Rovensko pod Troskami - Borecké rocks - Trosky

In the Middle Ages, the town of Rovensko pod Troskami was known for polishing precious stones. The legend says that the first polishers came there from Italy during the period of Charles IV. Precious stones that have been found in this area were used for a decoration of the chapel at the castle of Karlštejn and in the cathedral of St. Vitus at the Prague Castle. On the square there is an empire town hall that was later formed into neo-renaissance style. An originally gothic church of St. Venceslas was partially rebuilt; it has a gothic vault, renaissance font and a baroque altar. A wooden bell tower with so-called "rebellious bells" is the most famous historic sight of the town. Access to the bell tower is possible with a guide.
The square is our starting point; from there you will follow the blue-marked track (direction Borek pod Troskami). Turn right, cross the Václavský stream and go up to the edge of the town. Along a path through a meadow you will enter a forest with a sign of nature preserve. The path will lead you through a rocky area called Borecké skály. You will reach the view point of Svatopluk Čech offering a beautiful view of Trosky castle. The poet Svatopluk Čech spent some time in Rovensko and wrote a poem about Trosky, as a dialogue between the two towers - Maiden and Old Woman. You will continue following the blue track along a path in between rocks and you will get to the village of Borek. You will walk a bit along a main road and you will turn left on the crossroad near the railway station. Still following the blue track you will pass the village of Rokytnice, walk through an orchard until you reach the entry gate of Trosky castle. The higher tower is called Panna (Maiden, 59 m), the lower one is Baba (Old Woman, 49 m). The tower of Baba is accessible and offers a great outlook. A legend says that there used to live an old lady in the lower tower and her granddaughter in the higher one. They often had noisy arguments and that is why people started to call the towers Old Woman and Maiden.
You will walk down following the green track starting by the gate. You will walk through meadows and woods, pass the village of Dlouhá Ves, cross the stream of Libuňka and get to a main road. Walk along the road, turn to the right at the crossroad and follow the green track until you reach the town of Rovensko again.