Štramberk, Czechia (Czech Republic)
Štramberk is a small town in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic, near Nový Jičín and Příbor, about 40 km south of Ostrava. The village was founded on a wooded hillside of limestone, on top of which is located an interesting castle tower ("Trúba"). Due to the location of the city and its many sights, as well as of the unique wooden houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the town was called the Moravian Bethlehem. Near the town there is the Šipka cave, where the remnants of a Neanderthal child's bones were found.
Parking in Štramberk
You can reach Štramberk using the D1 highway running through Ostrava. You should take the exit 336 indicating the Studénka village. Then you should use the 464 and 46432 roads. In the Štramberk drive through the center (the Dolní Bašta street) and enter the Zauličí street. Finally you reach the pay parking (P; GPS: 49.586181, 18.123835) - the fee is 50 CZK for the whole day, so it's quite inexpensively.
The Šipka cave and walk in the forest
First, we decided to go to the Šipka cave and then walk the forest, just to make a full circle and to reach the town's center from the other side - from the Plaňava street. Entrance to the park is located near the trade school (1; GPS: 49.5870022, 18.1212669). We go approx. 250 meters and we just are at the Šipka cave (2; GPS: 49.5874403, 18.1192286). Next to it there is a vantage point from which we can see a nice perspective of the town with the Trúba tower dominating over it. We go the yellow-green trail ("Naučná stezka Lašská - Štramberk"); on the way we pass a monument and the limestone quarry "Kotouč" (3; GPS: 49.5848286, 18.1180911). After 600 meters the forest ends, and we again enter the town and via the street Plaňava (4; GPS: 49.5880908, 18.1156289) we reach the town's center (5; GPS: 49.5900450, 18.1193144), where we can see town's interesting buildings.
The market square
The market square (A; GPS: 49.5915717, 18.1174528) is quite large and forms the shape of a rectangle. On the short side of it you can find a baroque church of John of Nepomuk from eighteenth century. Around the market square there are nice, colorful houses. In the middle of market square you can see the fountain. Many restaurants and cafes invite you to visit them, but we prefer to walk to the top of the hill to enter the Trúba tower.
The Trúba tower
The Štramberk Castle is shrouded in many mysteries. One story has it that it was built by the Templar Knights. In fact, it was built at the turn of the thirteenth and fourteenth century and then it was a defensive structure. From the castle remains, among others, the Trúba tower (B; GPS: 49.5923575, 18.1162833), which since 1902 is a great vantage point that allows you to admire beautiful views of closer and further landscapes. The castle is reached by a staircase leading in the green environment, and the entrance to the tower is paid - a ticket costs 40 CZK for adults and 20 CZK for children and retired persons.
The botanical garden and arboretum
The Botanical Garden ("Botanická zahrada a arboretum") is located in a former limestone quarry (7; GPS: 49.5884836, 18.1257569). We presented below a nice walking tour, where the starting point is the market square (6; 49.5911578, GPS: 18.1174744).
The quarry was operated from 1860 until 1920. After the closure of the quarry the remaining waste was stored there, and a part of the area was used as a football playing field. Since 1996 the area has been properly developed, and the first planting of crops took place in 1998. Today there are about 1,200 species of plants in this garden, and you can also meet the local fauna - for example, we have seen the grass snakes. Interesting rocks surrounding the botanical garden are also ready for the purposes of climbing.
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