Křivoklát

Křivoklát is a sleepy village on the Rakovnicky potok, a tributary of the Berounka River. The town's main attraction is the 13th-century Hrad Křivoklát (Křivoklát Castle). It was originally built as a royal hunting lodge, but nowadays it is a museum and open to the public. It contains a late-Gothic chapel and you can visit its prison and torture chambers. Křivoklát is also a good place to stay if you want to explore the beautiful forests of the Berounka valley or the surrounding area. The entire Berounka basin is nowadays a UNESCO 'biosphere preservation' area and known as the Křivoklát Protected Landscape Region.

When the area belonged to Germany Křivoklát used to be called Pürglitz.

There are several nice walking trails, but the most spectacular one is the 18 km long track up the Berounka valley to Skryje. That route passes the Nezabudice Cliffs, the village of Nezabudice and the 13th-century castle of Tyrov. The castle was used as a prison, but it was abandoned in the 16th century.

There are several hotels and restaurants in Křivoklát. The town is 45 km southwest of Praha (Prague).