Devil's Table

Devil's Table (Czech: Čertův stolek) is a solitary rock tower in the Doubrava river valley right by Chotěboř, in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. The formation rises above the tops of the surrounding spruce forest on a slope above the riverbed and is one of the main stops along a nature trail that follows the river through a wild, wooded canyon.

How do you get there?

The trail starts at Horní Mlýn just below Chotěboř, where a nature trail through the Doubrava valley runs alongside a red-marked tourist route. It ends across the canyon in the village of Bílek. The route is graded medium-difficult, so sturdy hiking shoes are worth packing — parts of the path squeeze through a narrow valley floor scattered with stone debris. The Chotěboř information centre can provide up-to-date details on access and trail conditions.

What will you see?

Devil's Table is a single, clearly isolated rock formation that towers above the surrounding spruce forest — its silhouette is visible from some distance before the path brings you closer to its base. Further along the canyon, before reaching Bílek, the valley features a rocky riverbed with rushing rapids and the so-called Great Waterfall (Velký vodopád), plus a smaller, roughly 1.5-metre drop near the village at a spot called Mikšova jáma. Along the way hikers also pass stone seas piled up on the valley slopes and other named rock features — Veselá skála (Merry Rock) and an old quarry. The trail's highest viewpoint is Sokolohrady, which opens onto a view over the entire Doubrava canyon.

Where does the name come from?

The rock carries a local legend. A hermit is said to have once lived in a nearby cave, surviving mostly on forest fruit. In the middle of the cave stood a large stone he used as a table. Day after day, though, the devil would visit, sit on that stone, and laugh mockingly at him. Desperate, the hermit sought advice from a priest in Chotěboř, who told him to draw three crosses on the stone with blessed chalk. The next time the devil sat down on the table, he turned into a puff of smoke and vanished for good. Ever since, the stone has been known as Čertův stolek — the Devil's Table.

When is the best time to visit?

The Doubrava valley trail is best walked in spring and summer, when longer daylight hours make it easier to cover the whole route from Horní Mlýn to Bílek, and the lush forest greenery sets off the bare rock of the Devil's Table by contrast. Autumn tends to bring fewer visitors to the canyon, while in winter, damp, stony stretches of the trail and icy rock can make the going harder — extra caution is advisable then.

Frequently asked questions

What is Devil's Table? It's a solitary rock tower rising above the spruce forest on a slope of the Doubrava valley near Chotěboř, and one of the stops on the nature trail that runs through this canyon.

Where does the name Devil's Table come from? From a local legend about a hermit whose stone table was visited daily by the devil, until a priest from Chotěboř told him to draw three blessed crosses on it — the devil vanished in a puff of smoke, and the stone has carried the name ever since.

How do you reach the rock? The path begins at Horní Mlýn below Chotěboř and follows a red-marked trail through the Doubrava canyon to the village of Bílek; the route is rated medium-difficult.

What else is worth seeing along the way? The Great Waterfall and a smaller drop at Mikšova jáma, stone seas on the slopes, Veselá skála, an old quarry, and the Sokolohrady viewpoint overlooking the whole canyon.