Český Rudolec: Trails, Culture and Brewing Tradition

Český Rudolec combines marked trails, remarkable cultural monuments, unusual rock formations and a brewing tradition that remains visible to this day. For your travel planning, the town therefore offers a variety of discoveries: you can follow a historic hiking trail, explore château architecture and parkland, or learn about regional history during a brewery tasting.

The Graselova Trail begins in the town centre

The Graselova Trail Český Rudolec begins in the village square by the Church of Saint John the Baptist. The church, dating from 1440, defines the centre of Český Rudolec. For orientation, the trail is marked with a yellow disc framed by a white letter “G”. At Radíkov, its circular route connects to a red-marked hiking trail and leads back to Český Rudolec.

Visible traces of historic silver mining have been preserved along the trail near Kutiště. The nearby area is also home to Skalka, also known as Kofrštán and Měděný vrch, a rocky granite peak rising to 679.3 metres. On its northern side, rock walls rise 10 to 15 metres high. The Filipovy kameny form another independent landscape feature: the approximately 100-metre-long granite rock formation is crossed beneath by the Hornoradíkovský stream, which disappears under the rocks; potholes lie between the large boulders.

A water sawmill and chapel as local destinations

Near Český Rudolec, Vodní pila Peníkov is protected as an immovable cultural monument. The small wooden water sawmill, preserved in its entirety, can be reached via the Graselova Trail or the blue-marked hiking trail after approximately 40 minutes on foot. At Vodní pila Peníkov, the beautification association Zkrášlovací spolek Rudolecko offers guided tours and demonstrations of sawing. On the Český Rudolec–Slavonice section, the Chapel of the Holy Cross is also visible shortly after leaving Český Rudolec.

Malá Hluboká: Tudor Gothic Revival, park and orangery

Malá Hluboká is protected as an immovable cultural monument. After the fire of 1860, reconstruction gave the site its present romantic appearance in the Tudor Gothic Revival style. At the tourist centre, you can purchase tickets for guided château tours. The complex includes an English-style park, whose development had already begun towards the end of the 17th century. The orangery was used to grow exotic fruit; one of its special features was the cultivation of pineapples.

Brewing tradition at the present site of Pivovar Grasel

Beer was already being brewed at the present site of Pivovar Grasel in 1539. This brewing tradition continued until 1897, before Zámecký pivovar Český Rudolec was rebuilt from the ruins in 2015. The Pivovar Grasel brewery in Český Rudolec invites visitors to taste its own beers. This local culinary experience thus complements the trails and cultural monuments around the town.

Discover more places

If you would like to continue your research beyond Český Rudolec, you can find more places here: Heřmaneč, Rosička U Deštné, Drunče, Plavsko, Volfířov, Wittingau, Višňová U Kardašovy Řečice and Vnorovice.

To the overarching travel overview: Jindřichův Hradec District.