By rail, air and water A region you just can’t miss! can’t just you A region Europe Czech Republic Central Bohemia Region Prague
www.centralbohemia.cz In today’s hectic times, indulge yourself in the luxury of travelling by traditional means of transport, whether by land, water or air. Transform yourselves from hurried tourists into true pilgrims, intensively aware of the value of the visited cultural and natural heritage sites in the Region of Central Bohemia. We present you with 15 tips (and one more) for truly unusual trips. For adventure and romance, ride the ‘Sázava Pacific’
You do not need to have a specific destination: A simple ride through deep river canyons, lined with rocks and woods and dotted with typical Central Bohemian settlements and villages where the train seems to constantly be stopping, is an experience in itself.
A unique system of railway tracks with a total tunnels and other technical structures, which length of 157 km, built over twenty years at the ensure a safe ride through extremely difficult turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, connected terrain. Nostalgic tourist rides in a steam train the otherwise difficult-to-reach areas around as well as daily runs in motorized trains lead you the Vltava (Moldau) and Sázava rivers to Prague into a landscape that is ideal for walking, cycling and economically revived the entire region. or boating trips. Perhaps no other railroad line in the Czech www.parnijizdy.ic.cz Republic has so many steel and stone bridges, A trip back to the steam era
To see historic locomotives and many other technical gems, set off to the largest railway museum in the Czech Republic, in the village of Lužná in the Rakovník region.
The broken topography at the edge of the Křivoklát forests and the Rakovník hop district was first crossed by the railway in 1871. It was a period when, as a result of rapid and robust development of the mining and metallurgy industries and agriculture in the region, new tracks emerged in rapid succession. On a branch line of the important “Buštěhradská Railway” near Lužná was a depot and repair workshops. Today, in the historical complex of the former roundhouse, are exhibits that will delight all lovers of railway history. In addition to beautiful locomotives, which all have endearing names, there is also a functional narrow-gauge railway on which it is possible to ride. On ceremonial occasions, a nostalgic journey sets off to the museum from Prague on a train pulled by a steam locomotive. www.cd.cz/muzeum By historical train to the hops region
Hops, one of the basic ingredients in the manufacture of beer, have been grown in the vicinity of Rakovník since the 13th century, and to this day they are considered the best in the world.
Regular steam trains on the Krupá–Kolešovice green hop fields with a cascade of hop cones as route, which once transported coal to this well as typical historical hop-drying houses from important hop-growing region and at harvest the late 19th century – for example, in Kněževes, time transported hop-pickers, are a thing of the which thanks to the growing of hops is among past. On summertime rides by historic steam the most prosperous of villages. train, organized by the Railway Museum of Czech www.khkd.cz Railways in Lužná near Rakovník, you will see The Kolín beet railway
A trip to the memorable town of Kolín in the flatlands around the Labe (Elbe) River can be combined on summer weekends with a pleasant trip by steam train along the renewed two- kilometre section of the oldest beet railway in the Labe region.
The cultivation of sugar beets in this fertile region led in the 19th century to the construction of sugar refineries and narrow-gauge railways used to transport their materials. The Kolín narrow-gauge railway, built in 1894, measured 10.6 km and was in operation for almost 70 years. Escape the hectic pace of modern times in the pleasant atmosphere of the old railway station in Kolín-Sendražice, where the museum exhibition will acquaint you with the history of the cultivation, processing and transport of sugar beets in the Labe region. www.zeleznicka.bloudil.cz The Slaný region by bike and on foot
Directly from the centre of the capital city – departing from Masaryk Railway Station – a special train designated for cyclists and hikers sets off twice daily from March to November to the nearby town of Slaný. This attractive area northwest of Prague is manageable for cyclists with various physical skills and of all generations, including families with children.
