Kamenice nad Lipou

Understand

The town was established in 13th century. The ancient lime tree which still grows in the chateau garden, and from which the city derives its name, was planted at about the same time. At that time, there was also a castle in the city. In 1583, the castle was rebuilt by one of the many town owners as a Renaissance chateau, which it still is today. In the eighteenth century, a brewery was built, and this brewery was renovated and reopened after a long halt during communist times. In 1906, the town was connected to the outside world by a narrow gauge railway from Jindřichův Hradec to Obrataň. Today, Kamenice nad Lipou is a rather quiet town, with inhabitants working mostly in agriculture or the automobile parts industry (a few factories are based in the region). There is a mild seasonal inflow of domestic tourism in the summer, especially due to the town's connection with the nearby region of Česká Kanada, as well as the historical narrow gauge railway.

1 Tourist Information Centre (In the chateau courtyard), ☏ +420 606 078 936, [email protected]. (updated Sep 2018)

Getting there

By bus 1 Kamenice Bus Station (almost in the center of the city). All the buses go here. (updated Jul 2023) There is one daily bus leaving from and going to Roztyly station in Prague (red metro line C). There are also direct buses from other nearby cities, such as Pelhřimov, České Budějovice or Jihlava. For timetables and tickets, use IDOS. If the button to buy a ticket is not present at IDOS, you can just buy it from the driver of the bus (you can actually always buy the ticket from the driver, but the bus might already be full).

By train 2 Railway Station (about 1 km from the center). (updated Jul 2023) You can get to the city by using the local narrow gauge railway , which runs many times every day. The railway is not operated by Czech Railways, meaning you can not buy a ticket online on the Czech Railways website. If you coming from Prague, find the connection first on IDOS, then buy the ticket to the last point on Czech Railways on their website (this is always Jindřichův Hradec or Obrataň) and buy the ticket for narrow gauge railway from the conductor. Alternatively, you can buy the ticket all the way to Kamenice at any Czech Railways ticket desk. From Prague, you have to change trains twice at Tábor and Obrataň or Veselí nad Lužnicí and Jindřichův Hradec. Tábor and Jindřichův Hradec are quite interesting cities, so you can easily spend time there when waiting for the next train. Obrataň is a small village with one pub to spend time in. The train journey from Prague usually takes at least three hours, including waiting for connecting trains. From Jindřichův Hradec, just find the timetable at IDOS and buy the ticket from the conductor on the train. From all other major cities in Czech Republic, again just use IDOS to find the right train. It is always necessary to change trains at least once. If you taking a train somewhere from Kamenice nad Lipou, check if there is someone selling tickets in the station building. If there is someone, you have to buy the

Getting around

The town itself is small, so you can walk anywhere. For longer trips in the surrounding region, bike or car would be the best bet. They have bikes for rent at Hotel Berger, but it is unknown if they rent them to people other than their guests, so you have to ask. Another option is to rent a bike in Jindřichův Hradec (possible directly at the railway station, from Czech Railways) and then take it to Kamenice—you can take it to the train or ride the last 20 km (12 mi) from Jindřichův Hradec.

See

1 Renaissance chateau. A pink chateau, built as a castle in the 13th century, is the city main sight. In the castle, there is an exposition by the Czech Museum of Decorative Arts. This might not be interesting to everybody, but you can go to the chateau courtyard for free to see it. (updated Sep 2018) 2 Chateau garden. The main attraction of this garden is the lime tree that is more than 700 years old, which gave the town its name. (updated Sep 2018) 3 Historical church. From the 13th century, rebuilt in the 16th century. Quite a large church in the center of the city. Entry is free if the church is open. (updated Sep 2018) 4 Graveyard. At the edge of the town in a forest, there is a graveyard with a St. Magdalen chapel from the 17th century. The graveyard is on a small hill. (updated Sep 2018) 5 Way of the Cross (Along the road to the Graveyard). Very nice, from the 18th century. (updated Sep 2018) 6 Main square. The square in front of the chateau is filled with many historical buildings and looks good at photos. (updated Sep 2018) 7 Heřmaň Aleé. 1-km-long country road from Dráchov to Heřmaň (small villages 2 km away from Kamenice) surrounded by tall lime-trees, forming an aleé. Walking through this beautiful place is very relaxing, especially during sunset. (updated Nov 2018)

Do

Steam train. Take a ride on a historical narrow gauge railway. It runs every week in the summer. You can find the time table here. The train can take you to Jindřichův Hradec or some nice small towns and villages along the line, such as Černovice. (updated Sep 2018) Hiking – Using the marked trails: Kamenice nad Lipou is on the crossing of blue- and red-marked tourist trails. You can use these to hike the surrounding region and see nice villages, quiet forests and beautiful ponds with in which you can swim. The only map you will probably need is the OsmAnd or Mapy.cz app with offline maps of the Czech Republic downloaded. 1 Swimming in a former quarry. Near Kamenice, there is a flooded quarry which is popular among locals because of its clear water and romantic setting. It is a walkable distance from the town, but you can also go by bike or car. (updated Sep 2018) Go swimming in (small) lakes and bogs. There are many around Kamenice, some of them suitable for swimming. Many of them are found in deep forests. Some of these are: 2 Kalich 3 Vlčetínecký rybník 4 Smrkovec, especially nice 5 Stržený rybník 6 Koupaliště, directly in the town All of these are, of course, free, and it is unlikely you will meet any other people when there. Cycling – With a bicycle you will have enough range to go to many other places. The highlight is definitely the well-known romantic chateau on an island Červená Lhota, which is about 25 km (16 mi) on a good road. Other interesting places might be chateaux in Žirovnice and Počátky, Jindřichův Hradec, castles Choustník or Kámen near Pelhřimov or the lookout tower at Křemešník. If needed, there is: 1 Bike shop and Bike repair, ☏ +420 606 103 299, [email protected]. They also sell and repair cross-country skis in the winter. (updated Sep 2018) Cross-country skiing. In winter, when there is snow, it is possible to cross-country ski in the surrounding countryside. It is, however, better not to plan this activity much in advance, as sometim

Buy

Money There are a few ATMs in town to get cash, and there are two banksː

2 Česká Spořitelna. (updated Sep 2018) 3 Komeční B