Slavonice - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 220

Day Hike,” below); or drive on the Slavonice-Stálkov road out of
town and look for the Muzeum Opevnění sign on the left (park
where you can and walk along the tiny road, then go through the
lonely woods as if you were a 20th-century invader). You'll reach
two bunkers fully equipped with 1930s periscopes and machine
guns (daily July-Aug and on weekends May-June and Sept).
Landštejn Castle (Hrad Landštejn) —his region of thick for-
ests and softly rolling hills is overseen by the stark ruins of the
Gothic castle that once guarded the border. While the castle itself
is barren and looks like it was made of recently poured concrete,
the commanding view from the top is worth the climb (40 Kč;
June-Aug Tue-Sun 9:00-16:30, closed Mon; May and Sept Tue-
Sun 9:00-15:30, closed Mon; April and Oct Sat-Sun 9:00-15:30,
closed Mon-Fri; closed Nov-March; simple café inside castle
gate, fancy Landštejnský Dvůr restaurant, two pubs by parking lot
under castle; tel. [phone], www.hradlandstejn.cz). On sum-
mer weekends, the castle serves as a venue for open-air folk and
rock concerts.
Landštejn Castle is seven miles west of Slavonice, on the road
to Nová Bystřice. Hardy travelers can reach the castle on foot (fol-
low red-marked trail, see “Suggested Day Hike,” below) or by bike
(follow the road or get map at TI to go through the countryside).
You can also reach it by bus (Slavonice-Nová Bystřice line, 3/day,
weekdays only, 15 min, ask to be let off at Landštejn) or car (drive
toward Nová Bystřice).
Suggested Day Hike: For a 14-mile hike, follow the red-
marked trail from Slavonice to Landštejn via the work-in-progress
Museum of Fortifications (see “Sudetenland Defenses,” earlier
in this section), visit the castle (have lunch here), then descend
along the yellow-marked trail in the direction of Dačice to Velký
Troubný lake, a perfect swimming spot. From there, return to
Slavonice along the red-and-white-marked nature trail.
SlEEPING
All three recommended hotels are on the main square.
$$ Dům u Růže has 12 rooms in a restored late-19th-century
house. Each room has its own bath and kitchen; the sauna and
pool are 100 Kč/person extra (Sb-1,190 Kč, Db-1,390 Kč, Tb-1,590
Kč, free parking, Náměstí Míru 452, tel. [phone], mobile
603-493-879, www.dumuruze.cz, [e-mail]). They also
rent bikes (30 Kč/hr, 200 Kč/day).
$$ Hotel Besídka, between the two parts of the square
separated by the church, hides eight ultra-modern, bright rooms
behind a magnificent Renaissance facade. The striking combina-
tion of ancient and postmodern styles was designed by (and named