Panenský Týnec, Žerotín castle and Zichovec brewery – a 9 km trip

• The Žerotíns were an important Bohemian noble family who were prominent in the Přemyslid court during the 13th and 14th centuries. They take their name from a small village on the trade route between the royal towns of Louny and Slaný, where they constructed a fortress in the mid 13th century, reinforced with a double ring of massive ramparts and moats.
• The castle was converted into a Renaissance chateau at the end of the 16th century, but destroyed in 1639 during the 30 Years War, by the Swedish army. Little remains of the castle today, most of the stonework having been used for construction activities in the surrounding village, but the massive ramparts remain as testimony to one of Bohemia’s earliest aristocratic castles (most castles up to that point were royal foundations). Curiously, this important ruin is not directly on a tourist trail, but that makes it a quieter place to visit!
• In the early 14th century, the Lords of Žerotín founded a Clarissian monastery in the nearby village of Týnec (today called Panenský Týnec). Perhaps the most notable member of the family, Plichta of Žerotín, who became famous as a knight who fought on multiple European battlefields, then started construction of an impressive Gothic church on the site. The church was never finished but its magnificent shell survived for 700 years and today is one of the most evocative of all religious monuments in Bohemia. The site is believed to possess special healing energies. The grounds also have photogenic old monastery buildings and a kiosk/snack bar.
• A visit to these two atmospheric sites can easily be combined with a visit to the modern micro brewery and restaurant located in the village of Zichovec, around 3 km south of Žerotín. If travelling by car there is a large parking area at the brewery (for visitors) and from there the walk to Panenský Týnec via the Žerotín castle ruin is approximately 4.5 km, There is no sensible circular route for the return journey, so it is best to retrace the outbound route. This gives a 9 km tour with approximately 200m of height to climb/descend. The paths are a mix of asphalt road and easy forest/meadow tracks.
• If travelling by public transport, then the best bus connections are to Panenský Týnec, in which case start there and make the village of Zichovec the halfway point. This is the route shown in the map below. Note: in the center of Zichovec, by the village pond, a megalithic monument was constructed in 2010. It is worth a quick visit, especially if stopping at the excellent restaurant or picking up some of the sixty different beers brewed by the brewery.

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

• If starting at the bus stop in Panenský Týnec, decide whether to visit the monastery area and church ruin before or after the main walk, as these are 200m in the opposite direction to the trail to Zichovec
• From the bus stop, take the BLUE hiking trail in the direction of Žerotín
• After 1.2 km (following the public road) reach the village of Žerotín. At the bus stop, turn right leaving the BLUE trail and follow the signs to the castle (hrad)
• The castle is reached in 350m (passing) the small chapel
• Return back to the center of the village continue on the BLUE trail in the direction of Samotín
• The route runs through the rest of the village and then over a low hill (view a view back towards the volcanic hills) and reaches the Samotín trail junction after 2 km
• At the Samotín junction, turn left leaving the BLUE trail and continue on the side road for 600m to reach the village of Zichovec
• The brewery-restaurant is a short istance to the right along the main street. The new stone circle by the pond is a further 400m along the street
• Return back to Panenský Týnec along the outbound paths