Chrudim District – Seč Reservoir, valleys and vibrant culture

The Chrudim District combines aquatic landscapes, protected nature and an unusually diverse range of cultural offerings. Seč Reservoir is considered the recreation centre of the Chrudimsko-Hlinecko area and is also an important fishing spot. This gives the region a variety of options for a stay: days by the water, paths through valleys and forests, or visits to museums and historic sites.

Seč Reservoir, Oheb and the Železné hory Landscape

The Železné hory landscape is protected because of its landforms, bodies of water, vegetation, wildlife and traditional settlement character. This landscape character is particularly vivid in the Oheb Nature Reserve, where a distinctive stand of pine trees grows on a rocky promontory above Seč Reservoir. Anyone wishing to combine nature observation with time on the water during their stay will find different themes here within the same day-trip plan, without having to view the reservoir solely as a swimming destination.

Forest ecosystems, flowering meadows and river floodplains can also be found along the Chrudimka. The Celtic Trail follows the sites of original Celtic settlement around Hradiště and Nasavrky and leads through the valleys of the Chrudimka, Debrný and Krkanka rivers. The focus of this route is therefore not only the landscape, but also its settlement and cultural history. The Boiika observation tower is accessible year-round and adds a single viewpoint that is not tied to a particular season.

Museums from Horse History to Crafts

For cultural excursions, the Chrudim District offers several clearly distinct areas of focus. The Hippological Museum in Slatiňany presents the development of the horse, as well as its history, anatomy, breeding, social use, art, transport and sport. Saddles and harnesses are also on display. Švýcárna, a museum of Old Kladruber horses, lies on the way to Kočičí hrádek. Both places are dedicated to horses, but they emphasise different aspects: one focuses on the broad history of their development, while the other highlights the special tradition of the Old Kladruber breed.

Betlém Hlinsko presents timber workshops and timber houses associated with weavers, toy makers, shoemakers, file makers and metal embossers. Veselý Kopec offers both individual visits and guided tours by prior reservation. A standard tour lasts 90 minutes. Parking for cars and coaches is available 250 metres from the open-air museum. The site also includes a collection of water-powered technical monuments, including a mill equipped for cooking fruit purée, a tanning hammer, an oil mill and a sawmill. This makes it possible to explore a visit not only through buildings, but also through former working methods and power technologies.

Chrudim as a Cultural Reference Point

The museum complex in Chrudim includes a Neo-Renaissance building used for exhibitions by the Regional Museum in Chrudim. The complex’s Neo-Baroque building hosts cultural and social events, concerts, symposia and exhibitions. This creates a clear contrast, when choosing your own excursion style, with the nature-oriented destinations by the water and in the valleys: you can focus your stay more on the landscape, regional history or changing cultural events.

The Krajem Chrudimky route provides a wider regional orientation. It begins at the source of the Chrudimka near Svratouch, leads via Hlinsko and Seč Reservoir, and ends in Chrudim. This sequence connects the source, river landscape, aquatic landscape and city in one continuous route.

Further places for orientation: Vcelakov, Bor U Skutce, Kamenicky, Parizov, Slatinany, Svídnice, Drevikov, Bestvina, Hlinsko V Cechách, Premilov, Prosec, Hojesin, Lany, Peralec, Stary Dvur, Ústupky, Luže-Domanice, Sec, Chroustovice, Vitanov, Nasavrky, Hluboká, Krásné, Jeníkov, Žumberk, Chrudim, Ctětín, Heřmanův Městec, Holetín, Horní Bradlo, Hrochův Týnec, Hroubovice, Všeradov, Svratouch, Studnice, Krouna, Licibořice, Luže, Raná U Hlinska, Miřetice U Nasavrk, Vysočina, Bylany, Morašice, Mladoňovice, Sobětuchy, Rabštejnská Lhota, Ronov Nad Doubravou, Skuteč, Klešice, Trhová Kamenice, Trojovice, Třemošnice, Tri Bubny, Úhřetice, Vápenný Podol, Vortová, Vrbatův Kostelec, Podhořany U Ronova, Střemošice, Bítovany, Bojanov, Skuteč-Borek, Bořice, Bousov, Hošťalovice, Čankovice, České Lhotice, Dědová, Dolívka, Dolní Bezděkov, Dřenice, Tisovec, Dvakačovice, Hamry U Hlinska, Hodonín U Nasavrk, Honbice, Chrast, Jenišovice U Chrudimi, Míčov-Sušice, Kladno, Kněžice, Kočí, Kostelec U Heřmanova Městce, Křižanovice, Leštinka, Libkov, Liboměřice, Načešice, Lipovec, Lozice, Prosetín, Mrákotín, Nabočany, Orel, Otradov, Pokřikov, Prachovice, Předhradí, Přestavlky, Rozhovice, Řestoky, Vyžice, Smrček, Stolany, Zaječice, Třibřichy, Tuněchody, Úherčice, Vejvanovice, Vojtěchov, Zájezdec, Zderaz, Žlebské Chvalovice, Rvacov, Rostejn, Mýtka, Skalice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Pardubice.