In search of rocks shrouded in mystery

Louny lies in the centre of an area with an abundance of menhirs, lines or circles of stones.

Everybody knows the Kounov lines of stones, the menhir known as the Cursed Monk near Drahomyšl or the menhir known as the Stone Man or Fossilised Shepherd not far from Klobuky. In most of these cases we do not know much about their origin or who built them.

The charming body of the unfinished cathedral in Panenský Týnec is also shrouded in many “maybes” and “apparentlys”, which has attracted various psychotronic specialists, healers, spiritualists and artists for centuries now. According to some sources, the temple apparently stands on a strong positive zone, which gives people a zest and joy of life. The cathedral is made up of a chancel 21 m long and the unfinished walls are about 20 m high.
Whether you feel the healing effects or not, a trip to Panenský Týnec really is interesting and the unfinished body of the Gothic building is extremely impressive. The trip can be combined with other points of interest in the surrounding area, like is the open-air museum in Třebíz or the town of Slaný, which other than monuments, also offers an aqua park equipped with many water attractions.

What you can see in the surrounding:
Terezín – this Baroque fortified town surrounded by massive walls was used as a ghetto during World War Two, in which Jews from the Czech lands and other Central European countries were concentrated. The small fortress was used as a prison for the Prague Gestapo. The history is commemorated by several exhibitions, the crematorium at the Jewish Cemetery and other places.

Mount Říp – the symbol of Czech national independence, a memorial peak which, according to legend, was climbed by Forefather Čech and his retinue. The Romanesque rotunda of St. George and St. Adalbert stands at the summit.

Budyně nad Ohří Castle – when Jan Zbyněk Zajíc from Hazmburk died in 1610, he was as poor as a church mouse, having invested all of his assets into the research of his alchemists. The famous and now renovated alchemist’s workshop is one of the attractions in the castle. One of the legends even recounts that attempts to produce gold were successful and that a treasure is to be found somewhere underground to this very day. The statue known as “Kvasnička” located directly opposite the entrance gate will point you in the right direction.

Litoměřice – seat of the bishopric and centre of the wine-growing area, a town with a historical centre, which is enclosed in largely preserved Gothic fortifications and areas between them. Points of interest include the historical cellars, which are open to the public, and the manual paper workshop.

Žatec – an impressive complex of hop industry buildings have been preserved in this town where hops has been cultivated and beer brewed for 800 years, as well as narrow lanes and the town square in the direct vicinity of the medieval ramparts. You will also find the largest museum of hops in the world here and the local brewery offers tours that include tastings.