*The ‘path of legends’ – a circular tour from Žlutice around the remarkable Vladař hillfort: 16 km*

• Vladař (693m) is one of the most prominent hills in the Karlovy Vary region and is situated close to the ancient town of Žlutice, on the historical trade route between Prague and Cheb. It is the highest point in the Horní Střela protected nature park.
• The distinctive table mountain shape of Vladař (formed from volcanic basalt intrusions) clearly attracted a number of prehistoric leaders. The consequence was one of Bohemia’s largest and also most enigmatic hillforts constructed on its almost flat summit.
• The first fortifications appear to date from the middle Bronze Age (approximately 1300 BC), possibly as a result of gold sources being discovered in the local hills. However, it was probably during the Iron Age, between 500 BC and 200 BC, that the fortress was at its peak, presumably occupied by a prominent Celtic tribe. Further archaeological studies are needed to discover more about this remarkable prehistoric site, which appears to have suffered a violent and fiery demise sometime around 200 BC.
• The site was occupied only sporadically in the subsequent centuries but appears most notably in the historical record in the late autumn of 1421 when the legendary Hussite commander, Jan Žižka, took refuge on the summit with his army of some 2000 soldiers, whilst being pursued by a larger Catholic army under the Lords of the Pilsen Landfrýd. For three days, Žižka’s army held out using his innovative defensive circle of armored wagons. He then broke through the encircling Catholic army by driving his wagons through the battle lines to realize a remarkable escape, successfully retreating with his army to the Hussite stronghold at Žatec.
• Today, little evidence remains on the hill summit of Žižka’s escape or indeed of what was probably the most important prehistoric settlement in Western Bohemia. It is a tranquil spot, mostly open and unforested on top with just the outer perimeter walls of the hillfort easily distinguishable. The hill can be reached relatively quickly by taking the red hiking trail from Žlutice. However, a more varied and scenic route is to follow the Cesta za pověstí (Path of legends) which circles around (and also ascends) Vladař on a 16 km tour of the scenic countryside.
• The route passes through a number of attractive deciduous forest areas and also visits the small 15th century moated castle ruin on Nevděk hill. The climb to the ruin is quite steep and intricate in places.
• Route finding generally on this trail can be challenging even if it is entirely on marked footpaths. Following the path closely on the mapy.cz application is recommended. There are various information boards along the route, some of which refer to local legends in a cartoon style designed for children. All the boards are in Czech only. There are no refreshment spots directly in the hills, but there are pubs and a café in Žlutice, which also has some interesting Baroque buildings.

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

• Žlutice can be reached by bus from Karlovy Vary and is also on a regional train line. There are also free parking areas in the center of town
• From the main town square, join the YELLOW trail in the direction of Vladař (note that the RED trail also is marked to Vladař, but this is used for the return journey!)
• The YELLOW trail leads directly to the summit of Vladař after 10 km. The route passes through the medieval fortress of Nevděk, 2.1 km after leaving the town center
• The best viewpoint on the summit is found by taking a short unmarked path towards the edge of the hill shortly after arriving at the top
• The return journey follows the RED trail from the summit, and reaches Žlutice center in 5.5 km. Part of the path is beside the Střela river