Points of interest

The gothic castle of Karlštejn was built by the Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1348 as a place for safekeeping the royal treasures, namely the collection of holy relics and crown jewels of the Roman Empire. The castle is exceptional for its unique original wall paintings from the 14th century, a collection of 129 panel paintings by Master Theorodic situated in the Chapel of Holy Cross (the largest in the world) and the largest portrait gallery of Czech monarchs. The castle also offers a replica of the St. Wenceslas crown of Czech kings, an 80-metres deep castle well in the Well Tower that is open for the public. From March to October the castle is open daily except Mondays and Easter, in other months it opens on request.

These caves are situated 7km south of Beroun, in the Bohemian Karst protected landscape area. They were discovered in 1950 and opened for the public in 1959. The cave system was formed in Devonic limestone some 400 million years ago, in three levels with denivelation exceeding 70m. Their total length is over 2km, the route accessible to the public is about 590m long and the tour takes one hour. In the 15th century the upper floor housed a secret false coiners’ shop. The caves are unique for their opal decoration and palaeontological findings documenting the evolution of nature in the last 1.5 million years. In April – October the caves are open daily, in November they are open for booked groups and in other months they are closed.

Prague The capital city of Prague is one of the most popular tourist destanations in Europe. It offers countless cultural monuments ( Prague Castle , Old Town, Jewish Quarter, Vyšehrad Castle…) as well as a number of public gardens and parks. While walking along Prague you can visit one of the dozens of theatres, concert halls and galleries or sit down with your friends in a cosy pub, bar, disco bar or other establishment. After a trip to Prague you can enjoy a good night’s sleep in the Karlštejn region.There is an excellent public transport service between Prague and the Karlštejn region as well as a comfortable road for car access. A combination of both sites an ideal connection of urban tourism with visits to natural landmarks and outdoor activities. The centre of Prague and the centre of the Karlštejn region are only a 15-minute drive apart!

Partially flooded limestone quarry in Mořina. It is possible to view the quarry from an observation platform near the road from Mořina to Kozolupy where a small parking area is available. Even though many legends have been woven around the Velká Amerika Quarry that resembles the American Grand Canyon, its name was derived from the historic method of limestone mining, which took place in this area from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. If you follow the yellow trail, it will take you to the Mexiko quarry where political prisoners worked in barbaric conditions in the 1950s and to the Malá Amerika flooded quarry.

The origin of Tetín, situated on the rock over the Berounka river for over a thousand years, is connected with the name of Teta, the daughter of Prince Krok, and St. Ludmila who died as a martyr here and her grandson St. Wenceslas. The ruin of an early medieval castle built by Štěpán of Tetín bears witness to the times of the House of Přemysl and commands an splendid view of the Berounka river valley. The village boasts three churches that are interesting from the historical as well as architectonic point of view: St. Ludmila’s, St. Catherine’s and St. John Nepomucene’s. The museum in Tetín offers an insight into the rich Tetín history and its cultural and natural landmarks. It is possible to combine a visit to the museum with a guided tour of the village. The museum is open on weekends from mid-March to mid-October, in July and August it is open daily except Monday.

A picturesque village in the middle of mountains and forests in the heart of the Bohemian Karst offering an abundance of natural scenery and historical landmarks. The village is dominated by a limestone rock named Křížek that offers a splendid view of the surrounding landscape. Right under it there is the massive early baroque Church of St. John the Baptist with a unique rock church and a travertine cave where, as the legend has it, Ivan the hermit lived in the 9th century. You can visit the church and the cave on weekends from April to October, in July and August they are open daily. Three tourist trails run across this site as well as the first marked tourist trail in Bohemia – Vojta Náprstek Route. In the nearby Paraple Quarry it is worthwhile to visit the open-air museum of limestone mining run by the Barbora Association.

Glasstar, a family glass factory in Nenačovice, manufactures some 200 types of small-scale products of coloured glass. The product range includes items of manually blown and drawn glass (small animals, fruit, flowers) as well as vases, bowls, candlesticks, bells, ashtrays and many others. The factory runs 7 days a week and there is a shop with its products on the site. If you are lucky and the master has some time to spare, you may be able to try this art yourselves.

You will find 18 high and 16 low traverses, 3 artificial climbing walls, a 9-metre jump with a 13-metre swing and more in this adrenalin park at the verge of Prague and the Bohemian Karst protected landscape area, in the village of Ořech. The high ropes centre shaped as a sail boat is suitable for individuals as well as groups. From April to October it is open on weekends, in July and August every day and at other times depending on the weather.

A royal town dominated by two gothic towers forming part of a well preserved town fortification. In the renovated square there is an information centre and the Jenštejn House currently hosting the Bohemian Karst Museum. Not far from the square you will find several significant monuments such as the Dusl Villa and the St. James’s Church. Children as well as adults will be enchanted with the bear residence situated under the lookout tower at Městská Hora and inhabited by Kuba, Vojta and Matěj, popular bears from children’s stories. Fairs are held in the square on Wednesdays and Saturdays, May and September weekends are known for traditional pottery fairs.

This glass manufacture is situated in a former inn and farm in Málkov, which is being gradually converted to suit the needs of the studio. It designs and manufactures glass accessories for interiors. Key products are decorative bowls, vases and candlesticks but, on request, it is possible to design glass panes for windows, doors and furniture, partition walls, stained-glass panes, designer lamps and glass mirror frames. The studio design is contemporary and known for its outstanding quality of manufacture. The WAGA studio is a founder of a modern tradition in the glass art in the region and its results rank it among the leading arts and crafts studios. Visitors can buy exclusive, unique and distinctive gifts for themselves or their friends and also meet the designers and workers in a friendly and informal atmosphere. The studio is open for visitors every day. It is possible to arrange weekend visits on the phone.

In 1997 the Chrustenice Mine was re-opened after more than 30 years since its closure. It became the iron ore mining museum in the Barrandien area. In 1907 – 1965 this mine provided living for several hundred workers. The adit, machine room for the 1st tugging pit and the 8th floor have been preserved until the present day. Hundreds metres of accessible tunnels offer many unique exhibits reminding the famous era of mining in the region. The mine museum is growing all the time. There is also a standing exhibition of the Amerika – Mořina quarries. It is open on weekends in July, August and September.

Černošice, originally a farming town, began to transform into a residential area at the outskirts of Prague at the beginning of the last century. It has launched upon a major development of new houses and the population has been doubled since then. Outstanding personalities, such as doctor Jan Jánský, pomologist Josef Bláha, artists Jarmila Novotná, Ferenc Futurista, Eduard Haken or sportsmen Karel Ardelt or Jaroslav Bouček and many others either lived in the town or had their second home there. You can become acquainted with the villas of Černošice by walking along the trail of the same name.

A collection which was constituted as a museum in 1957 features over seventy Praga cars of all types manufactured in 1908 -1989: passenger cars, lorries, special vans, motorcycles, tractors, cultivators and road machinery. The collection is complemented with a vast selection of documents hand-written as well as printed, films, photographs, audio recordings and other related items. It is open daily except Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. with tours starting every hour.