Netolice: Myths & Rosenberg Sites

A trip to the Netolice Game Reserve, a planned protected cultural landscape zone around the Kratochvíle Chateau, rich in Rosenberg monuments and steeped in many legends.

Kratochvíle Chateau is a structure unparalleled in 16th-century Bohemia! A national cultural monument and a gem of Italian Renaissance architecture in the Czech lands. The lavish hunting lodge with a game reserve and garden was built in 1589 by the ruler Vilém of Rosenberg. His brother, the famous Petr Vok of Rosenberg, often stayed here with his entire court. It is surrounded by the so-called Netolice Game Reserve, once the largest enclosed reserve for game in Bohemia (3,000 ha, approx. 30 ponds). Although no longer serving its original purpose, the area remains a unique landscape ensemble and a prime example of the original Renaissance countryside. More about the reserve can be found [here] or in the leaflet.

Route Information

Route: Netolice – Kratochvíle – Švarcenberk – Žitná – Hrbovská bašta – Hrbov crossroads, then either:

• Petrův Dvůr – Netolice
  or
• Hrbov ponds – Grejnarov – Podroužek – Netolice

This is a very short circuit, approximately 20 km, making it suitable for families with children. We recommend combining the trip with a visit to Kratochvíle Chateau, and optionally the museum or archaeological park in Netolice.

Stops and Points of Interest on the Route

1. Former Rosenberg hunting lodge with inn "Jagrhaus" from the 16th century near the namesake pond, later used as a coaching inn “u Marků”. Birthplace of Univ. Prof. Dr. Med. et Chir. Josef Fischl (1828–1892), a renowned Jewish physician, author of many scientific works, professor at the medical faculty in Prague.
2. "New Hunting Lodge" – stood in the corner of the original pheasantry. Built in 1697 according to a design by Netolice captain Reinhardt for the gamekeeper. Construction materials came from Krčín’s small château Leptáč, which once stood in the château’s garden. Now home to the Czech Forests Authority.
3. Kratochvíle Chateau – national cultural monument, Renaissance hunting lodge of the Rosenbergs, completed in 1589. In 2011, the new exhibition “Renaissance of the Renaissance” was completed.
4. Krčínka Canal, Part 1 – remnant of an artificial canal built in the late 16th century by Jakub Krčín of Jelčany. Near the former villages of Horní and Dolní Třebánek.
5. Former Švarcenberk Estate – probably built after 1719 in the typical Schwarzenberg style, roughly on the site of the former village of Šitice.
6. Žitná – a hamlet, part of which was destroyed during the creation of the reserve. Preserved are buildings of peasant baroque, a neo-Gothic chapel, a smithy from 1857, a wooden barn with a shingled roof, and a former Schwarzenberg manor from 1909, now housing stables and horses.
7. Homestead “u Jůzků” – a group of buildings at the edge of the reserve. Preserved are a unique timbered cottage with a ceiling from the 18th century and a wooden barn.
8. Krčínka Canal, Part 2 – near Nadýmače pond, with an original brick bridge. Swimming possible.
9. Hrbovská bašta and fish ponds, nearby is a “mini zoo”.
10. Crossroads “by Žižka’s Oak” – a tree protected by the state, estimated to be 250 years old. Legend says Jan Žižka stopped here on his march to Prachatice.
11. Crossroads below Peklo – Peklo (meaning “Hell”), a mysterious hill with a picturesque ensemble of folk architecture from the 17th–19th centuries.
12. Petrův Dvůr – cultural monument, former Rosenberg estate and economic background of the chateau, later seat of the Schwarzenberg estate administration and brewery.
13. Hrbov Ponds – (26 and 11 ha), built at the end of the 16th century by Rosenberg regent Jakub Krčín of Jelčany. Swimming possible.
14. Ovčín – former Rosenberg estate and sheepfold from the late 16th century.
15. Grejnarov – Renaissance estate, originally owned by the wealthy maltster Grejnar family. Martin Grejnar of Veveří and Mysletín was a high-ranking Rosenberg official, regent and court councillor to Petr Vok of Rosenberg.
16. Podroužek – the largest pond in the so-called Netolice system (30 ha), known for its campsite and restaurant. Each October, a traditional South Bohemian fish harvest takes place here. Below the pond dam lies Podroužský Mill. Swimming possible.