*A walk around Velhartice, a hidden gem in the Šumava foothills: 2 km to 6 km*
- Velhartice is a small town located on the Ostružná river in the Šumava foothills, midway between Klatovy and Sušice. It is easily missed as none of the main roads heading towards Šumava pass through the town – which is probably a good thing as it means the superb Gothic-Renaissance castle remains relatively undiscovered.
- Constructed at the end of the 13th century, the castle has a unique Gothic ‘bridge’ between its two massive defensive towers. In the 17th century, the castle was remodeled by the (infamous) Imperial general Martin de Hoeff-Huerta who added a very fine late Renaissance palace. There are separate guided tours to the Gothic and Renaissance sections of the castle, but tickets may also be purchased for freely walking around the extensive castle area. There is an excellent restaurant in the grounds, which is well worth a visit when open.
- For those wanting to add a short walk to the visit to this fine castle, there is a 2.5 km nature trail which starts at the castle and passes through the historic town center and then along the Ostružná river valley. It is not a circular route, so it is best to return back on the same path. In the center of the town the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary stands out for its mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements.
- The walk around the castle area and the nature trail can be managed with a stroller. There is a small hill to get down to the river (80m height difference).
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
- Velhartice is on a bus route between Klatovy and Sušice. For drivers, there is a free parking area next to the castle
- If parking at the castle, after visiting the castle area, head into the town center following the RED trail and at the main square join the BLUE trail heading towards Ostružná – pod hradem
- The nature trail continues along the BLUE trail for 2 km
- Return back along the same path back to the town center/castle