A bike ride or a hiking trip can steer you to interesting tourist sights, for instance to the ruins of the medieval castle Okoř, near which stands one of the oldest preserved large railway bridges in Central Bohemia, or to the Romanesque Rotunda of Sts. Peter and Paul, built at the end of the
10th century in Budeč. You can also visit Lidice, where on the site of the village that was razed by the Nazis during World War II is a monument to their victims, or to the Mayrau Mining Museum in Vinařice near Kladno, which attracts visitors with its excellent expositions about mining technology. Well-earned refreshments and other cultural experiences await you in the friendly town of Slaný. www.infoslany.cz On mountain bikes to Brdy
To the edges of the Brdy highlands, southwest of Prague, a bus for cyclists travels on weekends and holidays, connecting in Dobřichovice with trains travelling to and from Prague. After a 40-minute trip you’ll find yourself in a region of deep forests, steep rocks and protracted hills.
The “cyclobus” allows excursionists to avoid the arduous ascent from the valleys of the Vltava and Berounka rivers. At stops in Černolice, Řitka, Mníšek pod Brdy and Kytín, you can connect with marked bike trails leading through the Brdy forests, which are as ideal for mountain biking as they are for family bike trips. www.brdy.info By canoe on the Berounka River
An unconventional view of the multifaceted karst landscape of the Křivoklát region is afforded by a canoe trip down the Berounka River on its most beautiful stretch from Zvíkovec to Račice.
The river flows calmly in these places, and even beginners can handle it. The beloved Berounka, a true fishing paradise, was the lifelong inspiration and focal point of stories by the popular writer Ota Pavel (1930–1973). In Luh pod Branovem, you can see the Memorial Hall dedicated to him. On the way, you can also visit the ruins of the once mighty medieval castle Týřov, or stop in Skryje and see a collection of 600-million-year-old fossils of marine organisms – you can find them at the monument to the noted French geologist and paleontologist Joachim Barrande, who in the 19th century began research into the history of the Bohemian Karst. www.rakovnicko.info Boating trips on the Sázava River
Echoes of the sailors’ greeting “ahoj” reverberating from the silvery surface rippling with the quiet strokes of paddles, romantic moments spent around an evening campfire under the starry sky and also sleeping in tramping settlements – all this you can experience on a boating trip along the Sázava River.
Nothing stands in the way of spontaneously arranging a trip: Boat rental agencies along the Sázava River ensure that you have everything you need, including pick-up of boats at an appointed place. Discover the breathtaking corners of one of the most popular Czech boating rivers and ride the best rapids in Central Bohemia, between the towns of Kamenný Přívoz and Pikovice. www.posazavi.com Get to know the Vltava dams
The large water expanses of the dam reservoirs on the Vltava near the capital city, which in the past century have given a new face to the untamed river, seem made to order for the enjoyment of various water sports and boat excursions.
The building of a system of nine waterworks the Orlík and Slapy dams. From their decks, along the entire length of the Vltava River you can get a whole new perspective on the began in the 1930s and lasted for sixty beautiful natural scenery and the panoramas years. The so-called Vltava Cascade was the of historical monuments, and with your own culmination of the age-old human endeavor eyes you can witness the virtuosity of the to make rivers safe for navigation and technically significant structures of the dam to ensure flood protection; moreover, it reservoirs. harnessed water power to generate electricity. www.lodnidopravaorlikslapy.cz Small motor boats provide transportation on A peaceful cruise along the Elbe
The Labe (Elbe) River, calm and peaceful, but potentially fatal to the surrounding agricultural fields when flooding occurs, was regulated from the beginning of the 20th century and is tied together by a system of waterworks. It is hard to imagine the panorama of the historic cities of Poděbrady, Nymburk and Kolín without the splendid buildings of the locks and hydroelectric power plants.
Circle cruises along the Labe in both continue on to Nymburk or leave the boat directions, departing regularly from the docks and take a pleasant walk back to Poděbrady. near the town square in Poděbrady, allow Lovers of ancient history will be captivated on you to get acquainted with these waterworks a walking tour to the nearby village of Liblice as well as with other points of interest in nad Cidlinou, a cultic place from the dawn of the region. Set off to the confluence of the Czech national history. Labe and Cidlina rivers, from where you can www.ipodebrady.cz See the beauty of Central Bohemia from a steamboat
Steamship cruises on the Vltava River have a long tradition. The Prague Steamship Company, founded in the year 1865, currently provides service from Prague to many places of interest in Central Bohemia. In the summer, steamboats set off from the Rašín Embankment on the right bank of the Vltava every weekend and on holidays, usually in the morning. www.paroplavba.cz
To Slapy in the wake of the old raftsmen Prague–Slapy
The Vltava, regulated in the 20th century by a series of dams, used to be in some sections a wild river, which the raftsmen who plied the river for centuries held in sacred respect. Take a steamboat cruise that journeys against the flow of the river, and against the flow of time itself.
The roughly 37-kilometre trip from Prague to Třebenice below the Slapy dam takes four hours, and the return trip, travelling with the current, takes a half-hour less. The stretch where the Ztracenka settlement is located used to be the most feared section of the river with the “St. John currents”. The dangerous, but beautiful, ride on the rapids was recalled in many a song. To Mělník for excellent wine Prague–Mělník
Several times a year, ships set off from Prague to Mělník; such trips can be arranged for private parties at any time.
After five hours of navigation and seven lock chambers, you arrive at the confluence of the Vltava (Moldau) and Labe (Elbe) rivers, with a Renaissance château towering over it. Inside the château you can visit a picture gallery and extensive wine cellars from the 14th century, where you can taste the excellent Mělník wine,
just as Czech kings did. In the historical centre of the town you can stroll the narrow, winding streets or visit the monumental Gothic Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, where in the large crypt under the presbytery lies one of the largest and most interesting ossuaries in Bohemia. Bohemian Paradise opens up before you
The staff of the public international airport in Mnichovo Hradiště provide all services connected with national and international travel – from customs and passport clearance through preflight servicing and refuelling, to arrangement of accommodations.
The biggest draw for visitors, however, is sightseeing flights. You can either choose from the scenic flights on offer, for example over the mysterious rock cities of Bohemian Paradise, or come up with your own idea for a customized tour, which the experienced pilots are glad to fulfill. www.lkmh.cz Get started with aerial sports
The staff at the airports of the Region of Central Bohemia can meet your every wish. At some of them you can complete training for tandem skydiving or start to systematically devote yourself to one of the various air sports.
You can sign up, for example, for skydiving lessons, or undergo training on touring motor gliders and ultralight aircraft. Further information is easily found on the internet and at information centres in the Region. www.bemoair.cz www.f-air.cz www.aero-gac.cz
A bird’s eye view of the Rakovník region
Sightseeing flights can be arranged, according to your special requests, by the staff of Aeroclub Rakovník.
In a plane flown by an experienced pilot, you’ll take off from the Rakovník Airport and delight in the unforgettable views of the silhouettes of the medieval castles Křivoklát and Krakovec, tucked deep in the forests, the silvery surface of the Berounka River, or the Gothic city gates in Rakovník. www.rakovnicko.info www.aeroklub-rakovnik.cz … and one more tip: Soar through the clouds!
A peaceful flight above the region around the Sázava River in a piloted hot-air balloon recalls the pioneering period of the first balloonists.
Romantic views, at sunrise or sunset, of the Konopiště Château, the glimmering surface of the reservoir of Slapy Dam, the rocky valley of the Vltava River, or the rapids of the Berounka River will convince you of the magical enchantment of hot-air ballooning. Sightseeing flights are organized by the company Ballooning.cz. www.posazavi.com www.ballooning.cz
This project is co-financed by the European Union and Central Bohemia Region.
Published by Central Bohemia Region, 2008 www.centralbohemia.cz
Information Centre of Central Bohemia Region Husova 19, 110 00 Praha 1 phone: +420 222 222 398, [email protected]