Krchleby: Educational Trail, Castle Ruins and Basketry

Krchleby combines a forest landscape with an unusually diverse local history. The village lies in the southern part of the Výtuňské polesí forest and is surrounded by its woodland. For trip planning that aims to combine nature, activity and culture, the area offers several points of interest: a marked educational trail, late medieval castle ruins, historic craft traditions and traces of former coal mining.

Educational Trail and Cycle Route around Krchleby

The “In the Footsteps of Jirásek’s Lucerna” educational trail leads through Krchleby and includes the site of Lacembok Castle Ruins along its route. The route is 13.5 km long, can be started in Osvračín or Staňkov, and is marked in both directions. This makes it easy to take the distance into account when planning a day trip, while the two possible starting points allow for different itineraries. Those who want to explore Krchleby by bicycle can also use cycle route CT 2185: it runs from Staňkov via Krchleby and Zelený Háj towards Merklín and Přeštice.

Lacembok and the History of the Village

Hrádek Lacembok is a late medieval castle ruin and an archaeological site in the municipality of Horní Kamenice, in the cadastral area of Krchleby. One of the preserved features of the castle ruins is a cistern carved into the rock. This makes the site especially suitable for anyone who wants to discover a landscape not only through its paths, but also through its historical traces. The first written mention of Krchleby dates from 1366.

Basket making is also part of the local history. Many local residents made baskets at home in Krchleby; the village was also known for producing spruce baskets. In Krchleby near Staňkov, split strips of softwood such as pine, spruce and fir were used to make baskets, serving as warp and weaving material. This craft tradition gives the village’s history a tangible, everyday character. Another historical trace leads to mining: coal was extracted at a depth of 60 metres in the mines of the Stankau mining company at Stirchlowa (Krchleby) and Buckowa (Buková).

Hills and Regional Attractions

The hills of Kamenná hora [Holýšov], Klítka [Hlohovčice] and Makový vrch [Holýšov-Dolní Kamenice] lie in the vicinity of Krchleby. Mount Běleč is also located near Krchleby. The three hills and the mountain complement the educational trail and the castle ruins with further landscape features; this allows nature and local history to be combined when planning a day trip, while Lacembok provides a clear historical counterpoint to the elevations. The church “Plzen Barholomaeus Cathedral” is also located in the wider surrounding region. This allows you to tailor your stay according to your interests, with a greater focus on nature, regional history or cultural destinations.

More Places to Explore

If you would like to consider places beyond Krchleby, you can also explore Chocomyšl, Trhanov, Chodská Lhota, Luženičky, Spáňov, Pec, Úsilov and Domažlice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Domažlice District.