Žihle – Granite Landscapes, Lake and Baroque Culture

Žihle combines impressive natural formations with a remarkable local history. If, for your holiday in the Czech Republic, you would like to combine landscapes, brief cultural discoveries and reliable guidance when choosing where to stay, you will find a wide range of options here: granite boulders and protected areas in the surrounding area, historic monuments in the town, as well as rail and bus connections to the region.

Granite formations, protected areas and a lake

In the immediate vicinity of Žihle lie the Viklany, a group of granite boulders. They were formed through the selective weathering of coarse-grained biotite granite. The Dědek granite formation is also located nearby. It is approximately 5 m high and 8 m wide. The U Báby–U lomu protected area focuses even more strongly on geological features. It preserves remarkable erratic boulders and groups of erratic boulders as examples of various forms of the block disintegration of Tiská granite in the Žihle area.

A yellow-marked hiking trail leads through the U Báby–U lomu rock formations. The area can be reached via a walkable tourist path; the access point is more than 250 m from the road. This precise distance helps you fit the visit into your day’s plans. Another natural destination is the Odlezelské Lake protected area. It preserves a lake dammed by a landslide and the associated landslide area. The lake was formed in 1872 in a single night after heavy rainfall triggered a massive slope failure that dammed the Mladotický potok. Various mollusc species and aquatic plants can be found in Odlezelské Lake.

Cultural monuments directly in Žihle

The medieval Smírčí kámen is a circular sandstone slab on a shaft that widens slightly towards the bottom. On its front, it bears a raised paw cross within a circular border. The monument stands approximately 30 m west of Žihle’s square, on the south side of the road to the railway station, along a row of houses. Another noteworthy local landmark is the Socha sv. Jiljí: the Baroque statue of the saint stands on a tall prismatic pedestal, north of Kostel sv. Václava on the right-hand side of the road to Velečín.

Kostel sv. Václava is an elaborate Baroque building designed by F. M. Kaňka and occupies a dominant position in the municipality. The Kostel sv. Filipa a Jakuba church is a religious building of older origin; its present appearance was created through Baroque and late Baroque alterations. In a respectfully designed park south of this church’s cemetery stands a monument to the victims of the death march. This allows you to combine experiences in nature with a quiet, historically conscious exploration of the town.

Žihle as a base for exploring the region

The Plzeň–Žatec railway line runs through Žihle. There are also good bus connections towards Kralovice, Plasy and Lubenec. When looking for accommodation, you can therefore consider not only the natural and cultural destinations but also the location on the railway line and the bus connections in these directions. This allows you to decide whether your stay should focus more on excursions into the countryside, sightseeing in the town or exploring the wider region.

Other places for orientation

For your further search in the wider area, you can also consider Zbůch, Blažim, Manetin, Bílov, Krsy, Kbelany, Lochousice and Mrtník.

For the wider travel overview: Plzeň-Sever District.