To the Ponds and Sand Quarries of Třeboňsko

Total length

53 km

Duration

3 hours

Terrain

• Paved (forest/field roads)
• Unpaved (forest/field roads)

• Asphalt

  Suitable for trekking bikes

Recommended period for visiting

Spring, summer, autumn

Difficulty level

easy

Marking

No

How do you get to the start

Třeboň – this is a loop route. The starting point is accessible by car or public transport.

How to get back

Třeboň

Route description

• Třeboň
• Stará Hlína
• Novosedly nad Nežárkou
• Stráž nad Nežárkou
• Libořezy
• Lutová
• Stříbřec
• Stará Hlína
• Třeboň

Your journey begins in the center of Třeboň. From the main square, follow the blue-marked tourist route through Hradecká Gate into the Na Kopečku district. After crossing the bridge over the main road, turn right onto the cycle path, which runs parallel to the main road to Nová Hlína. You will cross a historic bridge over Vítek Pond, carefully cross the international first-class road, and continue 50 meters on an unpaved path along the former road through Hvízdalky to Stará Hlína.

From Stará Hlína, continue towards Novosedly nad Nežárkou and Jemčina Castle via the blue tourist route. Most of this stretch follows a new cycle path (to Stradinky). From Jemčina, follow the Nežárka cycle route upstream (to Šimanov, also following the red tourist route) to Stráž nad Nežárkou. We recommend visiting the castle, which houses an exhibition dedicated to opera singer Ema Destinnová.

From Stráž nad Nežárkou square, follow the yellow tourist route to Libořezy. On the main road, turn right towards Lutová, after 650 meters, leave the main road at a wayside cross and turn left towards Mirochov. At the end of Mirochov, join cycle route No. 1010 on the right, which leads to an intersection before Lutová. Here, the cycle route turns right, becoming No. 1035, which leads to Stříbřec.

Cross the Stříbřecký Bridge over the New River (Lužnice) and make an immediate right turn on the green tourist route to the Ema Destinnová Monument (500 m). Continue along cycle route No. 1035 over the dams of Stolec, Nový, and Starý Vdovec ponds to Stará Hlína, where you leave route No. 1035. Carefully turn left onto the international first-class road and follow it towards Třeboň. After 600 meters, turn right onto the blue tourist route and follow the Vítek Pond dam to Nová Hlína. Continue on the blue route through the forest to the Chapel of St. Vít near Zadní Kouty Pond.

In the Na Kopečku district, pass the Kotěra Waterworks (home to the Gallery of Buddhist Art) and head towards the center of Třeboň.

A detailed route description can be found here.

Interesting places on the route

Vítek Pond

Vítek Pond was created by separating a part of Rožmberk Pond, and two stone flood bridges were built over its southern tip. The "fairytale" stone bridge with 5 arches was built by Josef Rosenauer in 1781 under Prince J. Schwarzenberg. Until 1988, it carried the road from Třeboň to Stará Hlína, but today it is only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. It was reconstructed after the 2002 flood. The bridge appeared in the fairy tale films "Once Upon a Time, There Was a King" and "From Hell to Happiness", as well as in the film "All My Loved Ones". The second stone flood bridge, built in 1799, has 12 arches.

Novosedly nad Nežárkou

A viewpoint east of the village is located along the new cycle path near the sports field.

Stříbřecký Bridge

A technical monument – this reinforced concrete road bridge from 1925 spans the New River (Nová řeka). In spring 1925, the original wooden bridge was demolished, and a new reinforced concrete bridge was built at the expense of the district. It was constructed by the Prague construction company Kalbáč under the supervision of František Prokeš from Soběslav. The bridge was paved in May 1926.

Stará a Nová řeka National Nature Reserve

This protected area along the meandering Lužnice River consists of wetland ecosystems and is home to numerous endangered and protected species. Among the notable plants are white water lilies, yellow irises, and lily of the valley. Birds such as little grebes and greylag geese nest here. The old oaks provide a habitat for the great capricorn beetle and nesting grounds for the goldeneye duck.

Vitmanov Ponds Nature Reserve

The flooded areas of Nový Vdovec and Ženich Ponds are important ornithological sites with many forested islands. To the east of Nový Vdovec Pond, there is a small peat bog where cranberries and round-leaved sundews grow. Fauna includes colonies of great cormorants and black-headed gulls, and nesting species include kingfishers, greylag geese, and goldeneye ducks. Near the reserve, the white-tailed eagle nests.

Nový Vdovec Pond

Built between 1562 and 1564, drained in 1827, and restored in 1865. Although a farmstead was established on the drained site in 1827, the pond was soon refilled in 1865 due to poor soil quality. It is separated from Ženich Pond by a southern dam. Several protected pedunculate oaks grow along its western main dam.

Starý Vdovec Pond

Mikuláš Ruthard of Malešov built Starý Vdovec Pond for Vilém of Rožmberk. The first filling took place around 1564. Jakub Krčín later raised the dam and expanded the pond. Originally, it covered the entire area of today's Vitmanov pond system. In the mid-18th century, the water level was lowered, and the pond was divided into two parts – Starý Vdovec and Nový Vdovec, as we know them today.

Rožmberk Pond

Rožmberk Pond is the largest pond in the Czech Republic, covering 648 ha. It was built between 1584 and 1590 by the renowned pond builder Jakub Krčín of Jelčany. The dam of Rožmberk Pond is 2,430 meters long, up to 10 meters high, and 55 meters wide at the base. Along the dam, there are 150- to 400-year-old oak trees. Originally, the pond covered 1,060 ha and flooded meadows up to the edge of Třeboň. Since fish thrive better in shallower waters, the water level was eventually lowered. Floodwaters from the Lužnice River are diverted by the ingenious New River (Nová řeka).

Zadní Kouty and Stupský Ponds

Fishing is allowed with a permit at both ponds.

Ema Destinnová Monument

A granite memorial from 1930 is located by the New River, at a spot where opera singer Ema Destinnová loved to fish. Next to the monument stands a protected pedunculate oak with a trunk circumference of 600 cm.