Tips for trips

A castle that will pleasantly surprise you

Velhartice Castle and Chateau are considered to be one of the most romantic monuments in Šumava.

At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, the castle was built as the residence of the Budětic family. Under the important owners, Bušek the Elder and Bušek the Younger from Velhartic, the castle experienced its greatest prosperity. In the 15th century, Menhart of Hradec, the highest burgrave of the Kingdom of Bohemia and an opponent of George of Poděbrady, hid the crown jewels here. In the 17th century, the estate came into the hands of the imperial general Martin de Hoeff-Huerta, who had a new palace built in the upper courtyard in the late Renaissance style. During his reign, the re-Catholicization of the area was also carried out very strictly. In period II. World War II, the last noble owner of Velhartice was Josef Windischgrätz. Since 1945, the castle has been managed by the state.

castle nemilkov

In neighboring Nemilkov, you will find a renaissance baroque castle with a rich history, which is gradually returning to its original beauty thanks to the great enthusiasm of its new owners. The area, which is listed on the list of endangered monuments, comes to life with a number of organized cultural events. You can walk through the castle during a guided tour, weddings are held here and the construction of a cafe is being prepared.

The castle is definitely worth a visit!

Cemetery Church of St. Mary Magdalene

Small church near Velhartic was founded in 1373. At the beginning of the 16th century, the north-eastern part was annexed, and in the 19th century, significant modifications took place, such as changing the windows, a new vault of the presbytery and the extension of the chancel. 

The story of the rumor from the ballad The Wedding Shirt by Karel Jaromír Erben was supposed to take place here. 

Suitable for hikers and cyclists

Folk architecture open-air museum

In the immediate vicinity of Velhartice Castle, there is a set of buildings of folk architecture that were saved and relocated from various locations in the Pošumaví region. These are rescued valuable buildings moved from different places in Pošumaví.

The open-air museum is freely accessible at any time.

Bikepark velhartice

The bike park in Velhartice, recently built on a former ski slope, is a popular place for cycling enthusiasts and lovers of adrenaline experiences. The bike park has three tracks of varying difficulty and also a kiosk with great refreshments.

Werich´s cottage

The picturesqueness of the local landscape also enchanted the Czech artist Jan Werich, who had a cottage built near Ostružná in 1938. He was an avid fisherman and being close to the river was important to him.

A marked educational trail leads from the castle to Werich’s cottage.

Borek Nature Reserve

The Borek nature reserve, located south of Velhartice, represents part of the forest on the right bank of the Ostružné river. You can look at the Borek hill directly from the windows of the house.

This reserve extends on the northern and partly eastern slope of Borek, whose altitude reaches 859 meters above sea level. The reason for declaring the reserve was the protection of the natural spread of pine on the steep slopes of Ostružná.

Not far from the tourist path, we come across the remains of silver mining works near Velhartic.

cross-country skiing tracks

You will be a few minutes by car from us to the groomed cross-country trails. The nearest boarding points are Keply, Nová Hůrka and Skelná, from where you can drive through the whole of Železnorudsko and Prášilsko.