The Way of St. James from Prag to Všeruby (Czech–German border)
Text převzat z www.jakobus-gesellschaften.de.
Praha – Karlštejn – (Příbram) – Rožmitál – Kasejovice – Nepomuk – Klatovy – Kdyně – hraniční přechod Všeruby/Eschlkam (ca. 200 km)
The way and its marking
The system of tousrit marks in the Czech Republic belongs to the best systems in Europe. Ii is used striped marking in four basic colours (red, green, blue and yellow), which is bordered by one white stripe from bellow and with one from above. The marks are most often painted on the trees or walls and they are well maintained.
Cross–roads and direction changes are marked by arrows of appropriate colour. The markings begin usual at the bus or train station and with the exception of the largest cities (Prag, Brno) leads through towns and villages. In the distance of c. 5 km there are situated small table with the information about distances of the nearest and end point.
The tourist marking in the Pilsen Region are on the cross–roads accompanied with the symbol of The Way of St. James – scallop shell on the blue background.
Maps
The way from Prag to the Czech-German border cover 5 maps of Czech Tourist Club (1:50 000, No. 36, 38, 35, 64, 63).
The way description
1. day: Praha–Radotín (15 km)
The pilgirms can begin in the center of Prag and visit the monuments in the city. Near to the underground station Jinonice begins the yellow tousrist marking, which leads out from the city. Then the yellow mark head steeply downhill and meet the blue mark. Along the blue marh leads the way to Holyně, Slivenec and Velká Chuchle. From Velká Chuchle leads the way through the street Radotínská to Radotín.
2. day: Radotín–Karlštejn (16 km)
Through the centre of Radotín goes the red mark, which leads from Zbraslav. Along this way it is possible to go to the castle Karlštejn (it was built by Chales IV.). This way belongs also to the system of the European long–distance paths (E10).
3. day: Karlštejn–Mníšek pod Brdy–Dobříš (22 km)
From Karlštejn follows the way yellow mark (cotinually also E10) to the south and at the train station Zadní Třebáň over the river Berounka. Behind the village Halouny follows the way yellow marking to the cross–road with red mark in the direction to the village Kytín. Behind Kytín appears the blue mark which leads the pilgrims along beautiful forest ways to the destination of today’s stage – town Dobříš. This way led once the so called Golden Trail from Bohemia do Bavaria.
4. day: Dobřís–Příbram (14 km)
From Dobříš continues the way of St. James to south–west. The way to the village Rosovice is not marked and leads c. 5 km along side road. In Rosovice at the bus station begins the blue mark, which goes through Holšiny to Buková. Near to the forest edge there is a cross–road, from which leads the green mark along comfortable forest ways to the south to the town Příbram. The tourist marking to the town centre passes directly by the St. James Church. Svatá Hora (The Saint mountain), once the most important Marian place in Bohemia, overhangs the originally mining town.
5. day: Příbram–Rožmitál pod Třemšínem(15 km)
From Příbram follows the way yellow mark via Svatá Hora (The Saint mountain)to the village Vysoká Pec. From here follows the way blue marking left through forest up Rožmitál pod Třemšínem. Rožmitál is a pitoresque town with mediaeval fortress. In the town there is the native house of the composer Jan Jakub Ryba, the author of the world famous „Česká mše vánoční“ (Czech Christmas Mass).
6. day: Rožmitál pod Třemšínem–Kasejovice (ca. 25 km)
This stage leads through the nice landscape of the Nature Reserve Třemšín with the highest peak Třemšín (827 m). From Rožmitál (view of the church in Starý Rožmitál) leads toward to the hill Třemšín red mark.
From the cross–road at the chaple under the peak follows the way blue mark, which leads over the peak along forest ways to Starý Smolivec and to Kasejovice with the St. James Church.
7. day: Kasejovice–Nepomuk (ca. 15 km)
The red mark, which goes through Kasejovice, takes the pilgrims up to Mepomuk, the birtplace of sv. Jan Nepomucký (St. John of Nepomuk) In the tourist interesting town there are two churches: the baroque St. John of Nepomuk Church on the square, allegedly built on the place of the St. John of Nepomuk native house, and the gothic St. James Church. Besides these churches there is the pilgrimage church on the Zelená Hora (Green Mountain).
8. day: Nepomuk–Klatovy (ca. 33 km)
From Nepomuk follows the way initially the red mark to the south along comfortable forest ways through Nature Reserve Plánický hřeben to Plánice. From Plánice leads the way to the west, continually along nice forest ways, over the hill Barák (706 m) up to Klatovy, the town Klatovy founded on the trade trail to Bohemia.
9. day: Klatovy–Kdyně (ca. 22 km)
From Klatovy follows the way red mark to the west. At the train station there are two big cross–roads of the tourist ways. From here it is possible to take green mark, which goes through Tajanov along the forest ways to the hill Koráb (7 773 m) at Kdyně. Through Kdyně lead the old trade trail to Eschlkam and to Neukirchen bei der Heiligen Blut on the other side of the border.
10. day: Kdyně–hraniční přechod Všeruby/ Eschlkam (ca. 8 km)
Fom Kdyně followss The Way of St. James yellow mark, which leads parallel with the european long–distance path E6, over Čepice (642 m) towards to the czech–german border. From the cross–road under Čepice follows the way red mark over Ráj and Tannaberg, St. Anna pilgrimage church, to Hájek. From Hájek goes the way along the cycling route No. 3 to Všeruby and from here follows the way blue mark to the border crossing Všeruby/Eschlkam. On the German side of the borders let the township Eschlkam build the big stone with the writing „Santiago de Compostela 2 825 km“.
Here begins the oficial East Bavarian Way of St. James.
The Way of St. James for cyclists
The Way of St. James for cyclists follows the cycling route No. 3 Prag–Pilsen–Regensburg, which was opened in sommer 2005. The way is described (Czech and German) in the flyer „Cyklotrasa Praha–Plzeň–Regensburg“ – „Radweg Regensburg–Pilsen–Prag” (Cycling route No. 3 Prag–Pilsen–Regensburg).