Kalek: Cultural History, Protected Areas and Hiking Trails

Kalek Between History and Mountain Landscapes

Kalek combines cultural history with a mountainous landscape in a compact area. This picturesque mountain settlement is known for its many preserved historic houses, babbling streams and surroundings of meadows, forest clearings and marshes. This combination gives you several specific options: you can combine a visit focused on cultural history with impressions of the landscape and a selected hike.

St. Wenceslas Church and Traces of Craft History

At the heart of the village’s history is St. Wenceslas Church in Kalek, including the cemetery grounds. It is listed as a cultural monument in the central register of cultural monuments of the Czech Republic under registration number 18064/5-534 and was completed in 1702. The access path to the church across the cemetery grounds was made from flat-split stone. This stone path complements the church with a specific material detail of the cemetery grounds. In this way, the year 1702 is connected with a visible element of the site.

The village’s economic development is also tangible. In 1555, Kalek had a hammer mill for producing sheet metal, which probably processed iron ore extracted locally. The historical development also included the production of toys and wooden goods. The Czech name “Kalek” is derived from a lime kiln; the fine-grained limestone produced there was supplied for smelting iron ores. The lime kiln points to the raw material, while the hammer mill represents its processing; toys and wooden goods add further products to this picture.

Protected Areas and Trails in the Surrounding Area

The Bučina na Kienhaidě Nature Reserve is located in the immediate surroundings west of Kalek. The Buky a javory v Gabrielce Nature Reserve lies to the northeast. The two protected landscapes are therefore located in different directions and complement the village’s history with additional nature destinations. In the Chomutov area, the Stezka Českem connects quiet forest sections with open views across the landscape and is intended for tourists, families with children and cyclists. For your selection, you can distinguish the protected areas as destinations in different directions and the Stezka Českem as a trail with changing landscapes.

The Gabrielina Huť Circular Trail

A specific hiking route starts in Kalek: the Gabrielina Huť circular trail leads past the Volárenský Pond, through the Telč Valley and via Gabrielina Huť. It then returns along the Načetín Stream. The circular trail is 17 kilometers long. The return route to Kalek follows the state border upstream along the Načetín Stream. The combination of pond, valley and stream brings various landscape elements together in a single loop. Its length helps you plan the outing as a full day of hiking.

When choosing a hotel in Kalek, you can first decide whether the church and local history, the protected areas or a specific route should be the main focus of your stay. For further travel planning, you can also access Vysoká Jedle, Pysna, Libědice, Pětipsy, Vadkovice, Všehrdy, Jirkov and Rajov.

For the higher-level travel overview: Chomutov District.