600km Brevet Bohemian villages and castles

04.06.2022 08:00 a.m. Velodrome Heidenau

Photos: Arno Burgi, Björn Lenhard

Length 626.2 km

Altitude gain: 7806m

Time limit: 40 hours

Checkpoints:

43.8 km: Horský Hotel Pomezí

103.2 km: Hrad Házmburk

143.5 km: Královský Pivovar Krušovice

170.5 km: Hrad Krivoklát

222 km: Hrad Karlštejn

289.2 km: Zámek Konopiště

372.7 km: Zamek Žleby

475.9 km: Zámek Stranov

560 km: Rychnov

Km 626.2 : Velodrome Heidenau

The 600 certification will be the flattest certification this year. On average it is only 1246hm / 100km. This brings us the closest to the PBP profile. But only on average. First we have to go over the Erzgebirge crest again. For this we drive a bit up the Müglitztal and immediately pass our first castle in Weesenstein.

In Schlottwitz we turn right onto the fairy tale meadow. The driveway is so called because there is a children's playground at the top with lots of fairy tale characters. Here we turn left and continue past Reinhardtsgrimma to our second castle. In Oberfrauendorf, turn left into Hochwaldstraße. A paved road closed to car traffic. Please be careful here in the forest, there is a barrier that is usually closed, but can be bypassed. Soon we come out of the forest again and we continue towards the ridge. In Hirschsprung it gets a bit nasty for a moment, there it gets well over 10% for a short time. But it should be the only ramps. Then we come to Altenberg. An old mining town. Tin was mined here as early as the 12th century. But winter sports are also practiced here. In addition to skiing and a biathlon stadium, there is also a toboggan run where international competitions are held. In Zinnwald it goes to Bohemia. Another small climb and we have already reached the highest point of the route and checkpoint 1. At the overpass we take a photo.

The descent that follows is something to relax and enjoy. Around 8 km with 500 meters of elevation gain are destroyed on a wide, easily drivable road. With the Zámek Duchcov, the first Bohemian castle at the foot of the Ore Mountains awaits us. At the same time foot of České Středohoří. Not far and it goes up again, to Milešovka. There is also an old castle here. On the tour we will not only see the castles mentioned here, whoever observes the area carefully will see smaller castles and ruins again and again. In Klapý we reach our second checkpoint, at the foot of Hrad Házmburk. From there it goes on to the Ohře. Better known in German as the Eger. Originating in the Fichtel Mountains, it runs through the Egergraben south of the Ore Mountains to the Elbe.

The next checkpoint couldn't be more typical of Bohemia. Královský Pivovar Krušovice, the Royal Brewery in Krušovice. Beer has been brewed here for the Czech kings since 1581. From the brewery it goes through the dense forest of the Křivoklátsko Landscape Park to one of the residences, Hrad Křivoklát. It is one of the most important castles of the Czech kings and is fairly well preserved. If you like, the castle courtyard is open during the day and can be visited. But at least we turn briefly to the castle and "stamp" at checkpoint 4.

From here we follow the Berounka. A tributary of the Elbe that cuts through the Křivoklátsko. But before Beroun we turn left to bypass the town and visit the small pilgrimage site Svatý Jan pod Skalou. Completely inconspicuous in the valley is a monastery hidden between huge rocks. Just a few kilometers down the river we reach one of the highlights of the tour. Karlštejn Castle. It was founded by Charles IV in 1348. He was not only King of Bohemia, but also Emperor of the Roman Empire. The imperial insignia of the emperor were kept in it. A copy of the imperial crown can still be seen in it today. The original, however, on the Hradčany in Prague. In the village we make a stop for a photo.

We drive out of the Berounka Valley again to cross it again shortly afterwards. We want to continue to the Vltava. The national river called Moldau in German, also known as the Bohemian Sea. It meanders beautifully here in the direction of Prague. We touch them briefly and continue to one of the numerous dams on the Vltava. In between, at kilometer 258, there is a nice little gas station with a snack bar. Unfortunately it is only open until 9pm. After that it gets a bit thin with food. Only in Benešov at kilometer 292 there is again a 24-hour gas station (OMV at Kaufland). Before that, however, we stop at the next checkpoint, Konopiště Castle.

Unfortunately, after Benešov it gets even thinner as far as 24-hour gas stations are concerned. Only in Kutná Hora at km 395 there is a MOL - 24h gas station a few meters off the track. But on the way there, in addition to countless Bohemian villages, we also have other castles along the way. The closest is Český Šternberk. For a change, this is inhabited. It was built in 1241 and has been owned by the Counts of Sternberg since then (with two interruptions).

From the valley of the Sázava it comes out a penultimate time. After these two hills for around 20km it becomes flat for the next around 100km to Mladá Boleslav. Only in Kutná Hora does it go up 100m in between. On the way there we will take Žleby Castle with us. Since this is our easternmost point on the tour, there is another checkpoint here.

Kutná Hora, a former mining town that became wealthy due to abundant silver deposits. Accordingly, there are plenty of monumental buildings to be found here. Already at the entrance to the city we drive past the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, like the old town a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Opposite is the Kostnice Sedlec. Also known as Bone Church or Ossarium Sedletz. The skeletons of around 40,000 people are stored in it. From around 10,000 the bones were used for decoration. Later, you will walk through the old town over historic cobblestones, past the Jesuit College to the Cathedral of St. Barbara. We might have to walk a few meters here. But we can enjoy the view from the terrace.

Next we drive to the Elbe valley. We cross it in Kolin and follow it a few kilometers to Nymburk, from where we head to Benátky nad Jizerou. Here we go over the Jizera and immediately after that we see the Zamek on the left. But we just leave it on the left here, because we continue towards Mladá Boleslov. The Laurin & Klement company was founded here in 1895, the birthplace of the Czech car brand Škoda. The majority is still produced here today. However, we will not drive into the city, although the castle and the Škoda Museum would be quite interesting. For this we stop at Zámek Stránov at checkpoint 8. A small fairytale castle built on a 15th century castle.

We leave the chateau towards Kokořínsko. A protected landscape area with sandstone cliffs, gorges, caves and of course castles and breweries. We pass Pivovar Lobeč right at the beginning. Beer has been brewed here for around five hundred years. The restaurant invites you to linger with Bohemian cuisine. A little further we see the Hrad Kokořín. Although it rarely flashes through from the street. It stands on a sandstone rock embedded in the forest and can only be reached on foot. In the 19th century all that was left of it was a ruin. In 1896 it was bought by a nobleman who rebuilt it between 1911 and 1918. Since then it has been preserved by the family as a memorial.

From here we slowly head back towards home. We leave the Kokořínsko towards Děčín. On the way there, however, České Středohoří stands in the way. We have to overcome around 500 meters in altitude. In Rychnov at km 560 there is another control point at a rest area. After that it's almost all downhill. A little steeper at first, down into the Elbe valley to Děčín. Here we cross the Elbe and see our last castle in the Czech Republic, the Zámek Děčín, on the left. From here it goes flat through Saxon Switzerland on the Elberadweg back to Heidenau. I hope everyone can enjoy the panorama on both sides here. Passing Schrammsteinen and Lilienstein we come to Königstein. We can already see the castle enthroned above the Elbe valley from afar. Further downhill to Rathen, the Bastei with its famous bridge.