A tour around the old town walls and medieval streets of Tábor: 5 km

• The historical town of Tábor in South Bohemia is deeply associated with the Protestant Hussite movement of the 15th century. The town was essentially was created by a radical Hussite military faction, the Taborites, which came to be led by the legendary warlord Jan Žižka, whose monument features in the central square.
• The town is located on a raised plateau at the confluence of the Lužnice and Tismenický streams. There is evidence of settlement on the site in the Iron Age, and the beginnings of the medieval town began in the 13th century. However, the important sites in the old town, including the town walls, gates and towers, date from the Hussite period and the 16th century. It is a very attractive old town, worth exploring at leisure. There is an excellent museum dedicated to the Hussite period in the old town hall on the main square. Guided tours are also available from there, including to the medieval underground areas.
• Bordering the northern edge of the town is the reservoir Jordán. Created in 1492 by damming the Košínský stream, this is believed to be the oldest reservoir in Central Europe. Beside the reservoir is an attractive small botanical garden – the second oldest in the country.
• If travelling by public transport, a pleasant way to explore the town is to head towards the old town from the bus/train station but circle around the medieval walls and bastions before exploring the streets of the old town and main square. The return to the bus/train station can be done by following the shore of the Jordán reservoir, passing through the botanical garden.
• The total route described above is 5.2 km long and involves only 30m of height difference. The route can be done with a stroller. There are many good refreshment options in Tábor, with fine cafés and restaurants. The Moccacafé, just off Pražská street, serves excellent Italian ice cream – on sunny weekends there is often a long queue outside.

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

Directions

• From the bus-train station take the RED hiking trail, walking through the Hus park, to reach the Tábor – Křižíkovo nám trail junction after 1 km
• From there continue on the RED trail beside the main road to reach the Tábor – Kotnov junction next to the Bechyně Gate
• Turn right at the junction, passing through the archway. After 75m turn left onto Ružová street and follow this for 200m until reaching the end of the road
• Turn left to follow the footpath that runs beneath the old town walls
• Stay on this footpath close to the walls for 500m until reaching the public road that passes through the walls heading into the town center
• Take this road into the center, reaching the main square after 200m
• Explore the old streets, main square and museum at leisure before returning back to the square and taking Pražská street heading back towards the station area
• On reaching the main road, close to the Tábor – Křižíkovo nám junction (visited on the outbound journey) turn left to follow the main street for 100mto reach the edge of the Jordán reservoir
• Turn onto the footpath that runs beside the reservoir and follow this for 700m until meeting the RED hiking trail
• Follow the RED trail for 400m back to the station area