A walk to zámek Nový Hrad near Louny, from the ancient village of Opočno: 5 km

• Nový Hrad, located just off the D7 highway, close to the town of Louny is one of the most picturesque 17th century Baroque chateaux in central Bohemia and is definitely worth a trip – there are guided tours of the interior and an excellent view from the tower, which has 15th century origins. There are occasional events at the chateau at weekends and summer public holidays.
• A nice way to visit the chateau is to take a walk from the nearby village of Opočno. On the low hill above the village is an ancient hill fort that was occupied during the Celtic and Slavic periods – the site is associated with the Bohemian Duke, Prince Oldřich, who ruled the country in the early 11th century.
• Legend has it that Oldřich was on a hunting trip in the area (possibly having started in Opočno) and spied a beautiful peasant girl, Božena, beside a spring near the village of Peruc. He abducted Božena (and later married her). Around 1002 AD they had a son together, named Břetislav, who solely preserved the dynastic line of the Přemyslid rulers. The Přemyslids continued to rule Bohemia for the next three hundred years.
• Opočno can be reached by bus and regional train line (the Most-Rakovník line). For drivers, there is a parking area near the train station. The suggested route circles around the old hillfort (from which there is a view of the volcanic hills of české středohoří) and then follows a track to to Nový Hrad.
• The total (there and back) route is just under 5 km and is mostly on easy paths, with just 60m of height difference – the route across the hillfort is unmarked. Refreshments are available in the chateau courtyard at Nový Hrad and there is a pleasant pub with a terrace in Opočno village.

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

• From the station at Opočno, head back into the village, past the church and pub to join the BLUE hiking trail next to an information board commemorating the meeting of Oldřich and Božena
• If wanting to visit the hillfort, take the BLUE trail uphill, past the playground area
• After 500m, as the path levels out, turn sharply left to follow the footpath leading across the site of the former hillfort
• Pass various farm buildings and descend to rejoin the BLUE trail after 600m on this unmarked footpath
• Continue on the BLUE trail for 1 km into the village of Jimlín and climb the steps to reach the chateau
• Return back to Opočno on the BLUE trail