Malá Hrastice: Village Square, Trails and History

Malá Hraštice combines village character with diverse opportunities for culture, cycling and hiking. A chapel stands on the village square as a dominant landmark. At the same time, routes lead through forests, valleys and historically shaped landscapes, allowing you to combine different holiday ideas when choosing your accommodation.

Chapel and Village Square

The chapel is the dominant building on the village square in Malá Hraštice. It was probably built in the first half of the 19th century. Services are held in the chapel several times a year. There is also a pastry shop with a bakery and a restaurant nearby. The village square therefore brings together notable architectural history and several options for taking a break during your stay.

Bike Tours and Trails Through the Surroundings

The “Za svatým Václavem” bike tour is 19 km long and has an elevation gain of 357 m. The unmarked bike tour begins and ends directly in Malá Hraštice. It runs along smaller forest paths, is suitable for mountain bikes and is considered not particularly demanding. With a fixed start and finish in the village, the loop can be planned as a standalone bike tour. The 19 kilometres form a clearly defined outing, while the 357 m elevation gain adds climbs to the route. The smaller forest paths make the landscape an integral part of the ride and give the route a different focus from a simple connection between villages. Its suitability for mountain bikes matches this terrain. Anyone looking for an active loop can start the outing in Malá Hraštice, follow the route through the surroundings and finish in the same place without having to change the destination point.

The surroundings can also be explored on foot along various paths. The green-marked hiking trail runs through the cadastral area of the municipality of Malá Hraštice from Voznice towards Nový Knín. A section of the “Nový Knín a okolí” educational trail runs along the eastern edge of the cadastral area of the municipality of Malá Hraštice. The circular route of the educational trail passes several adits and runs through the valley of the Kocába River.

Gold Mining and Regional History

Ten information boards along the “Nový Knín a okolí” educational trail convey the history of gold mining in the area. Gold was already being mined here around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. The educational trail thus combines outdoor activity with a tangible historical trace. In Velká Hraštice, a parish for the Church of Saint Zikmund is documented as early as 1360. Mass is held in the same church on the first Saturday of every month.

Travel Planning Information

Bus route 488 runs through Malá Hraštice towards Mníšek pod Brdy and in the other direction to Nový Knín. Connections to Prague are available from Mníšek pod Brdy. If you would like to compare other places for your travel planning, Vysoká U Příbramě, Hvožďany, Pouste, Hudčice, Příbram, Sedlec, Háje and Vrančice are also among the available destinations.

For the overview of the wider area: Okres Příbram.