The Hus way (Czech: Husova cesta) [1] is a cross-border long-distance hiking trail to the last journey of the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus [2]. It is about 800 km long and leads from Prague above Bärnau, Nuremberg, Ulm to Constancy.
background
Jan Hus criticized the corruption of the church in the 15th century, which was under three competing incumbent popes. Although he only called for correction and made no effort to create a new church, today he is believed to be one of the first reformers who was a century ahead of his European successors. With his views, however, he made the highest representatives of the church into enemies to such an extent that he was banned. In 1414 Hus was asked to defend his opinions at the Council of Constance. He went to this council voluntarily, he was even promised a guardian escort from the Roman king Sigismund of Luxembourg. Nevertheless, he was declared a heretic here and he was threatened with death if he did not revoke his teaching. Despite a lot of pressure on him, Jan Hus remained true to his convictions. He did not want to revoke his teaching and was therefore burned in Konstanz in 1415.
The Hus path guides the hikers' steps through the places through which Jan Hus hiked on his last trip. Since the places where the reformer Jan Hus worked were banned by the church, Hus spent the last years of his life mainly in the country. He avoided larger cities and important trade routes on his way Bohemia. From the Bavarian-Bohemian border at Bärnau he traveled with his followers on the "Golden Road" [3] to Nuremberg and then over Ulm across Germany over the to Constancy, on today's Swiss border, leading trade route.
The Hus-Weg is a modern long-distance hiking trail that is based on the tradition of church pilgrimages and the ideas represented by Hus. It is an invitation to tolerance, tells about regional history and the landscape, but also reminds of the importance of determination, courage and humility in one's own life. The Pilsen Regional Development Agency (Regionální rozvojová agentura Plzeňského kraje) [4] and the Via Carolina - Golden Road Association [5] have been working together on establishing the long-distance hiking trail since 2019. The project "The Path of Jan Hus in the Pilsen and Upper Palatinate Region" is funded as part of the Objective 3 program of the European Regional Development Fund of the EU.
getting there
The Bethlehem Chapel is 1.7 km from the Prague Main Train Station and 2.0 km from the Florenc Bus Station. Various train and long-distance bus routes run from Germany or Austria to the Czech capital. More information on how to get there can be found in the Wikivoyage article by Prague Find.
Section 1: Prague to Bärnau
The first section "Jan Hus in Böhmen" has a length of about 250 km and is divided into 13 stages
Stage 01: Prague (Bethlehem Chapel) - Nové Město - Vyšehrad - Podolí - Modřany - Komořany - Zbraslav [6]
Stage length: 14.9 km / estimated time: 3.57 hours.
Stage 02: Zbraslav - Radotín - Vonoklasy - Mořinka - Karlštejn [7]
Stage length: 20.3 km / estimated time: 6.14 hours.
Stage 03: Karlštejn - rozc. Kubrychtova bouda - Svatý Jan pod Skalou - Beroun [8]
Stage length: 13.5 km / estimated time: 4.30 hours
Stage 04: Beroun - Lísek - Hudlice - Hředle - Točník [9]
Stage length: 22.2 km / estimated time: 7.11 hours
Stage 05: Točník - Březová - Hřebeny - Vlastce - Skryje - Čilá - Hradiště - Zvíkovec [10]
Stage length: 21.6 km / estimated time: 6.30 hours.
Stage 06: Zvíkovec - rozc. Čertovec - rozc. Marek - Machův mlýn - Krakovec [11]
Stage length: 11.8 km / estimated time: 3.27 hours
Stage 07: Krakovec - Šípy - Milíčov - Kožlany - Hradecko - Hubenov - Kralovice [12]
Stage length: 21.2 km / estimated time: 6.07 hours
Stage 08: Kralovice - Mariánský Týnec - Bílov - Potvorov - Žihle - Rabštejn nad Střelou [13]
Stage length: 24.3 km / estimated time: 7.04 hours.
