An easy walk around the historic town of Úštěk and the Chmelař swimming lake: 4 km

• The historic town of Úštěk sits on a low promontory on an old trade route between Litoměřice and Lusatia in north Bohemia. The town was founded in the 14th century by the house of Michalovice (a branch of the very old northern Bohemian Markvart family) but there is evidence of a settlement on the site in pre-historic and Slavic times.
• The town is unusual for its arcades of late Gothic (early 16th century) houses which are used frequently on film sets. Behind the main street are the remains of a 15th century castle which was burnt during the Hussite wars and later converted into a brewery during the 18th century, when owned by the Jesuits.
• In the castle area, there is an unusual Museum of Devils (designed with children in mind) which also gives access to the Gothic cellars. In the courtyard of the castle area is a pleasant café, which is worth visiting.
• Below the town (just behind the station) is the Chmelař lake that was created in the 20th century and is now a popular swimming area with two campsites, one on a sandy beach, the other with a grassy beach.
• The easy walk from the station into town before returning to the station (via the grassy beach is desired), is just under 4 km long, with just 20m of height to climb. The route can be managed with a stroller. For refreshments, (apart from the café in the castle courtyard) there are several other cafés in the main street. On the way down to the lake there is a nice ice cream stand – marked on the map at point 6.

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Directions

• If travelling by car, there is parking along the main street. Otherwise, if arriving at the train station take the BLUE trail to reach the center of town in 500m
• Take a moment to visit the castle area before exiting the town along the opposite end of the main street
• Shortly (50m) after the leaving the town square take the side-turning to the left, passing the old firehouse with its half-timbered tower, to reach the town pond
• After passing the pond, turn left along Rybiční street
• After 300 turn right to head towards the lake, passing the ice cream stand on the right side
• Cross over the main road and if wanting to visit the grassy beach, continue for 700m with the lake on the left hand side
• If not wanting to visit the beach area, turn directly left to follow beside the railway line for 300m to return back to the station