rare menhirs – the ‘Baba stone’ – which stands proudly in a field on the edge of the village (map point 2). Mentioned in the 17th century, this would appear to be one of Bohemia’s few remaining pre-historic standing stones.
• Apart for a gentle incline into Slavětín village, the route is essentially flat (the full educational trail does head into the hills above the village, giving an extra 100m of climbing, but this can be skipped if desired). The route is on a mix of asphalt rods and meadow footpaths, which can be slippery when wet, but otherwise this is a very easy route.
• 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. Slavětín also has a good village pub, the Hostinec Radnice (which is usually open from mid afternoon to the evening).

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 the walk at Slavětín station, for the direct 12 km route, follow the RED trail in the direction of Louny
• After exploring Louny center continue on the RED trail for a further 800m to reach Louny město station
• For the extension to see the menhir, follow the RED trail for 400m from Slavětín station along the road and then turn right along the farm track (signed Baba menhir) for a further 350m to reach the stone (standing by the tree).
• To continue on the education trail, this is best followed using the mapy.cz application, as the education trail is not directly signposted