Čápská palice

The specific shape of the Čápská stick can be seen from a distance, reminiscent of a huge club made of a rock massif, which rises above the edge of a steep rock. The torso of the Čap rock castle can be found right next to the Čápská stick.

The formation of the 3 meter high Čápská stick was due to the weathering process and the different hardness of the individual rocks. It protrudes directly above the rocky watchtower and this place offers tourists a magical view of the Czech Central Mountains with Milešovka and its surroundings around Dubá. A little further it is possible to see Lovoš or Říp.

Čap Castle

Although only modest remnants of the masonry have survived from the original castle, the trip to this place is definitely worth it, mainly due to the mentioned view. Only a cellar with a water tank with a circular floor plan and a diameter of 3 meters has been preserved from the castle.

Čap was founded at the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century by Jindřich Berka of Dubá. It was a smaller castle divided into two parts with a fortification and a moat, which just separated the fortification from the castle itself. Everything was carved into the rock, including the cistern and cellars, and probably built of wood, as we can judge from the traces carved in the rock.

Another owner, Václav Berk Čap, was no longer suitable for a small and remote castle, so he left it in the 15th century and since the 16th century it has been mentioned only in connection with the Čapský mine.

The road to Čápská palica

You can start the hike to Čápská palica from Pavličky, from the village, from where first an asphalt road and later a forest trail leads. It meanders through beautiful nature, promising a pleasant trip and, under good conditions, perhaps even mushroom picking. The journey from Pavličky is not particularly difficult. It is about 2 km long, of which 1 km is occupied by the mentioned asphalt road.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová