2015

As in pictures 4 and 5, I like the lighting in this shot. I don't remember if the haze around the trees was actually there, or if it's an optical illusion caused by my very basic cameraphone (or some other factor).

This photo was also looking downhill, as I recall. If you look carefully, you can see a ditch across the path which carries water from a small waterfall on the left (seen in Picture 9).

This is a better look at the waterfall from Picture 8.

This is the lower end of the ditch across the hiking path.

Velky vir is one of a number of marinas and beaches on the Orlik reservoir, which in addition to being a reservoir and a hydroelectric plant, is also an artificial lake for outdoor recreation. It was constructed between 1954 and 1961, is 68 kilometres (42 miles long), and was formed by damming the River Vltava just upriver from Solenice. The hydroelectric plant has a full capacity of 364 megawatts, according to Wikipedia. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out where this beach was. It is fairly close to Zamek Orlik, one of the castles around the reservior that survived the construction.

This boat is one of a fleet of nine vessels operated by Orlicka lodni doprava between Orlik and Zvikov, two surviving castles on the reservoir, which both predate the reservoir by many centuries. I have been unable to identify this specific boat, but judging from the paint scheme it looks like either the "Zvikov" or the "Otava." The website for Orlicka lodni doprava is here: www.orlickalodni.cz

I made this version in an attempt to better identify this boat, but to reiterate I think it's either the Zvikov or the Otava.

This is Zamek Orlik one of two castles on Orlik. Like many castles in the Czech Republic, it could more easily be defined as a chateau. This "chateau" version, if that's a fair characterization, dates to 1508, after the original 13th-century castle burned down. Also, like most Czech castles, this complex was originally built on a hill, at an altitude of approximately 500 metres ASL. However, the contruction of the Orlike reservoir meant that it is no longer significantly higher than the level of the water (formerly of the Vltava, now of the reservoir).

Although this highway bridge is not so widely known today, at the time of its construction in 1967 it had the longest single arch in the world at 362 metres. It is named after the village of Zdakov, which was flooded during the construction of the reservoir.

I don't remember the exact location of the this crane, but I think it was actually the one at the Orlik Marina, across from the Zamek Orlik, where the HACJACHT boat rental company is also located.

Orlik, like most reservoirs created by damming a river, used to be a canyon, and much of the reservoir is bordered by cliffs and outcroppings like this one. I took this photo (albeit with my cameraphone) solely because I thought it looked interesting.

In this photo, Hrad Zvikov is only visible in the distance, but I liked this photo generally so I still included it in this collection. The castle was built in the 13th Century during the reign of Otakar I, and I've put a more thorough description for Picture 3.

In this photo, the castle is only barely visible behind the trees, although the docks for the tourist boats (seen elsewhere in this collection), are visible on the water. For a more complete history of the castle, see the description for Picture 3.

Hrad Zvikov, like Zamek Orlik, was originally on a hill, but the high water level of the Orlik reservoir has made it more accessible from all directions. Today, it's on more of a peninsula than a mountain. The first mention of Hrad Zvikov dates to 1234, and it is thought to have been built on the orders of king Otokar I, as it was an official royal castle, and not one owned by a local noble. However, from 1306, it became the property of the Rosenberg family, and was passed through various owners until it returned to government ownership in 1947, on the eve of the Communist coup the following year. It remained in government ownership after the fall of Communism in 1989 (as far as I have been able to determine), and today is maintained as a tourist attraction. This is the most complete view I was able to get of the castle.

This is more of a closeup of Hrad Zvikov. For a more complete history of the castle, see the description for Picture 3.

Although, as a facility, Nadrazi Cernosice-Mokropsy dates to 1862, my sense is that this station is mostly not original, as the buildings appear to be from a 1933 reconstruction (https://www.atlasdrah.net/cz/stredocesky/?id=baza&poz=12805). I've been through this station many times, as it is on the Prague-Beroun mainline (Linka 171), which ultimately continues to Plzen (via Linka 170), but I have only occasionally been out of the train, on the platform. In this case, I had been dropped off to take the train home to Prague. I have so far been unable to uncover much more information on this station, as it is one of the smaller ones on the Ceske Drahy network.

This is a view of the platform at Cernosice-Mokropsy. The station is advertised as having only one platform, which is true, but the platform serves both tracks.

This is the station building at Cernosice-Mokropsy. This building looks like it could have been built since 1933, although some buildings in 1933 already looked like this. Ceske Drahy still advertise a staffed ticket office here (as of 2024).