Vinařická hora and the legendary home of Libuše: a 17 km tour

• According to Kosmas, the 11th century medieval chronicler, at some point in the early Middle Ages, the legendary Princess Libuše stood on a Bohemian hill and grandly prophesied: “I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars.” That city was, of course, Prague. The location of Libuše’s hill is, however, hotly disputed. Some say it was Vyšehrad on the banks of the Vltava, just a stone’s throw from Prague castle. Yet, the earliest legends place Libuše on a steep sided hill not far from Kladno. Naturally, the hill today is called Libušín.
• On the Libušín hilltop stands the originally Gothic church of sv. Jiří. This was the acropolis site for a (likely originally pagan) hillfort whose fortifications date from the end of the 9th century. There are indications of an older Slavic settlement on the site from the 6th-7th century, so it is not impossible that a pre historic princess did indeed inhabit the site. Whether that particular princess subsequently met Přemyslid the Ploughman and founded a dynasty that dominated the early history of Bohemia, will probably never be known.
• Whoever lived on the Libušín hill in the early Middle Ages would have had a fine view of the surrounding hills, including the interestingly shaped Vinařická hora just 5 km to the northeast. This peak is in fact an ancient volcano that erupted some 20-30 million years ago at a time of intense tectonic activity in the region. Many more old Bohemian volcanos are visible from Vinařická hora’s summit, including Říp, on which Libuše’s legendary ancestor Father Čech declared that this was the the promised land for his wandering tribe of Slavs.
• A visit to Libušín hill and Vinařická hora can be combined with a walk through the surrounding mixed forests, which are part of the large protected area of Džbán park. This area of central Bohemia is characterized by broad plateau areas, sometimes with chalk or sandstone outcrops cut with wide stream valleys. Vinařická hora has some remarkable geology, with different layers of volcanic rock on display due to quarrying activities in the 19th and 20th century. The forests are a mix of coniferous and old oak and beech groves. Walks in the attractive forest areas are generally tranquil and quiet.
• The suggested route starts in the town of Libušín, which can be reached by bus from the Prague metro station of Veleslavín. For drivers, there are two parking areas in the centre of town, near the park. The total route is 17.2 km with 260m of height gained/lost. Most of the paths are easy footpaths, but the trails up and down Vinařická hora are quite steep and slippery in wet weather. The ascent of Vinařická hora can be skipped if necessary but this would miss some excellent views. There are no obvious recommended refreshment spots on the route, so take supplies for a picnic somewhere.

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 town of Libušín, at the park area. Join the YELLOW hiking trail heading eastwards towards Vinařice
• The trail initially follows the public road and then a farm track, gradually climbing the first section of the hill to reach the Vinařická hora trail signpost after 3.1 km
• Continue on the YELLOW trail for just 20m after the signpost and then turn left onto the (green markings) nature trail which leads up to the peak (note: if the weather is poor and the trails wet, consider avoiding the paths up the peak and stay on the YELLOW main trail)
• After the first 60m ascending the hill on the nature trail turn left onto the footpath which traverses the western flank of the hill before climbing steeply up to the summit
• Descend the hill on the opposite side, still following the nature trail markings steeply back to rejoin the YELLOW trail close to the point where the ascent started
• Continue on the YELLOW trail descending the hill and then through the village of Vinařice to reach the coal mine of Mayrau after 3.3 km
• From Mayrau continue on the YELLOW trail for 2.6 km climbing to the ridge that runs through the Krnčí a Voleška nature reserve and on to reach the Na Cimrmanském trail junction
• At Na Cimrmanském turn right onto the BLUE trail in the direction of Libušín and continue for 500m to reach the Sv. Jakub junction
• At the Sv. Jakub junction take the YELLOW trail through the attractive forest area in the direction of the Na Rovinách trail junction, which is reached after 3.2 km
• At Na Rovinách turn right onto the GREEN trail in the direction of Libušín. After 1.2 km reach the Slavic hillfort area of hradiště Libušín, at the center of which stands the church of sv. Jiří
• From the hillfort continue on the GREEN trail down the hill to reach the Libušín trail junction after 1.2 km. Here turn left onto the YELLOW trail to return back to the town center and park areas/bus stop