The late Romanesque tower of St Andrew’s Church and the cycling routes of varying lengths give Schönbach (Luby) two clear focal points for a stay: architectural history and active exploration. The monuments highlight architectural style, dating and local memory; the routes are defined by their length, difficulty and type of bicycle.
Cultural Monuments in Schönbach
St Andrew’s Church in Luby is a late Romanesque building and one of the oldest ecclesiastical monuments in West Bohemia. The Romanesque tower is its only surviving Romanesque architectural element. This makes the building’s early history particularly evident in a single part of the structure.
The Chapel of Our Lady was built in 1716 in Luby’s municipal cemetery and extensively reconstructed in 1993. It is listed in the Czech Republic’s central register of immovable cultural monuments. Another monument adds a further historical note: the Marian Column is a stone column dating from 1699, bearing a distinctive double-sided Madonna and Child.
The Statue of the Violin Maker also reflects local craft history. It was created in 1926 and unveiled in 1927 in tribute to violin makers and instrument makers. The church, chapel, column and statue represent different aspects of local history—from ecclesiastical architecture to instrument making.
Landscape and Protected Trees
Most of Luby’s municipal area lies in the Lubská vrchovina highlands. Their highest point reaches 675 metres above sea level in the northern border area of the municipality. In Horní Luby, the approximately 700-metre-long Zámecká Alley follows an old path. Its trees are ash, maple and oak; they were declared memorial trees in 2002. Four densely grouped, heavily branched beech trees on the golf course are also protected.
Vysoký kámen is another possible destination for an excursion. The quartzite rock formation lies outside Luby’s cadastral area and is easily accessible from there. From the rock, the panorama extends across Czech and German territory. A forest track for mountain bikers and cross-country cyclists also leads from the Pod Vodárnou junction to the natural monument. The rock is 3.5 kilometres from this junction and offers a view of Luby.
Cycling Routes by Length and Difficulty
The Lubsko educational trail starts at náměstí 5. května, has 17 stops and can also be ridden by bicycle. Local Cycle Route 2132 is five kilometres long, or up to eleven kilometres with detours. It is of moderate difficulty and suitable for touring bikes. It starts at the Luby–Wernitzgrün tourist border crossing.
Local Cycle Route 2180 has a different focus: the 18-kilometre route is designated as a difficult mountain bike route and runs from Luby towards Opatov and Libocký Důl. It starts at Luby railway station, the terminus of railway line 146 Cheb–Luby. The Cheb–Luby section of National Cycle Route 23 is longer, at 36 kilometres; it is of moderate difficulty and also suitable for touring bikes.
The differences are clear when choosing a route: Route 2132 offers the shorter distance, Route 2180 is the challenging mountain bike option, and the 36-kilometre National Cycle Route 23 provides a longer, moderately difficult section for touring bikes. If you are looking for a hotel in Schönbach, you can factor your preferred focus—buildings and local history, or a cycling route suited to your preferred length and difficulty—into your stay plans.
Discover more destinations: Lindenhau, Miltigau, Tepl, Marienbad, Thurn, Großloh, Habakladrau, Trebendorf.
Back to the main travel overview: Eger District.
