Stríbrná Skalice: Silver history, churches and the Posázavské bučiny beech forests

Stríbrná Skalice offers several clearly distinct discoveries: silver history, sacred art, archaeological traces and a protected forest area. If you would like to combine culture and nature on your trip, you will find both special individual destinations and routes of varying lengths and character here. In the forest, the protected landscape is the focus, while the churches, town hall and castle hills connect different historical periods of the town.

Forest nature in the Posázavské bučiny area

The Posázavské bučiny area is a Natura 2000 site of European importance. It covers 154.4442 hectares and has the code CZ0210028. The protected area extends above the Pyskočely holiday settlement and is freely accessible via forest paths. A botanical rarity can be found on Mount Baba: Posázavské bučiny is home to the largest known site in Central Bohemia of one-flowered melick grass (Melica uniflora). For nature enthusiasts, European protected status and a special botanical focus on Mount Baba come together here.

Silver history, castle hills and churches

The development of Stříbrná Skalice was connected with silver mining in the 15th and 16th centuries. Near Stříbrná Skalice, the silver deposits were exhausted at the beginning of the 18th century; mining ended permanently. The town hall adds a later historical accent: it was probably built around 1776 to 1778 and has a low, prismatic tower with an onion-shaped dome.

The remains of Hrad Castle are located on a prominent hill in Stříbrná Skalice. The site known as “Hrad” is also an important archaeological site. The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk stands on the site of a former castle. The foundations of a round tower or deep cellars have survived; the building was constructed mainly from the remains of the original castle walls.

In Rovná, you can visit the Church of Saint James, a Romanesque church with unique artistic furnishings from the 12th and 13th centuries. Its interior includes unique Romanesque wall paintings. A guided tour must be arranged in advance to visit the interior. The Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is a Baroque church from 1730 and can be visited by prior arrangement. Romanesque wall painting and Baroque architecture represent different levels of art and architectural history. Anyone wishing to see both interiors should include the necessary arrangements in their day plan.

Hiking and regional discoveries

A half-day hike from Sázavský klášter to Stříbrná Skalice follows both marked and unmarked paths. For comparing longer hiking options, the 22nd edition of the “Po stopách kocoura Mikeše” event offers four routes of 11.5, 20, 29 and 34 kilometres. The event started at the information centre in Mnichovice and ended in the town square there. The different types of paths on the half-day route and the event’s four distances therefore offer a simple comparison between shorter and longer hiking plans.

The game world of “Kingdom Come: Deliverance”, which is also associated with Stříbrná Skalice, adds its own cultural accent: the story begins there, and a decisive event takes place there.

Discover more places

For further research, you can also explore Škvorec, Drisy, Dřevčice, Sibřina, Klecany, Nupaky, Žernovka and Vyžlovka.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Praha-Východ.