Louny – Smolnice creek

You are on the land of the Chlumčany municipality, the route passes through the village around the winery and the former mill. The oldest mention of the village dates from 1316. Around the 16 century, there was a fortress in Chlumčany with a manor house and its lands. It included meadows, a mill with two mill wheels and two pulpers, and Chlum mountain with its vineyards, lakes, forests and groves. From the same time dates the winepress house with storage rooms. Over time, the vineyards perished during the bad crops but, under favorable circumstances, have been renewed again. The tradition of vineyards in Chlumčany continues to these days. Bosnia is an old local name of the village Chlumčany with three houses. Originally there were manor fishing huts. The name “Bosnia“ originates from the composition of the area, full of hillsides and slopes with a creek and swamps, similar to the landscape in the Balkans.

 

The Smolnice creek brings water from Džbán area to Ohře. Its flow and bank vegetation are important landscape elements. They form an island of vegetation in a landscape heavily affected by humans. The flow was modified in 1963, 1966 and 1979 by the National Melioration Commitee of Ústí nad Labem. Modifications to the natural course of the river included adjusting the water flow route, building errosion defenses, scaling the flow, etc.

In the underbrush grow hawthorns, eglantines, hazels, dogwoods and cornels. The underbrush is a good breeding place for various species of birds. It also provides favorable living conditions for small mammals such as the eastern hedgehog and red squirrel. During twilight, roe deer and wild hare graze in the forest. Thanks to enough suitable food, wild pigs and foxes can be seen hunting at night. The plant floor of the forest belongs to bell-flowers.

 

Local part of Louny, 5 km southeast of Louny. The trail brings us to farm house n.1, consisting of a house, three agricultural areas and a partly preserved enclosure wall. On some buildings features of country-baroque are visible. Most of the area dates back to the 19th century. The trail leads around the forest of mixed tree species, mostly deciduous.