by No comments

A 4 km walk around the home fortress of Jan Žižka: Kalich castle

  • The ruins of the 15th century Kalich castle are perched at an altitude of 536m on a volcanic hilltop in the České středohoří nature area. The hill top offers a spectacular 360 degree panoramic view deep into the nature area and back towards the Labe river plain, with the national hill of Říp in the far distance.
  • Even if the view was less spectacular, the intriguing castle ruins would still be worth the climb. The castle was founded by legendary Hussite warlord, Jan Žižka, in 1421. It was the only fortress that he personally owned, despite his numerous victories during the Hussite Wars. The castle design was also unusual and reflected Žižka’s advanced thinking in warfare strategy. The walls were apparently constructed without mortar – essentially dry-stone walls – which were less susceptible to destruction by the emerging gunpowder weapons of the 15th century.
  • Today, only the outline of the foundations is visible on the hilltop, but these are gradually being thoughtfully reconstructed with new dry stone low walls. The castle was probably never captured in battle but was abandoned after the 15th century.
  • Access to the castle is from the village of Třebušín, directly below the hill. Třebušín, which has some nice old houses, has a bus connection with the larger town of Litoměřice and there are a couple of parking options in the village, including a small parking area next to the cemetery, part way up the hill.
  • There is an attractive circular route to the top of the hill from the village. The route is 4 km long and involves just over 200m of height to climb-descend. The path is not steep but is not really suitable for strollers. There is a village shop and small pub for refreshments in Třebušín. If driving in the area, consider as stop in the attractive town of Litoměřice, where there are several interesting cafés and restaurants.
  • Note: for longer walk starting in Třebušín, including the optional ascent of Kalich, see the following page.

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 village center of Třebušín, the circular route can be taken in either direction. The map shows the route in a clockwise direction initially taking the YELLOW trail in the direction of Kalich
  • After 1.6 km the trail reaches the junction below the summit. Follow the final section of YELLOW trail to the summit in 400m
  • After visiting the ruins, return back down to the junction and turn right staying on the YELLOW trail to reach the junction of Třebušín – pod Kalichem in 1.2 km
  • At the junction, turn right onto the GREEN trail which leads back to the village center in 500m
Tags