Okrouhlo: Landscape and Local History

Natural surroundings on the edge of the nature park

Okrouhlo lies on the edge of the Střed Čech Nature Park. The ecologically valuable Zahořanský potok flows through the area, accompanied by many tributary streams. Numerous protected animal species live in the wooded Zahořanské Valley. The stream and side valleys give the surroundings a distinct landscape character; at the same time, natural features and traces of human use come together here. There are traces of medieval gold mining around the stream and in the adjacent side valleys. Here, among the waterways and valleys, you will also encounter a long history of human use. The location on the nature park’s edge and the course of the stream represent two geographical features: the edge of the nature park and the waterways running through Okrouhlo.

Varta: A changing landscape

The 376-metre-high Varta hill rises above the village. Its slopes were once cultivated in terraces. The summit was originally bare and covered with sparse grass and heather; after 1963, Austrian pines and mixed woodland were planted there. Varta’s history thus encompasses both the former use of its slopes and the later transformation of its summit. The hill cannot therefore be defined by its height alone: the use of its slopes and the planting represent different phases in the landscape’s history.

Charter, timber farmstead and valley history

Okrouhlo was first mentioned in 1228 in a charter of the St. George’s Convent in Prague. It recorded that the village had belonged for a long time to the Monastery of St. John the Baptist on Ostrov near Davle. House No. 32 is a local architectural landmark, preserving part of a former, larger timber farmstead. The house adds a tangible architectural record of earlier times to the written history of the village.

The settlement history of the Zahořanské Valley also has several stages. Tramping cabins began to appear there in 1919; later, named settlements developed from them, including Havaj, Orlík and Sedm jezů. The charter concerns Okrouhlo itself; the traces of mining lie around the stream and in the adjacent side valleys, while the tramping settlements are in the Zahořanské Valley. This historical arc connects the charter’s mention of the village in 1228 and the medieval traces of mining with the tramping settlements that emerged from 1919 onward.

Hiking trails, cycling and getting there

If you would like to explore the area on named routes, you can choose between two hiking connections. The blue hiking trail from Libeř to Davle passes through Zahořany and follows the Zahořanský potok. A described hike through Okrouhlo covers 5.7 kilometres along the yellow hiking trail before joining cycle route 19A at map point 4. Check current trail conditions before setting out. The route descriptions offer different points of reference when choosing a route: for the blue trail, the connection between Libeř and Davle and the stream; for the yellow hike, its length and the connection to cycle route 19A. There are also cycling routes in the Zahořanské Valley.

Okrouhlo is served by the regional bus network. Check the current regional timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Hradistko, Úholičky, Svrkyně, Jeneč, Roztoky, Petrov, Hostivice, Bojanovice and Prague.

To the broader travel overview: Praha-Západ District.