Discover Skřipel

Skřipel combines a small late Baroque church, a protected chestnut avenue and several archaeological sites with hiking and cycling routes through the surrounding countryside. Anyone wishing to discover a lesser-known place in the Czech Republic will find various points of interest here: culture in the village centre, open archaeological questions and routes connecting Skřipel with other places.

Church and archaeological sites

In the centre of Skřipel, the Church of St Simon and St Jude stands beside the road. This small late Baroque building is the village’s main cultural landmark. Before 1232, Ostrov Monastery held the right of patronage over the church in Skřipel.

Southeast of the village, in the cadastral area of Skřipel, lies the important archaeological site of Šance, more precisely in the area known as U Šancí. There are square earthwork ramparts covering an area of 105 × 125 metres. The interior is approximately 1 metre higher than the surrounding terrain. The interpretation is precisely what makes the site interesting, but it remains open: Šance may have been a Celtic sanctuary or a fortification from a historical period. The name should therefore not be understood as a definitive explanation.

Another archaeological area is Skřipel 5. It lies 500 metres southwest of the village on the right bank of the Šiberna and belongs to category ÚAN I. Skřipel 5 is associated with the prehistoric agricultural period; archaeological finds have been documented there or are reasonably suspected to be present. Together with Šance, it presents a picture in which the history of the village becomes tangible not only through a single building, but also through traces of earlier settlement.

The Skřipel Avenue as a landscape feature

The Skřipel Avenue is designated as a protected tree avenue. It was first designated as protected on 1 January 1987. The avenue leads west from Osov Castle towards Skřipel and is planted exclusively with horse chestnuts (Aesculus hippocastanum). This gives the row of trees a clearly recognisable form.

The protected chestnut avenue is also part of the cycling tour “A Ride in Search of the Legendary Horymír”. The route follows the avenue to Skřipel, then continues through the village and along road II/115 back to Hostomice railway station.

Hiking routes through Skřipel and the surrounding area

The Podbrdský Čtyřlístek comprises four colour-coded circular hiking routes. The routes pass through Skřipel and the surrounding villages of Lážovice, Vižina and Velký Chlumec; they meet in the centre of Osov. The individual routes are 6–8 km long and are aimed primarily at hikers. They can also be ridden on trekking bikes or, preferably, mountain bikes. This allows you to choose between a classic hike and a ride on a suitable bicycle without changing the character of the routes as paths intended primarily for hikers.

For further research, you can also compare Mořina, Králův Dvůr, Velký Chlumec, Žebrák, Beraun, Železná, Podbrdy and Libomyšl. This keeps your choice of accommodation connected to your preferred focus: a historic village centre, archaeological discoveries, a landscape route or a route on foot and by bicycle.

For the broader travel overview: Beroun District.