Stage 09: Rabštejn nad Střelou - Brdo - Manětín - Lešovice - Nečtiny [14]
Stage length: 16.7 km / estimated time: 4.59 hours
Stage 10: Nečtiny - Hrad Nečtiny - Umíř - Krsy - rozc. Dolský potok / hajovná - Bezdružice [15]
Stage length: 21.2 km / estimated time: 6.19 hours.
Stage 11: Bezdružice - Čeliv - Krasíkov - Domaslav - Kořen - Planá [16]
Stage length: 23.4 km / estimated time: 6.53 hours
Stage 12: Planá - Nahý Újezdec - Lom u Tachova - Tachov [17]
Stage length: 15.6 km / estimated time: 4.20 hours
Stage 13: Tachov - Mýto - Oborská Hájenka - Schmuckerhof - Bärnau (historical park)
Stage length: 21.4 km / estimated time: 6.28 hours.
 Vyšehrad and Vltava banks in the Czech capital |  View of the valley of the Berounka river near Zvíkovec |  Hus monument in front of Krakovec Castle |  Rabštejn nad Střelou village |
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 Hus trail route in the abandoned village of Umíř (near Krsy) |  The former Franciscan monastery in Tachov - today the district museum |  Bohemian-Bavarian border crossing for pedestrians at the Schmuckerhof near Bärnau |
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Section 2: Bärnau to Nuremberg
The second section "Jan Hus on the Golden Road" has a length of about 150 km and is divided into 7 stages. The white lion on a red background marks the Golden Road. This hiking stamp accompanies the hiker on the Hus-Weg from the Bohemian-Bavarian border to Nuremberg-Erlenstegen.
Stage 14: Bärnau (historical park) - Thanhausen - Hohenthan - Plößberg - Wildenau - Püchersreuth - Neustadt an der Waldnaab [18]
Stage length: 25.3 km / estimated time: 7.29 hours.
Stage 15: Neustadt an der Waldnaab - Altenstadt an der Waldnaab - Weiden in the Upper Palatinate - Etzenricht [19]
Stage length: 18.1 km / estimated time: 5.31 hours.
Stage 16: Etzenricht - Radschin - Kohlberg - Hirschau [20]
Stage length: 18.1 km / estimated time: 5.27 hours
Stage 17: Hirschau - Gibbach - Hahnbach - Sulzbach-Rosenberg [21]
Stage length: 19.6 km / estimated time: 5.42 hours.
Stage 18: Sulzbach-Rosenberg - Kempfenhof - Bachetsfeld - Högen - Haunritz - Weigendorf - Hunas - Pommelsbrunn [22]
Stage length: 22.7 km / estimated time: 7.24 hours.
Stage 19: Pommelsbrunn - Hohenstadt - Hersbruck - Reichenschwand - Speikern - Neukirchen am Sand - Lauf an der Pegnitz [23]
Stage length: 25.1 km / estimated time: 7.50 hours
Stage 20: Lauf an der Pegnitz - Röthenbach an der Pegnitz - Behringersdorf - Erlenstegen - Nuremberg (Jakobsplatz) [24]
Stage length: 21.7 km / estimated time: 6.19 hours.
 Bärnau-Tachov Historical Park |  Center of Neustadt an der Waldnaab |  View from Kohlbühl (589 m) towards Kohlberg |
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 Hus-Weg near Hirschau |  Memorial plaque in Sulzbach |  Kneipp facility and rest area in the Högental near Haunritz | .jpg/344px-Lauf_an_der_Pegnitz_(7649726404).jpg) In the old town of Lauf an der Pegnitz |
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Section 3: Nuremberg to Constance
The Hus-Weg runs from Kaiserstraße in Nuremberg together with the Way of St. James. The route from Nuremberg (Jakobsplatz) over Gunzenhausen,Neresheim, Ulm, Biberach an der Riss, Ravensburg, Friedrichshafen until after Constancy extends to approx. 382 km. The Hus Museum in Constancy forms the end point of the Hus path.
A detailed route, a table of locations and GPS tracks for the Nuremberg-Konstanz section can be found here.
 Jakobsplatz in Nuremberg |  Danube promenade in Ulm |  Market place of Biberach an der Riss at night |  Hus Museum in Constance |
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