Velké Žernoseky – Wine-Growing, Landscape and Culture

Velké Žernoseky combines wine-growing, a distinctive landscape and historic architectural heritage. Below the château, on the vineyard slopes and along the Elbe, there are very different starting points for your trip: you can combine wine-growing traditions, discoveries and routes through the landscape.

Wine-Growing with a History

The château is an early Baroque château built for wine production and extended at the end of the 18th century. The wine cellars beneath the château feature building fabric dating back at least to the 13th century. Žernosecké vinařství offers wine tastings in the cellars, the salon or the château’s great hall. The vineyard sites bear the historic names Kostelní, Mariánská, Malá Vendule and Velká Vendule. The historical depth of the cellars gives a tasting a clear architectural setting; here, wine-growing also appears as part of the history of the locality.

Vineyards and Kalvárie

The Viničné domky are also part of the history of wine-growing. The group comprises four vineyard houses on terraces on the south-western slope of Malá Vendule and is part of the wine-growing ensemble of Velké Žernoseky. The Viničné domky group is a typical landscape landmark and is probably Baroque in essence. Its arrangement on the terraces connects the vineyard houses with the wine-growing ensemble and highlights the landscape character of the south-western slope.

A green-marked hiking route leads from Velké Žernoseky through the vineyards to Kalvárie, also known as Tříkřížový vrch. The rocky outcrop with three wooden crosses on its summit forms a distinctive landscape landmark of Česká brána. Kalvárie can be reached without access restrictions; by car, you can get to within 250 metres of the site. For planning purposes, the hiking route and car access are separate points of orientation: on foot, the route leads through the vineyards, while by car you can get to within 250 metres of the site.

Routes along the Elbe

The Elbe Cycle Route leads from Litoměřice to Velké Žernoseky and onwards to Ústí nad Labem. For the most part, it runs along separate cycle paths or on roads closed to motorised traffic. On an excursion from Velké Žernoseky, you can also watch a ferry carrying passengers across the Elbe. The separate routing is relevant when choosing your means of transport and supports planning by bicycle or along the Elbe without motorised traffic.

Church, Tower and Festival Tradition

The Church of St Nicholas also adds a historic accent. The Gothic church was rebuilt in the 16th century and is a distinctive landscape landmark. Its single-nave body has a net vault, while the chancel ends on three sides; an attached sacristy is located on the north side. The tower dates from the 14th century and was remodelled in the Neo-Gothic style in 1881. The different building phases give the visit a chronological sequence rather than placing just one architectural detail at the centre. Since 1818, the Hrádeker Festival has been celebrated at the chapel on Hrádek with Pentecost services. The reference to Pentecost also places the festival tradition within a specific period of the year.

You can also find further destinations for your search at Sedlec, Býčkovice, Vědlice, Habrina, Libkovice Pod Řípem, Štětí, Brňany and Lkáň.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Litoměřice.