Lechův stone - Kolínská 428

An interesting gneiss rock (about 3 meters high with a circumference of 30 meters) in a beautiful place, on a hill called Stará Kouřim - but outside the Slavonic fort, lies about 1 km from the intersection of the 15th meridian of east longitude and 50th parallel of north latitude, which is called as the astronomical center of Europe (for example, the sunrise and sunset times for the Czechia are given from it). In historical sources, it is called only the "Great Stone" and, according to an older tradition, was a pre-Christian sacrifice and a place where people suspected of witchcraft were supposed to be burned in the Middle Ages - so it is not surprising that it is shrouded in many legends. Today's name dates back to the 19th century and is derived from the mythical Slavic prince Lech, the brother of the Czech ancestor, who, according to legend (mentioned by the chronicler Václav Hájek of Libočany), settled in these places with his retinue and built a solid log cabin, . So that his brother would know where they had settled so that they could help each other in the event of an attack, they agreed that Lech would light a large fire in the place where he would settle, which Czechs and his people from Mount Říp could see. So Lech did, and after the smoke that rose from the fire, he called this place Smokim. I have no idea how this would be possible due to the geomorphology and curvature of the Earth. In any case, you will get an impressive view of the panorama of the town of Kouřim from the stone and the places around it, which is dominated by the towers at St. Štěpán. Impressed by that beauty, it is not difficult to be guided by myths and legends. The interesting giant rocks (about 30 meters high with a circumference of 30 meters) in a beautiful location, on a hill called Stará Kouřim - but outside the Slavic fortified settlement, lies about 1 km from the intersection of the 15th meridian of the eastern longitude and the 50th parallel of the northern latitude, as the astronomical center of Europe (the time of sunrise and sunset for the Czech Republiccan be measured exactly here). In historical sources it is called "Stone of the Great" and according to the ancient tradition it was a pre-Christian sacrifice and a place where suspected witchcrafts were burned in the Middle Ages - it is not surprising that it is covered by many legends. Today's name dates back to the 19th century and is derived from the mythical Slavic prince Lech - the brother of the forefather Čech, who (according to the legend ie presented by the chronicler Václav Hájek of Libočany), settled in these places with his companions and built a solid cabin, fortified by a triple rampart. In order for his brother to know where they settled to help in the event of assault, they agreed that Lech would set fire in the place where they would settle, a great fire that could be seen by the Bohemian people from Říp. So Lech did, and according to the smoke that had risen from the fire, he called this place Kouřim (Smoky area). I do not know how it would be possible due to the geomorphology and the curvature of the Earth, anyway from the rock or nearby places you can see an impressive view of the city's panorama dominated by towers of the temple of St. Stepan. Under the impression of that beauty it is not difficult to be driven just by myths and legends.

Nice place from where there is a beautiful view of the town of Kouřim,

The local educational circuit over Lechův kámen and Stará Kouřim is a wonderful and instructive, beneficial walk through beautiful nature, I recommend connecting with a walk around Výrovka and of course not to miss the center of the old town as such :)