*A circular walk from Žacléř in east Krkonoše to Rýchory via Stachelberg fortress: 17 km*

• The trails in the eastern section of the Krkonoše mountains are quieter than those in the more famous central and western sections, but they are equally scenic and definitely worth investigating. The final ridge of the mountain chain is called Rýchory and is a good target for a hike, mainly for the super views, but there is the added attraction of the popular Rýchorská bouda mountain chalet directly on the ridge. The excellent restaurant is open year-round.
• Rýchory ridge runs for nearly 2 km, all at over 1000m in altitude. It was mined for gold (unique in Europe due to its traces of the rare metal palladium) from the Middle Ages until the 18th century. The ridge is partly occupied by an ancient and twisted beech forest – Dvorský les. This is the highest limit that beech trees can grow in the country.
• Rýchory can be approached from all quadrants of the compass, but a start and finish in the town of Žacléř enables a route which also passes the remarkable Stachelberg fortress.
• Stachelberg was part of the extensive border fortifications constructed by the Czechoslovak First Republic government in the years leading up to the Second World War. The fortress, designed to be the largest in the country, was never finished. Construction was halted after the 1938 Munich Agreement, which led to the immediate annexation of part of the country by the Nazi regime (including most of the fortified border zones). The complex has gradually been made accessible to the public over the past twenty years by a group of enthusiasts and guided tours are available from April to December. Nearby is the Eliška viewing tower (see picture below).
• If travelling by public transport, there are bus connections from Trutnov to Žacléř. Žacléř itself is worth looking around for its collection of fine Baroque architecture. If driving, there is no designated parking area in town but there should be spots in the side streets. Alternatively, there is a free parking area on the main road below Stachelberg fortress (map point 4)
• The proposed route is just over 17 km long, with 630m of height to ascend/descend. Most of the route is on quiet mountain roads or farm tracks and none of the paths are difficult or particularly steep. For refreshments, aim to stop at Rýchorská bouda, but there are also a couple of pubs and a café in Žacléř.

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

• Starting the walk in Žacléř, join the GREEN trail heading in the direction of Stachelberg. The fortress is reached after 3.4 km
• Continue on the GREEN trail for a further 150m to reach the viewing tower. Here, turn onto the RED trail heading towards Kutná – Rýchory
• Continue on the RED trail crossing the main road near the car park and climb up towards Rýchory ridge, reaching the high point (Dvorský les, 1036m) 4.8 km from the viewing tower
• Continue gently downhill along the ridge for 1.4 km to reach the Kutná – Rýchory junction
• At Kutná – Rýchory, join the YELLOW trail and continue for 450m to reach the Rýchorská bouda restaurant. 100m after the restuarant there is a viewing sopot
• Return back to the Kutná – Rýchory junction and turn onto the GREEN trail heading towards Žacléř
• After 2 km reach the Vizov – chata Hubertus junction. Here turn onto the BLUE trail, which leads back to Žacléř in 4.6 km (note the GREEN trail also returns back to Žacléř in the same distance, but the BLUE has nicer views and passes through open meadows with some attractive mountain chalets