Around Lipno Reservoir

In the village of Hůrka (the railway station is called Černá v Pošumaví), head onto cycle route No. 33 (right next to the station) and set off in the direction of Horní Planá. The circuit will therefore take you around the reservoir in an anti-clockwise direction.

After about 7 km and one minor climb, the cycle route will take you to Horní Planá, a recreational and tourist resort on the left-hand bank of the reservoir. It is the birthplace of 19th-century writer Adalbert Stifter. A museum dedicated to the writer is located in the house where he was born. Besides a number of accommodation facilities and campsites, you will also find a ferry connection to Bližší Lhota on the opposite bank of the reservoir.

A small lookout tower called Jezerní vyhlídka stands above the town, but save your strength for now (beautiful views are yet to come) and carry on along the bank to Nová Pec, originally a woodcutting settlement, where the Vltava River begins to flow into the reservoir. Today, Nová Pec is a popular tourist resort. It is an ideal starting point for walks and bike rides around the Bohemian Forest National Park and sights such as the Schwarzenberg Canal, Plešné Lake, and more. An in-line skating path from Nová Pec to Stožec is also popular.

In Pec you can get some refreshments and gain strength for the next sections of the circuit, which will take you along the right-hand bank of the reservoir, culminating in a climb to the ruins of Vítkův kámen Castle. But first, cycle route No. 1020 will take you to Bližší Lhota. If you feel like you can’t go any further, you can take the ferry back to Horní Planá from here.

A more interesting variant, however, is to continue (along virtually flat terrain) to Přední Zvonková, from where you will join the Vltava Cycle Route (No. 7 and 1033) and head to the west back towards the reservoir, which you will have slightly diverged from, and then to the right (south), where you will pass by the Račínská and Kyselovská coves. The latter is named after the defunct settlement of Kyselov (which was torn down and then flooded by the reservoir).

At the Kyselov crossroads you have another opportunity to turn off the trail to a ferry station and cross the reservoir to Dolní Vltavice on the other side if you want to shorten your trip. But that would be a shame, because the best is yet to come. Carry on towards the south, and you will soon come to a bridge over Rakouská (Austrian) cove. The cove didn’t get its name by chance – at one time this part of the reservoir was situated in Austria, before the Austrian government sold this land to Czechoslovakia.

At the “U Mostu” crossroads, turn right onto cycle route 1019 (or 1033). This is where the most demanding part of the trip begins – the climb to the hamlet of Svatý Tomáš and the ruins of Vítkův kámen Castle. In the space of 6 km you will overcome a height difference of 300 m, but the effort is more than worth it. Vítkův kámen (castle) was founded in the 13th century by the Vítkovec dynasty, but was abandoned from the 18th century. After the Second World War, it was used as a border guard post. Today, after restoration work, these highest situated castle ruins in the country (1,035 above sea level) definitely offer the best view of the reservoir and, on the opposite side, even the Alps. You will also have a chance to buy particularly deserved refreshments.

When you have finished admiring the views and recovered your strength, head back to Svatý Tomáš, and from there downwards along cycle route No. 1021 (Mírová cesta) to Frýdava on the bank of the reservoir. Here you will have the third (and last) chance to cut your journey short by ferry, this time to Frymburk on the other side.

The more tireless of you can continue, practically on flat terrain, along the bank (cycle route No. 7 or 1019) to Přední Výtoň, a small village on the right-hand bank. Its dominant landmark is the Church of St. Philip and St. James, which was built in the early 16th century. Přední Výtoň is the starting point of a number of hiking trails, and offers excellent opportunities for bathing, refreshments and accommodation.

From here it is not far to the dam of Lipno Reservoir I. This small, part gravity dam and part concrete dam holds (as mentioned in the introduction) the largest artificial lake in the country. But it is also interesting for another reason: its hydroelectric plant is located deep underground. Water falls into its turbines through two 160-metre deep shafts, then flows through a tunnel to a balancing reservoir near Vyšší Brod.

Once you cross the crest of the dam, you will find yourself on the left-hand bank of the reservoir, arriving in Lipno nad Vltavou, a small town that gave the reservoir its name, and which was paradoxically largely flooded by the reservoir (in 1959) and then rebuilt. In addition to numerous guest houses, hotels and apartments, this massively developing recreational resort today offers tourists an aqua park, a toboggan run, a bike park, a treetop trail and the Forest Kingdom attraction, and is also a popular ski resort in winter.

Cycle route No. 33, the Vltava route, which precisely traces the banks of the reservoir (which is very narrow at this point), will take you to Frymburk, a picturesque town that also had to largely give way to the reservoir 60 years ago. Today it is a popular summer resort with a number of sports facilities and sport equipment rental shops. In the winter, the St. Martha Hill is transformed into a popular ski resort (particularly for families with children).

Once you reach Frymburk, most of the circuit will be behind you. All that remains is to return to Černá v Pošumaví. You will need to avoid the busy road, so cycle route No. 33 will begin to meander somewhat from the village of Milná, but don’t be discouraged. It will take you to beautiful places in the surroundings of Lipno, which you wouldn’t see otherwise (including the Pláničský Pond nature reserve and the Muckovské limestone quarries, a natural heritage site).

In Černá v Pošumaví, you will have a pleasant ride along a newly built stretch of the cycle path, part of which crosses over the water to the village of Hůrka. The wait for the train back to Český Krumlov can be made more pleasant in one of the restaurants (directly in Hůrka) or by bathing on the beautiful beaches in Černá v Pošumaví.