Štramberk Castle, rock formation Rudý, lookout tower on White Mountain, rock tower Váňa’s stone, old stone pit Kamenárka, and Botanical garden with arboretum. Set out with us on a 6 km tour, and you will enjoy most of the beauties of Štramberk.
The tour’s map is available here: https://mapy.cz/s/kehemomugo.
Štramberk Castle, the view from the upper courtyard
A long tour of Štramberk starts at our Hotel Gong. The first stop is the Štramberk Castle from the 13th century, called “Štramberská Trúba,” and it is remoted 700 meters from Gong. We turn left in front of the hotel, and we follow the blue and yellow markers. We head upwards, right to the city square. We meet many lures on the way because almost at every corner, we can see shops with typical gingerbread sweets called “Štramberk’s Ears.” Also, we pass by many cozy coffee or souvenir shops. As soon as we reach the city’s square, we continue to the stairs at its left corner and ascend to the Castle’s lower courtyard. Here we have a fantastic view of the town of Štramberk and, among other things, we can also see our Hotel Gong. From here, we go to the upper courtyard, where we can buy a ticket for the Castle, which was rebuilt to the lookout tower at the beginning of the 20th century. Right here, in the upper courtyard, is our last chance to buy the refreshment, namely in the Cottage of Dr. Hrstka, because the rest of the road leads mostly through the forest.
Romantic view of the Štramberk Castle
When we are sufficiently satisfied with the Gothic Castle’s beauty, we follow the blue and yellow markers again. We go the right way, around Trúba to reach our second stop, the rock formation Rudý and the nearby viewpoint of Štramberk. We will go through the castle gate, and when we get to the signpost, we turn right. After about 100 meters, the concrete road ends, and in front of us, we see a paved path along the fence. We will go along it, still upwards, and in a short time, the rock formation Rudý will appear in front of us with a beautiful view of Štramberk. To get to the magical lookout point that visitors often overlook, we have to continue a little higher. There is a romantic bench hidden behind a bush.
The third destination is the lookout tower on White Mountain (Bílá hora), which lies between Štramberk and the neighboring city Kopřivnice. We turn left behind a romantic bench along a forest path, and in a few minutes, we will connect to the blue trail and continue right. It takes around one kilometer of walking uphill, and then we reach a signpost with the name Bílá hora. Here we turn right again. After about 100 meters, we see the lookout tower. There is a view of the industrial city Kopřivnice and the remoted Beskid Mountains. The lookout tower on White Mountain has been in operation since 2000, which unfortunately means that the surrounding trees have grown considerably. Thus it is not possible to see our Štramberk at all. However, the view is definitely worth it!
Rock tower Váňa’s stone
After descending from the lookout tower, we continue down the concrete path with the blue markers along. After 500 meters, we connect to the forest path, from which after a while, we turn left onto a narrow path, also blue marked. The fourth place we can reach is the rock tower Váňa’s stone. This rock has a triangular shape, is about 20 meters high, and today is used as a training climbing wall. There are 22 climbing routes of varying difficulty. If you are lucky, you will meet as well as we did, some climbers in the training. At Váňa’s stone, there is also a sitting area with a fireplace, so it is a suitable place for a little rest and snack.
To get to our tour’s last two destinations, we must return from Váňa’s stone about 250 meters back, up along a blue marked path until we reach a larger forest path. Here we turn left, and after another 400 meters, we come to the crossroads with a bench and a great lime tree. We turn left, and when we go up a 30-meters slope, we have a fantastic view of the old Kamenárka, a former stone pit where limestone has been mined since the Middle Ages. It is also the only location in the Czech Republic where the critically endangered mountain Apollo butterfly occurs. Unfortunately, we have not seen it yet. Nevertheless, keep your eyes peeled!
The pond lilies in Botanical garden, Štramberk
The last stop of our trip is the Botanical Garden with arboretum in Štramberk. We turn left from the lower part of Kamenárka, following the green trail, mostly concrete-made road. After 700 meters, we reach the garden entrance gate, where you can see an infinite number of rare plants and animals. The landscape character is similar to the one near Kamenárka because limestone was also mined here before. There are also several ponds with water lilies in the back of the garden, which bloom beautifully in July. In the whole area of the arboretum and Kamenárka, it is possible to find stones with fossils, which is, incidentally, an interesting way to entertain your children. The entrance fee to the garden is voluntary, and the time of your stay is unlimited.
The way back to Hotel Gong leads us about a kilometer along the green marked concrete road. At the exit from the Botanical garden, we turn right. At the first crossroad, we turn right again, and then we continue straight. We pass several beautiful log houses, and soon we will reach the main road, where our hotel is located. If you want to reward yourself after a long and demanding journey, be sure to stop by the cake shop, called U Hezounů. The best “Štramberk Ears” in the whole Štramberk are waiting for you there!
