Trip type:
By car, Cycle, On foot
What is on the way:
Geocaching
Distance from KV: 12 km
The history of Andělská Hora
The historic town of Andělská Hora was founded in the second half of the 15th century by the Lords of Plauen right below a Gothic castle from the 14th century of the same name. Later, Andělská Hora was part of the manor of the nearby Kysibl Chateau (Stružná). Since the end of the 1800s, the town with romantic castle ruins became a popular outing destination of Karlovy Vary spa guests. Among them, for instance, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who celebrated his 37th birthday here in 1786.
What is there to see?
Extensive romantic ruins of a Gothic castle from the 14th century, situated on a massive rock promontory, are the main tourist attraction of the village. The castle was built by the House of Hrabischitz from Riesenburg. The family also owned the Bečov Manor at that time. During the Thirty Year War, in 1635, the castle was conquered, plundered and damaged by the Swedes. A hurled burning shingle from a town fire in 1718 supposedly ignited the roof of the castle, which burnt down and was finally abandoned. Over the years, the castle turned into ruins and became a favourite place for walks of people from far and wide. The rocky promontory offers a spectacular, unobstructed view of the surrounding hills of the Slavkov Forest and Doupov Mountains.
The Gothic parish church of St. Archangel Michael is situated in the square below the castle. It was built between 1487 and 1490, and rebuilt in Baroque style following two extensive fires of the town in 1641 and 1718. Services are held in the church on a regular basis. Below the church you can see a Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk from 1767, brought here from the partially vanished village of Svatobor in the Doupov Mountains.
Make sure to visit the unique triangular Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity built between 1692 and 1712 according to the design of Giovanni Battista Alliprandi. You will find it along the main road leading to Prague. It used to be a pilgrimage church at first, with a graveyard surrounding it. At the beginning of the 21st century, the church underwent a complete reconstruction.
The Olšová Vrata Natural Monument situated in the vicinity of Andělská Hora is also worth of seeing. It is popularly called the Šemnice Rock (Šemnická skála). A massive rocky promontory of volcanic origin rises high above the valley of the Ohře River and offers, beside its beautiful nature, spectacular views of the surrounding area.
To get to the Šemnice Rock, follow the educational nature trail running from Andělská Hora to Kyselka. The path will take you through the vanished settlement of Stichlův mlýn (Stichl's Mill) with the newly renewed chapel of the Virgin Mary from 1851. Its complete reconstruction was carried out between 2009 and 2011 by the local Andělská Hora Civil Association.
How to get there
The village of Andělská Hora is located 12 kilometres away from Karlovy Vary. You can get there by an intercity bus leaving from Dolní nádraží (Lower Bus Station). If you decide to walk to the village from the Main Post Office, follow the green tourist route. The wonderful, 9.6 kilometre long walk through the Slavkov Forest Protected Landscape Area will take you about two and a half hours.
When riding your bike, choose the road along the Ohře River through the village of Šemnice. The trip will be about three kilometres longer, but the traffic here is not as heavy. Andělská Hora can also be reached by car using the R6 highway in the direction of Prague.
Location
Andělská Hora Castle Ruins
