Gunther Trail: Part 2 from Blatná to Břevnov Monastery

The Gunther Trail, a pilgrimage route named after a medieval monk, diplomat and saint, has been extended. The new 136-kilometre section runs through part of Central Bohemia and connects Blatná in South Bohemia with the Břevnov Monastery in Prague. The route is designed to offer pilgrims not only a physical journey, but also spiritual contemplation and knowledge of historical contexts.

The very beginning of the international pilgrimage trail lies in the German monastery of Niederalteich, where St. Gunther worked. From here it winds through the Bavarian Forest and Šumava to Blatná in the Strakonice Region, which is also the starting point of the new section.

The trail enters Central Bohemia in Brdy and leads through Březnice with a beautiful Renaissance château and further along a gold-bearing stream, where you can also see the remains of ancient gold panning. Through the landscape of wild nature and former uranium and ore mines, you will reach one of the most important pilgrimage sites in our country – Svatá Hora in Příbram. The Baroque pilgrimage site with a rich history and extraordinary genius loci makes a pleasant end to the day’s stage.

• Interesting fact: Saint Gunther was probably born in the mid-10th century in Germany into a count’s family and in his youth he lived the secular life of the nobility. In adulthood, he decided to become a Benedictine monk and lived mainly in the Bohemian Forest and the Bavarian Forest. It was he who began clearing impenetrable forests and founded one of the first settlements of Rinchnach in the middle of the uninhabited area of ​​the Bavarian Forest, along with a monastery of the same name. That is why this hermit is sometimes nicknamed the “first inhabitant of the Bohemian Forest”. He is buried in Prague in the Břevnov Monastery.

From Svatá Hora, you climb over part of the Brdy – the Hřebeny ridge and travel through the landscape of deep forests and former quarries to Tetín. Saint Ludmila – the first Czech saint and also the grandmother of Saint Wenceslas – lived and eventually died in the Tetín hillfort. The importance of the pilgrimage site in history is evidenced by three churches that you can visit here. The atmosphere is complemented by beautiful views of the Berounka Valley, which you can enjoy, for example, if you set out on the short Tetínské vyhlídky (Tetín Viewpoint) nature trail.

Through the landscape of the Bohemian Karst, you will reach the nearby village of Svatý Jan pod Skalou. A pilgrimage site with a monastery and cave where the hermit St. Ivan lived, will bring you spiritual and physical refreshment. Next to the monastery, the Ivanka spring springs out above the stream, which was once bottled and sold as the mineral water of the same name. A perfect experience awaits you when you climb the nature trail to the Svatojánská skalní stěna (St. John’s Rock Wall), towering high above the monastery.

• Tip for you: The entire 2nd part of the Vintíř Trail can be divided into six daily stages, each offering unique experiences. However, it is up to you how many sections and of what length you end up walking.

In the final section, you are already approaching Prague. Through Rudná you will reach the Prague district of Třebonice and from there you continue along a part of the former royal road that led to Karlštejn and is more than 700 years old. At the end of the journey, you will pass through the city districts of Stodůlky and Motol all the way to Bílá hora. Here, stop at a Marian pilgrimage site – the Benedictine Monastery of Bílá Hora, whose domes and cloisters are probably the work of Jan Blažej Santini, while the entrance portal was designed by K. I. Dientzenhofer.

And you are almost within sight of the destination of your pilgrimage – the Břevnov Monastery. In its grounds you will also find the grave of Saint Gunther.