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Tocnik - Zebrak
One trip, two castles
Tocnik and Zebrak. These two villages are separated by less than two kilometers. Still, they proudly keep their own old castles. Of course, this represents a major advantage to the travelers. We could take the easy way and ride a bus directly to Tocnik, visiting both medieval structures before heading back to Prague. Mas it will be much more interesting to step out of our bus in Zdice and walk all the way to the first castle, using old trails and tracks.
First, we have to leave the small town behind us. It's about one thousand meters walking on a road. Then, we move away heading north, towards the village of Knizkovice, where we expect to try the best "hermelin" (traditional Czech pickled cheese) in the country - do not be too disapointed if we don't get this done, as some times the local pub run out of "hermelin".
From Knizkovice, we start our way up. We will have plenty of time to enjoy the calm Czech countryside before we reach another small village: Hredle. We don't expect to stop there though. It just happens that we have to cross the place to proceed to the last stahe of our hiking stage of the tour. By then we will be about 3 km far from the castle of Tocnik. The distance will be covered in close contact with nature, without any traces of human activity. Here and there we will stop for a short observation of infomation panels conveniently placed along the trail, although an English version is not to be expected.
The castle of Tocnik may be visited - depending on the part of the year and the time we get there. Personally, I consider this small stronghold one of the most impressive of its kind in the country. Of course, it's not as pompous as the royal palace of Karlstejn or the castle of Krivoklat, but it's truly genuine. Using a little imagination we can easily see how the daily life was in late 14th Century, when Tocnik castle was built. In late 16th Century the place became gradually decadent, ending up as an uninhabited semi-ruin. By the begining of the 18th Century the roof was still covering the space, but everything else was gone. The castle was by then a wreck.
Less then 600 meters from Tocnik castle stands the ruin of Zebrak - oddly enough, close to the village of... Tocnik. Located at a lower altitude, its walls don't offer the amazing views a traveler can enjoy from its younger "brother". Unlike Tocnik, Zebrak was never rebuilt after turning to a ruin.
Zebrak was built in the 12th Century, living its better times imediatelly after its conclusion. The birth of Tocnik brought difficult times to Zebrak, which faced a slow decadence from then on. The first writen reference to its bad condition appears in 1552. No efforts were never taken to hold its structural decadence and only a few years ago works brought some solidity to this old place.
After exploring part of Zebrak's walls we may stop for a while in a pub; there are a few in the nearby village of Tocnik, and must probably we will have some time before the bus - which departs from Zebrak's main square, about 1,5 km's far.
Tocnik and Zebrak: Booking or info request | Tocnik and Zebrak: Gallery
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