A trip to see the beauty of nature and history in the valley of the Halda River

Trip to the valley of the river Halda in the Highlands

Starting point

Říkonín railway station is located on the route between Brno and Žďár nad Sázavou.
 

Description of the hike

The valley of the Halda River is not the main interest of tourist routes, but both landscape-wise and historically it is a very interesting area of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. You can read more about the place in the attractions.

This time I decided to use the train connection to reach my destination. From the Říkonín railway station I went first along the asphalt road to the village of Říkonín. Here I joined the green tourist sign and followed it to the Libochovka river. Already on it I could clearly see the increased water level, which was a big complication in the next part of the trip. From the river, the trail led me along a narrow path and road for a while, but then I returned to the river valley. To the village of Kutiny. Here is the possibility of refreshment in the summer in the tremp pubs.

In the village of Kutiny I left the green marker and continued along the Halda stream. In its valley is actually the main reason for my trip - the remains of a narrow-gauge railway that was used during World War II. Following a dirt path, I reached the edge of the forest where the remains of this railway are. Since the water level was high after the rains, I continued along the creek to the next ford at Pochopova Rock. Here I crossed the watercourse quite difficult on a half-broken footbridge. I continued on through the narrow stream valley. First on a very narrow path, then on a wider path. After some time I had to cross the stream again. This time I was helped by attacked and brought tree trunks.

Then I left the valley and went out into the horse pastures above the railway tunnel. I then continued along the pasture to the mouth of the tunnel. The road to Níhov from here is already on a wide path, which partly follows the track, partly on a meadow. Eventually I managed to catch the train, although crossing the stream over the fords took me quite some time.
 

Difficulty

Under normal circumstances, this is a very easy hike that is mostly off the beaten path, but it is on beaten forest trails. The problem with the route is the Halda river, which has to be crossed at several points. Unfortunately, during my trip the river was heavily watered and so the crossing was more than difficult. I even had to skip some fords and walk off the trail along the banks of the river. Aside from these problems, the trail is uneventful and suitable for children and dogs.

Water availability

There are two pubs in Kutiny - Ranch at the Bison and Club at Kutiny - U Trempů. The Ranch was closed during my trip, but the U Trempů was smoking from the chimney, so I guess they were working. However, 1.5 litres of my own water was enough.
 

Mountain peaks

The trail goes mostly through the valley of streams, there are no hills.
 

Danger

The biggest problem is the fords over the Halda River. There are two bridges on the route (one of them is in a terrible condition), but crossing the river is purely improvised. I was helped by fallen logs from which I made a crossing. I skipped some of the fords and took the open terrain along the water. Otherwise the route is without problems.
 

Food

In the village of Kutiny there are pubs Ranch u Bizona and Club na Kutinách - U Trempů. The Ranch was closed and I didn't stop by the Tremps, but they should be cooking.
 

Attractions

Besides the beautiful nature, the interesting history of this place led me to the valley of the Halda stream. During the Second World War, a narrow-gauge railway ran through the valley, which was used to transport materials for the construction of Messerschmit 109 fighters. These were assembled in tunnels above the valley at the end of the war. The railway line was not completely finished, but 3 tunnels were already in place. The German army used them as a factory at the end of the war. The Allied air force was crushing German industry and the original Messerschmitt factory in Wiener Neustadt fell victim to air raids. The German army therefore chose these three tunnels as a well-hidden underground factory. The forced labourers were housed in buildings in the nearby settlement of Kutiny. Some of these buildings are still standing. The factory ceased production in March 1945.