Hazmburk

Hazmburk stands on a basalt cone of the Ceske stredohori rising abruptly from flat farmland, and the ruin on top has two towers built of different stone: the Black Tower, square, of dark basalt, at the higher end, and the White Tower, round, of pale marl, at the lower - the contrast is visible for many kilometres and is the reason the silhouette is one of the standard images of northern Bohemia. It was built in the thirteenth century, held by the Zajic family who took the Hazmburk name, and abandoned by the seventeenth. The White Tower is climbable and the view runs over the Elbe lowland, the volcanic hills and, in clear weather, to the Ore Mountains and the Krkonose. The hill carries dry steppe grassland with protected plants. Karel Hynek Macha wrote about it and it appears in a good deal of Czech painting.

What you actually see

• Two towers of different stone - a black basalt square one and a white round one.
• A lone volcanic cone - rising abruptly from flat farmland.
• A long view - the lowland, the volcanic hills and distant ranges in clear air.
• Steppe grassland - protected dry vegetation on the slopes.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The climb is steep and about half an hour on foot from the village; there is no vehicle access. The site is exposed and the tower closes in wind. Seasonal opening with limited facilities.

Nearby

Libochovice chateau is below; Rip is south-east.