Blaník - Vlašimská pahorkatina

Just a few kilometers south of Vlašim we find a 638 meter high hill, entwined with legends about the Knights of Blanice. Probably every Czech knows its name, during difficult times our nation turned to it with hope and desire to gain freedom and it is also connected with the idea of the originality of the Czech nation. It is a memorable mountain Blaník.

Information for visitors

Adress : Velký Blaník, Louňovice pod Blaníkem

GPS: 49.64307000, 14.88459030

Transport connection

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Interesting facts Blaník - Vlašimská pahorkatina

Blaník is formed by two forested rocky hills. The first of them is called Velký Blaník and reaches a height of 638 m.n.m., and the second, Malý Blaník, has a height of 580 m.n.m. The territory of Blaník falls within the protected landscape area of the PLA Blaník.

In the 5th century BC on Velký Blaník there was a circular fortified settlement with massive stone ramparts in two rows, the torso of which has been preserved to this day. In later times, a fortress and a wooden castle probably stood in these places. The settlement of Velký Blaník dates back to the beginning of our era, pilgrimages to the mountain began to take place in 1404, and in 1868 one of a number of cornerstones for the construction of the National Theater was broken from there.

The top of Malý Blaník preserves the torso of a medieval castle, conquered during the Hussite wars. In addition to him, in Malý Blaník we can find the ruins of the pilgrimage chapel of St. Mary Magdalene with an octagonal floor plan, incorporated into the shape of an ellipse. "Mnich", a spruce approximately 160 years old, grows directly from the inside of the ruins.

At the top of Velký Blaník, it is now possible to find a wooden lookout tower with a total height of 30 m, which replaced its simple wooden predecessor, 20 m high, which collapsed in 1936. The current lookout tower was completed in 1941 and its shape resembles a Hussite voice. From its viewpoint there is a beautiful view of the Central Bohemian Uplands, Vlašim, Posázaví, the western region of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and even Prague.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová