About Orlík Hotel
The Wellness Hotel Orlík*** is situated in close proximity to the Orlík reservoir, amidst the Schwarzenberg forests, so it can offer its guests unrivalled privacy and numerous possibilities for relaxation, whether you want to stay at the hotel-based wellness centre with its pool and whirlpool, sauna and massage, or just want to take a walk through the forests or go horse riding. The hotel offers three accommodation types – rental of separate villas, garni accommodation or stay directly in the hotel building. The whole premises are of course covered by Wi-Fi.
Castles and chateaux
Orlík nad Vltavou – chateau (8 km)
Located on a peak rising like an eagle's nest high above the Vltava river valley, there was once an early Gothic castle surrounded by the water of the Orlík reservoir. The shape of this aristocratic residence in Romanesque Gothic style was influenced mainly by the then-owners, the Schwarzenberg family. The guided tour for visitors tracks the history of the chateau and the everyday life of its residents, presenting paintings, furniture, weapons, hunting trophies and a set of awards and orders which the chateau owners won for their merits. www.schwarzenberg.cz Contact the reception of the Hotel Orlík, Vystrkov. We can help to arrange entrance tickets or provide any further information.
Zvíkov - castle (13 km)
Its position high on a rock with only one way in across a drawbridge is what used to offer this Gothic royal castle good protection. Nowadays, the foot of Zvíkov is washed by the water of the Orlík reservoir, but it is still one of the best-preserved showcases of a royal castle from the time of the last Přemyslids. Attractive courtyards with cloisters and arcades are complemented by interiors with contemporary decorations. You can also reach a watchtower, a complex of mediaeval cellars and the St. Wenceslas chapel with wall paintings from the end of the 15th century, which rank among the most beautiful Gothic interiors in the Czech Republic. www.schwarzenberg.cz.Contact the reception of the Hotel Orlík, Vystrkov. We can help to arrange entrance tickets or provide any further information.
Březnice - chateau (25 km)
This massive Renaissance chateau is situated where the original castle of the Lords of Březnice once stood. The chateau has massive fortifications – access is guarded by a four-storey pass-through tower. Originally a Gothic fortress of the Old Bohemian Buzici family from the first half of the 13th century, it was rebuilt during the 16th and 17th centuries into a Renaissance chateau by Jiří Lokšan of Lokšany, secretary to the Czech king, Ferdinand I. The so-called Lokšany library, the oldest chateau library in Bohemia, dates from 1558. The exposition also offers family portraits of the Kolovratové family, a library with painted ceilings and original cabinets and a gallery with an exposition of music boxes. After the Battle of White Mountain, in 1623, the chateau was acquired by the royal prosecutor Přibík Jeníšek of Újezd. The most significant architectural modification of the chateau from this period was the construction of the early Baroque chapel of the Virgin Mary by the architect Carlo Lurago. From 1728 to 1872 the chateau belonged to the Krakovský family of Kolovraty. The last private owners were the Pálffy family of Erdödy. Then the chateau changed hands and came under state ownership. Now, three chateau expositions are open, showing the history of the different aristocratic families, artistic styles and weapons from the Renaissance to the 19th century, e.g. family galleries, an African lounge, Renaissance canteen and a chateau armoury with weapons from the 16th–19th centuries, the Renaissance Lokšany library, Ludvík Kuba's gallery and more. The chateau includes a park with exotic plants. www.zamek-breznice.cz Contact the reception of the Hotel Orlík, Vystrkov. We can help you to arrange entrance tickets or provide any further information.
Vysoký Chlumec - chateau (19 km)
This Chlumec castle built in the 13th century was acquired in the 14th century by the Lobkovic family. The inside castle consists of two palaces with a spire and bailey to which the lower castle is connected via a bulwark and a Gothic gate. After 1848 the fame of Chlumec faded away. During World War II and after 1948 the assets of the Lobkovic family were confiscated and would be returned to them only after 1989. www.vysoky-chlumec.cz Contact the reception of the Orlík Vystrkov hotel. We can help to arrange entrance tickets or provide any further information.
Blatná - chateau (24 km)
The water chateau of Blatná lies 95 km south of Prague and is roughly equidistant from the Austrian and German borders. The first written record of this chateau describes an earthwork castle built among marshes in 1235. A small settlement grew around it, bearing the same name. The oldest part of the castle is a partially preserved Romanesque central chapel from around 1220. The most significant period for the castle began in the 15th century with the arrival of the Lvovi family of Rožmitál. This was the time of the family’s greatest influence. Johanka, sister of Lev of Rožmitál (1446–1485), married Jiří of Poděbrady and thus became queen of Bohemia. Lev excelled in diplomatic service, skilfully communicating the message of the Czech king across Western Europe. It was at this time that the majority of the buildings were developed, among which one can highlight especially the defence tower with wall paintings dating back to 1480 and the late Gothic palace with three-flank bays built by Reit. The wall paintings in the Knight’s Hall also date back to this period. The subsequent owners, the earls of Rozdražov and later the earls of Serényi in the 18th century added buildings to the old castle. In 1798 Blatná chateau was acquired by the Hildprandt family of Ottenhausen who refurbished the interiors in the first half of the 19th century and had the architect B. Gruber regothicise the whole building. The Hildprandt family now continued to further extensively reconstruct the chateau. The former game preserve was upgraded into an English park, with gold placers (remains of old gold mining) preserved underneath trees that are several hundred years old. The park is accessible to visitors year-round. Contact the reception of the Hotel Orlík, Vystrkov. We can help to arrange entrance tickets or provide any further information.
Svatá Hora - sacred site and pilgrimage destination (18 km)
This is the oldest pilgrimage site for the Virgin Mary in Bohemia. The Baroque Church of the Virgin Mary is one of the most prominent buildings from that period in the Czech Republic. The object of veneration is the Holy Mountain Madonna, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary from the 14–15th centuries.
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Onen Svět (The Other World) – Watchtower (25 km)
This wooden watchtower was built at the beginning of 2001. Visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of the countryside around the Orlík reservoir. You can even catch a glimpse of the Alps when visibility is good.
Kuníček - watch tower (29 km)
This tower with an outlook is an atypical steel frame with a steel tube inside. The tower was a joint investment of several mobile phone operators.
Sedlčany observatory (22 km)
The observatory on the Cihelný vrch hill in Sedlčany has been open since 2006 every Friday after dusk if the sky is at least partly clear.
Vysoký Chlumec – open-air museum
On this natural tourist site you will find farms, cottages and cabins, farm structures, water mills and small religious structures mostly from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century. When completed, a re-building of 20 to 25 structures is foreseen, see www.muzeum-pribram.cz .
Vojna u Příbrami memorial
This was a detention camp from 1947 to 1949 for German prisoners of war. Afterward, from 1949 to 1951, it was a forced labour camp and subsequently a prison for political prisoners of the Communist regime from 1951 to 1961. The history of the Vojna prison camp is not so long, but the awareness of its existence and the existence of similar facilities must be preserved for the generations to come. In January 2001 the premises were declared a cultural landmark and in 2005, following a demanding reconstruction, the site opened to the public. www.muzeum-pribram.cz
Hornické muzeum (Mining Museum) in Příbram
In the original structures of the Ševčinská, Anenská, Vojtěšská and Drkolnovská mineshafts visitors can see 40 year-old expositions covering e.g. models of mining structures and unique mineralogical and geological collections. The biggest attraction is a ride in a mining car through the 260 m long Prokopská štola adit which brings you to the mouth of the pit called Prokop (from 1832), one of the deepest mining pits in Central Europe (1600 m). The museum offers numerous exhibitions, supplementary events and presentations of Christmas traditions on the museum premises year-round. www.muzeum-pribram.cz
