*Walks around Žďár nad Sázavou and the remarkable Zelená hora church: 3 km to 7 km*

Walks around Žďár nad Sázavou and the remarkable Zelená hora church: 3 km to 7 km

The Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk, located on the outskirts of the town Žďár nad Sázavou, is one of the most remarkable monuments in the Czech Republic. Finished in 1727, this was the last work of Bohemian architect, Jan Santini Aichel, and famously fuses elements of the Baroque and Gothic styles. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Most visitors to the famous site content themselves with the short stroll up the hill to walk around the unique church (there is paid guided tour in Czech, which gives access to the unique Santini-designed chapel). It is definitely worth combining the church visit with a walk around the Branský and Konventský ponds, following the marked education trail which has two loops and includes information boards summarizing the history and nature of the area. The walk can be extended to visit the Pilská reservoir which has a sports and bathing area.
The most attractive of the three ponds is Konventský, and the trail is partly on wooden boards through the marsh area. This loop (including climbing the hill to visit the church) is around 3 km long and finishes at the chateau/monastery complex, which houses several museums and exhibitions. The monastery was reconstructed by Santini into its current Baroque form. The Basilica is well worth visiting.
The longer route, taking in both Branský and Pilská lakes, is around 7 km long. Apart from the short climb up to the main church, the route is essentially flat and can be managed with a stroller. There are several refreshment options in the area, including a pleasant café in the chateau area overlooking the church. If travelling through Žďár nad Sázavou, it is worth stopping at the excellent bistro-café, P Café, located at the lower end of the main square. It also serves very good ice cream.

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

The UNESCO church and suggested walking route are some distance from the main town Žďár nad Sázavou and approximately 4 km from the train station, so using bus transport is the better public transport option. There are various parking options near the chateau for those driving
From the trail junction outside the chateau-monastery complex, follow the YELLOW hiking trail to reach the church on Zelená hora in 600m
After exploring the site, return back dow the hill to the pond and pick up the nature trail (marked with green-white diagonal stripes) which circles around the pond in anticlockwise direction before return to the chateau entrance after 2.3 km
For the second loop, take the YELLOW trail in the opposite direction from Zelená hora
After 150m turn to the right off the hiking trail onto the asphalt cycle path that follows the Sázava river the reach the Pilská reservoir – the sporting and swimming areas are a short way along the right hand shoreline
Follow the path beside the reservoir dam, past the old mill – now a hotel/restaurant to reach Tálský mlýn trail junction
At the junction, turn left onto the BLUE trail and follow this for 650m to reach the U Jordánku junction
At the U Jordánku junction turn left onto the YELLOW trail but only stay on this path for 100m, turning right to join the second loop of the nature trail, which circles around Branský pond, returning to the chateau area after 1.4 km