The local countryside and history
Depart from the village of Srby and follow the green marked trail through the virgin forest in the Buková Hora (Beech Hill) Nature Park. Climb to the ridge called Kámen (Rock) and visit the gamekeeper’s lodge, Dubeč, next to which you will find the “Leaning Obelisk” by V. Fiala. On your way to Nepomuk, you can enjoy the beautiful views of Klášter and Zelená Hora.
Start from the trail head in Srby, from where you will take the green marked trail in the direction of the Buková Hora – Chejlava Nature Park (the highest point of the southern part of the Pilsen Region / 651 m / with an original growth of beech trees, which together with fir trees once occupied the entire region. The nature park spreads across an area of 25.9 ha and is home to a rich grove of plants, e.g., the flower chafer, sweet woodruff, mezereon, etc.
From the Buková Hora fork, head back to the Chejlava Junction and this time follow the blue tourist trail, which will take you to the rugged mountain ridge called Kámen (Rock) – the location of a settlement from the late Stone Age, later the seat of the early Slavs. About three kilometres down the road, you will come upon a gamekeeper’s lodge (Dubeč). In an air battle above Nepomuk, on February 22, 1944, one of the bombers of the US Air Force, a Liberator B-24J, was shot down and the aircraft crashed near this lodge. The crash was only survived by the machine gunner, sergeant Raymond A. Noury. At the crash site, a commemorative plaque was ceremonially revealed on May 8, 1992. Each year, to mark the anniversary of the tragic event, wreathes are laid at the plaque by representatives of the town of Nepomuk , the village of Prádlo, the Czech Army, government officials and representatives of the US Embassy. In May of 2009, the “Leaning Obelisk” by Václav Fiala was unveiled in this place. The wreckage of the airplane is on permanent display at the Nepomuk Museum.
As you continue down the path, you will have breath-taking views of the Zelená Hora Chateau and the village of Klášter. Walk through this village, originally a magnificent Cistercian monastery burnt down by the Hussites, about which you can learn more not only in Klášter, but also at the Nepomuk Museum, and past the village pond follow the path in the direction of Nepomuk. This will take you past the Baroque Red Bridge, which is said to have witnessed a battle so violent that the creek below turned red with blood, hence the name of the bridge.
Cross the bridge and walk along the red marked trail toward the village of Prádlo, which is about four kilometres away. The path will take you across the Na Skalici Peak (settlement from the Stone Age) with a romantic hermitage that resembles a little fortified castle tower and is positioned on the edge of an 8-meter-tall cliff. It was most likely erected in the 18th century for use by the nobility. The village itself was founded at the end of the 12th century for the purpose of panning for gold, hence the name of the village.
Don’t forget to visit the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, originally from the 13th century, its current design dating back to 1882. From Prádlo, you can walk along the road to Nepomuk (6km), where you can visit the Nepomuk Museum.
