Discover Žebrák: Observation Tower, Observatory and Culture

Žebrák offers several clearly distinct experiences: The tower of Žebrák Castle now serves as an observation tower, the Žebrák Observatory focuses on scheduled astronomical observations, and the town offers a museum, gallery and sacred art. This allows you to choose between views, astronomy, culture and cycling during your stay.

Observation Tower and Observatory

The tower of Žebrák Castle now serves as an observation tower. It therefore represents a special form of castle visit: the focus is not only on the historic site, but also on the view from the tower. If you would like to begin your time in Žebrák with an observation experience, this is one of the town’s clearly identifiable points of interest.

The Žebrák Observatory regularly offers observation sessions scheduled in advance. These are complemented by observations of unusual celestial events and additional sessions arranged at short notice, depending on the weather. Observation sessions can be reserved in advance. This makes the observatory a destination where you can distinguish between fixed scheduled sessions and additional weather-dependent opportunities.

The offerings include guided tours of the observatory’s rooms and equipment, demonstrations and, in particular, a visit to the dome with the main telescope. There is also an exhibition about the ESO Universe. Under favorable conditions and cloudless skies, you can observe the Sun during the day and interesting celestial objects at night.

Town Museum, Gallery and Art in the Center

The town museum in Žebrák is located in a former school building on the town’s main square. It presents two permanent exhibitions and one seasonal exhibition. For your planning, the museum therefore provides a fixed cultural point whose exhibition range consists of both permanently displayed and seasonally changing sections.

The Church of St. Lawrence is located in the middle of Žebrák’s main square. East of the church, on the axis of the presbytery, stands an ensemble of Saint John of Nepomuk dating from 1727 by Karel Josef Hiernle. After its restoration and return, following its placement in a restoration studio and lapidarium from 1982 to 2018, it was placed in a pentagonal glass case to protect it from the effects of the weather.

The Jaroslav Hněvkovský Gallery is a permanent exhibition of the artist’s work, complemented by photographs and sketches. In Žebrák, this gives you an independent approach to art alongside astronomical and historical topics.

Žebrák on a Cycling Tour

If you include cycling in your trip planning, a cycling tour in the Berounsko region leads through Žebrák on cycle route No. 0033 after visiting the Žebrák castle ruins and Točník Castle. The town is thus part of a route that combines castle visits with passage through the town.

More Destinations to Research

For further research, you can also check Mezouň, Praskolesy, Korno, Osek, Lhotka U Hořovic, Bubovice, Chodouň and Málkov.

For the higher-level travel overview: Beroun District.