CZ, Rabstejn nad Strelou – A Walk Around the "Waterfalls"

This name is especially suitable for its upper part from the Nucice mill to Plasy. Many visitors thing this section of the river is one of the most beautiful. The basin rises deep into the valley of the shale rock near Rabstejn nad Strelou, the smallest small town in Central Europe. It makes beautiful scenery that will delight the eye and hearts of many tourists ...

Today we approach the tributaries that feed this river, many of them create romantic nooks. Local people call them waterfalls. Many of us will imagine the waterfall of a mass of water falling from the rock free fall, but these waterfalls are rather a system of many smaller cascades and small rapids.

The best example is a waterfall at the nameless right-side tributary about a kilometer above Rabstejn. We can find it quite easily, with two marked trails, red and green. You can also find the location according to the coordinates (50.0493844N, 13.2792431E). As with many similar tributaries, here too we must not be discouraged by a small amount of running water. The subsoil of this stream is made up of a plate-like composition of phyllites, which easily leave the water to disappear in order to appear again in the form of small strands.

Another interesting place is the nearby Rabstejnsky waterfall on the Vranovsky Creek (50.0404122N, 13.2817483E). It's another right-wing branch of the Strela River. The best way to see it is when you go from Rabstejn around the old Jewish cemetery, which is another interesting place to make a stop. Then you head up the hill above the Vranovsky stream, where you can enjoy views of the cascades and waterfalls once again created in the base of the phyllite. These two places are quite well accessible even if you travel on a bicycle trail.

If you want to see another waterfall, you can stop at Kotanecsky waterfall (50 ° 1'20.73 "N, 13 ° 17'56.50" E). The access is quite easy even by bike from the village of Kotanec. We are hiking enthusiasts, so we are heading up the river. There are several options to choose from, probably the most convenient way to see Rabstejn from the green marked trail around the former iron mill towards Kozicka's Mill. The waterfall is about halfway between the hammer and the mill. If you go further down the green tourist sign, you will reach the place where the Coubsś Mill stands at the foot of the Chocholata Mountain.

You can admire the beauty of the waterfalls all year round. Most of the water will of course be here in the spring, but its strength can be felt even in the dry season, when the water is almost gone yet under the waterfalls are pools deep up to two meters!

GPS: 50°02'34.0"N 13°17'23.3"E

Text and photos: Kateřina Fúdorová