Aglaia

Aglaia is a modest, 491-metre hill on the Hřebeny ridge in the Brdy uplands, right on the doorstep of Dobříš in central Bohemia. The name sounds like it belongs to a Greek myth, yet its real story starts far closer to home — with a Hungarian noblewoman's wedding at Dobříš Castle.

Why is a Czech hill called Aglaia?

The hill takes its name from Aglaia Festetics de Tolna, a Hungarian aristocrat who married Prince Jeroným Colloredo-Mansfeld, owner of nearby Dobříš Castle, in the 19th century. The Colloredo-Mansfeld family had built the castle itself between 1745 and 1765 and later turned the surrounding woodland into a landscaped English-style park. Naming a hill after the prince's bride was a common gesture of the era — features of a noble estate were frequently christened after family members, turning the landscape into a kind of dedication map of the dynasty that owned it.

What's actually on the hill?

Since the 19th century, the slopes around Aglaia have hosted a fenced game enclosure, originally stocked with white-tailed deer, a North American species introduced to the estate for hunting purposes. The enclosure in its current form, known as Obora Aglaia, was established in 1981 and covers roughly 509 hectares, ringed by more than 11 kilometres of fencing. Since the mid-1990s, fallow deer and red deer have been raised there alongside the original herd. The hill's most distinctive natural feature is a stand of towering Douglas firs, some reaching up to 30 metres, whose crowns form a striking, dense canopy visible from a distance.

Can visitors walk inside the enclosure?

No — Obora Aglaia has remained closed to the public since it was founded; it functions as a working hunting estate rather than an open nature reserve or park. Hikers instead follow the marked trails running along its edges on the Hřebeny ridge. A well-known route continues from here toward the Hradec peak, passes the site of the former Klondajk military radar base, and carries on through the area around Stožec — one of the more rewarding stretches of trail in the Dobříš countryside.

Why bother visiting?

Aglaia sits away from the main tourist circuit, which is exactly its appeal for anyone drawn to quiet forest walking and the layered history of the Colloredo-Mansfeld estate — its parks, avenues, and boundary markers still add up to a coherent story about a noble residence long past its heyday. It's a stop for travellers who, after touring Dobříš Castle itself, want to see the working, wooded side of the estate that never made it onto a postcard, yet still quietly carries the name of the woman it was created for.

Frequently asked questions

How high is Aglaia hill? It stands 491 metres above sea level, on the Hřebeny ridge in the Brdy uplands.

Why is the hill named Aglaia? After Aglaia Festetics de Tolna, the Hungarian wife of Prince Jeroným Colloredo-Mansfeld, owner of Dobříš Castle.

Can tourists enter the Aglaia game enclosure? No, it has been closed to the public since it was established in 1981. Trails along its perimeter are open, however.

What animals live in the enclosure? Originally white-tailed deer; fallow deer and red deer have also been raised there since the 1990s.

What else is worth seeing nearby? Dobříš Castle and its park, the Hřebeny ridge, and the hiking route toward Hradec peak and the former Klondajk base near Stožec.