Route of Jan Hus
- Jan Hus (1370?–1415)
Jan Hus (1370 Husinec – 1415 Constance) was a Czech Catholic priest, a medieval religious philosopher and a rector at Prague University. His sermons criticized the decline of the church and thus his teachings were marked as heresy, Hus was forbidden to practice priestly, and he retired. At a time when he was called upon to defend his teachings and attend the Council of Constance, he stayed at Krakovec Castle. From here, or directly from Prague, he set out on his way to the Constance through the premises of his friends who gave him the shelter. Unfortunately, he was burned for his teachings here on July 6, 1415.
Pilgrims can go in the footsteps of this world personality on his last trip from Bohemia to the German Constance, thanks to The Route of Jan Hus. The route is bi-directional (from Bohemia to Germany and from Germany to Bohemia) and is about 250 km long. It connects important Czech historical sites and places linked to Jan Hus or his followers, such as: Prague, Karlštejn, Beroun, Žebrák – Točník, Krakovec, Kralovice, Rabštejn, Manětín, Nečtiny, Úterý, Bezdružice, Konstantinovy Lázně, Planá, Tachov. The Czech part of the route ends in the border town of Bärnau. Jan Hus visited this town and he vividly described this town in his diary.
The pilgrimage from Bohemian border to the town Constance in Germany can be divided into two larger parts. A great addition to the route is the possibility to follow the signs of the so-called “Goldene Strasse”, which runs from the Czech border to Nürnberg. Here pilgrims can go to Kostnice (Constance), which is located on the German-Swiss border, following the signs of the most important European pilgrimage network called Camino de Santiago.
Should you wish to read more about The Route of Jan Hus, please, download the PDF file under the gallery box or visit the website www.husovacesta.cz (available in Czech language only).
Husova cesta - trailer na putování po Husově cestě
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Additional touristic information
The Route of the world-famous Czech preacher, Jan Hus, leads from Prague, where he worked on his important writings, to Germany. Its main part crosses the northern part of the Pilsen region, which lies in the south-west of Bohemia. However, the pilgram way extends from Bohemia to the German Constance, where the Catholic scholar was burnt to death because of his reformist teaching in 1415.
The Pilgrimage Route in the Czech Republic is almost 250 km long. The longest part of the Pilgrimage Route stretches across Pilsen Region, which has one of the lowest population density in the Czech Republic (area 7 649 km2, 579 129 people).
The route is bi-directional (from Bohemia to Germany and from Germany to Bohemia) and is about 250 km long. It connects important Czech historical sites and places linked to Jan Hus or his followers, such as: Prague, Karlštejn, Beroun, Žebrák – Točník, Krakovec, Kralovice, Rabštejn, Manětín, Nečtiny, Úterý, Bezdružice, Konstantinovy Lázně, Planá, Tachov. The Czech part of the route ends in the border town of Bärnau. Jan Hus visited this town and he vividly described this town in his diary.
The trail is accessible all year round without any restrictions depending on the weather and the physical abilities of pilgrims. More information supply Information Centers in municipalities along the route.
There are many historically valuable towns and cultural monuments along the route. Undoubtedly, the most valuable monuments are located right in Prague (UNESCO). Other valuable sites are: Karlštejn Castle,Beroun town, Skryje town, Rabstejn town, Manetin town, Svetce chateau, St. Jan Skalou Castle, Town of Beroun, Točník Castle, Žebrák Castle, Town of Skryje, Krakovec Castle, Mariánská Týnice Monastery near Kralovice, town Rabštejn, town Manětín with Castle, village Nečtiny, village Úterý, město Bezdružice, the town of Konstantinovy Lazne, the town of Planá, the town of Tachov and the chateau of the World, the Bärnau archaeological park (DE).
The route stretches across many natural sites. In the vicinity of Prague it is mainly Český Kras Protected Landscape Area with numerous karst caves and fossil deposits. It is also Křivoklátsko near the river Berounka, which is a biosphere reserve of UNESCO and important bird area. It also leads trough many natural parks (Horní Střela, Manětínská, Úterý potok, Hadovka, Kosí potok). At the border with Germany, the Český les Protected Landscape Area intersects with dense forest stands. The trail thus stretches over not only untouched nature but also geologically important localities.