Vineyards at the foot of Radobýl

You are now just below the basalt hill Radobýl. It is a dominant feature of Litoměřice and its surroundings.

Radobýl acquired its atypical shape due to stone mining. Today, the western wall is excavated and remarkable basalt columns can be seen in the area of the former quarry. However, Radobýl Hill was not only used for stone quarrying in the past. In the area around Radobýl, vineyards were built in the 14th century. King Charles IV. in 1359, dedicated the Radobýl hill to the town of Litoměřice precisely for the purpose of growing vines. Wine is still grown under Radobýl. The vineyards you are now in belong to the Víno Hrabkovský winery and fall under the wine village of Žalhostice. Wines from the area around Radobýl are unique due to the atypical soil composition. Hrabskovský wine offers both cask and bottled wines, from “quality wines” to “selections of grapes”. The varieties include the traditional Müller Thurgau and Riesling, as well as Chardonnay, Hibernal and Moravian Nutmeg (so-called MOPR). Of the blue varieties, for example, Dornfelder, Modrý Portugal or Svatovavřinecké are grown here.

Relatively recently (in 2012) another and relatively small winery was established at the foot of Radobýl. It is called Vinařství pod Radobýlem. The winery has traditional varieties such as Riesling or Pinot Noir, but it also has less traditional varieties for the area, such as Fratava. The third winery in the immediate vicinity of Radobýl is the Milan and Miroslav Singer wineries. These painters manage smaller vineyards in the Nad Školou line and in the Pod Radobýlem line. The production of the winery is very small (less than 1 hl per year), so the wines are intended only for the family and loved ones or for special occasions such as exhibitions and wine testing events.

Radobyl

Apart from the vineyards, Radobýl is also an interesting tourist destination. A yellow hiking trail leads to the very top, either from Žalhostice or from Litoměřice. The top part of Radobýl is a place from which there is a great 360 view of the wider surroundings. It is possible to see most of the Central Bohemian Uplands, the towns of Litoměřice and Lovosice, the mythical mountain Říp or the Píšťanské (Žernosecky) lake. Radobýl is also attractive in terms of fauna and flora. Due to the occurrence of protected plants (such as the gooseberry, the lily of the valley or the brown mullet) and animals (for example butterflies), the local landscape has been protected since 1966. Since 1992, Radobýl has been a natural monument. Radobýl is also interesting from a geological point of view. The rock walls of the former quarry are formed by a remarkable columnar separation of basalt. It is also interesting that in the past there was an underground Nazi factory Richard under Radobýl.

WHERE TO CONTINUE NOW?

Another stop on the Litoměřice wine trail are the vineyards of the Litoměřice Monastery Wine Cellars between the wine villages of Žalhostice and Velké Žernoseky. So continue along the trail and look forward to a visit to Velké Žernoseky.

If you have just climbed in the direction from Žalhostice, you can continue to the very top of Radobýl and further to Litoměřice, where the Litoměřice wine trail will take you to the Litoměřice castle with an exhibition on Czech viticulture.

Tips for tourist destinations in the area

• Educational trail Hlinná - Kamýk
• White hillsides
• Cathedral of St. Štěpán on Dómské square in Litoměřice