Milesice: Nature, Cycling and History

When planning a trip to Milesice, there are several distinct points of interest to consider: a named ash tree in the village, a cycling loop through Milešice and historical references to the settlement. Milešický prales is a separate natural attraction, with designated protected status and specific forest habitats. This allows you to consider nature, cycling and history as distinct interests.

Nature and protected area

The ash tree “Jasan u Milešic” is located in Milešice and is identified as Fraxinus excelsior. Its trunk circumference is 404 cm, or just over four metres. Tree measurements can change over time.

Milešický prales is designated as a nature reserve within the Šumava Protected Landscape Area and is representative mainly of acidic and fresh spruce-beech forest habitats. The nature reserve covers around 9.94 hectares and was first designated on 23 January 1948. It lies in the cadastral area of Milešice, part of the town of Volary, at an elevation of 1,075 to 1,125 metres in the Boubín Massif. It protects a montane mixed forest in which acidic beech forests give way to moist spruce forests. For nature enthusiasts, both its protected status and its specific forest habitats are clear points of interest. This places the reserve within the wider protected landscape area, while the forest types identify its ecological focus.

The reserve is fenced because it lies within a deer enclosure. The upper part of the settlement of Milešice is also now behind a game-fence and is permanently uninhabited. Check local conditions before visiting, especially if you plan to include these areas.

Cycling and route planning

The cycling tour “Na Šumavě kolem Zlaté stezky” is a loop that runs from Volary via Zbytiny, Mlynařovice, Milešice, Kubrna, Kaplice, Lenora and Soumarský Most, returning to Volary. In the listed sequence of places, Milešice lies between Mlynařovice and Kubrna, while Volary marks the start and end of the loop. This helps you identify both the village’s position and the return point. Route conditions may change; check them before setting out.

A climb below Bobík

A 7.5 km climb leads to the saddle below Bobík, gaining more than 500 metres in elevation. The 7.5 km refers to the length of the climb, while the elevation gain describes how much height it ascends. These are two different measures for assessing the gradient, not the total distance of a cycling loop. You can therefore treat route length and elevation gain as separate planning factors.

The two cycling details help answer different questions: the loop provides a sequence of places and a return point; the climb information describes the length and elevation gain of a section. For your planning, you can therefore consider the route of the loop and the climb’s measurements separately.

Historical context

Milešice is mentioned as a settlement in the mid-14th century. Gold was also panned in Milešice in the past.

For a broader travel overview: Volary.