*An extended route in the countryside surrounding Oldřich’s famous oak tree near Peruc: 20 km*

An extended route in the countryside surrounding Oldřich’s famous oak tree near Peruc: 20 km

This is an extended (and arguably even better) version of the 14 km classic circular walk from the historic town of Peruc via the Celtic hillfort of Stradonice, with it iconic viewing tower. Peruc is perhaps best known today as the location of a rather famous oak tree. The longer route adds visits to two interesting small towns (both with good refreshment spots): Slavětín (with its unique Romanesque-Gothic church) and Pátek (which has an unusual Renaissance-Baroque chateau complex that is slowly being restored). Note: the comments below (on Peruc and Stradonice) are repeated from the classic walk description.
Over a thousand years ago, around the turn of the first millennium, the Přemyslid Prince of Bohemia, Oldřich, was hunting in the woods near Peruc, a village not far from the royal town of Louny. The Prince came across a beautiful young woman washing linen next to a spring. According to the legends, despite already being married, Oldřich could not resist the charms of Božena. The consequence was the conception of child, who was subsequently named Břetislav. Břetislav became a notable warrior Prince, whose successes on the battlefield earned him the moniker, ‘the Bohemian Achilles’. He is also credited with being the first Přemyslid Prince of both Bohemia and Moravia.
The forest encounter of Oldřich and Božena directly led to the survival and flourishing of the Přemyslid dynasty for over 300 years. After the birth of Břetislav, the dynasty produced a further 20 Bohemian rulers and even (briefly) a Holy Roman Emperor. All were direct descendants of Břetislav.
Božena’s spring was apparently shaded by oak trees. One of the oak saplings growing at that time miraculously survived, not just the remaining years of Přemyslid rule, but also the following 700 years. The tree known today as ‘Oldřich’s Oak’, still stands by the stream flowing below Peruc village, having borne witness to over a thousand tumultuous years of Bohemian history. It is arguably the most famous tree in the country.
On the hillside above Božena’s spring, a Romanesque fortress was constructed, probably in the 12th century and the village of Peruc grew around it. The Peruc fortress was transformed several times over the following centuries and the rococo form visible today is due to a major reconstruction in the 18th century. The impressive Peruc chateau is still undergoing reconstruction but an adjoining gallery featuring the work of Czech Cubist painter Emil Filla (who stayed in chateau between 1947 and 1952) is open during the main tourist season. In the summer months there are sometimes refreshments available in the chateau’s English park.
The suggested route follows most of a marked nature trail (with 20 information boards) that tours the village of Peruc and then runs along the ridge above the Débeřský stream to the Stradonka lookout tower constructed in 2009 on the rampart of the Hradiště Stradonice. This prehistoric site offers spectacular views over the volcanic hills to the north, and was occupied as early as the Stone Age. The fortifications around the oval site were mostly constructed in the Iron Age, by Celtic settlers, possibly as a ritual center.
From Stradonice the extended route heads northwest to reach the river Ohře and the town of Pátek, which is dominated by the Renaissance-Baroque chateau, now in private ownership (but open to the public) and undergoing a piece by piece renovation. Just along the street from the chateau is the Hostinec Hela, which is focused on serving a large variety of different beers and also has snacks.
The final stop on the extended route is the town of Slavětín which has an unusual Romanesque-Gothic church, with rare Gothic murals (to see them requires contacting a caretaker in the village). Slavětín also has a good village pub, the Hostinec Radnice (which is usually open from mid afternoon to the evening).
The total route is just over 20 km long and involves 300m of height gained/lost on the journey, on a mix of quiet roads and good footpaths in the forest and meadows. None of the hills are steep. For refreshments, in addition to the places mentioned Slavětín and Pátek, there is a nice café just below the chateau in Peruc on the main road. It is usually open at weekends in spring and summer.

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

Start the walk in the center of the village of Peruc, reached by regular bus from Louny. For drivers, there is are parking areas on the edge of the village
After visiting the chateau and its park area, join the BLUE trail in the direction of Oldřichův dub. The old oak tree is reached after 300m
From the oak tree, continue on the BLUE trail for 1.7 km to reach the Krásná vyhlídka tourist shelter
From the tourist shelter continue on the BLUE trail on the forest path for 1.8 km to reach the village of Chrastín and the trail signpost
At the Chrastín sign turn right onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Zadní Valy – rozhledna. The lookout tower is reached after 1.2 km
From the lookout, continue on the YELLOW trail for 1 km to reach the village of Stradonice
From Stradonice, stay on the YELLOW trail for 4.1 km to reach Pátek
In Pátek, leave the marked hiking trails and follow the side roads, which are signposted to Slavětín (reached after 4.7 km)
In Slavětín, join the RED hiking trail which leads directly back to Peruc after 5.6 km