Lesično - Na gradu (Grad Pilštanj)

Access to starting point:
a) We drive to Šentjur and then follow the signs for Podsreda and Planina pri Sevnici. At the end of Šentjur we turn left towards Podsreda, from where we drive along a rather winding road to the village of Lesično, where the described route starts at the roundabout. We park in one of the parking lots in the center of the village.
b) From the Brežice–Podčetrtek road on the outskirts of the village Bistrica ob Sotli we turn left (right from the direction of Podčetrtek) towards Podsreda. We bypass the center of Podsreda on the right side, then drive to the village of Lesično, where the described route starts at the roundabout. We park in one of the parking lots in the center of the village.
c) From the direction of Sevnica and Krško we drive to Brestanica, then follow the signs for Podsreda. This is followed by some ascent and then a descent into Podsreda, where at the end of the village we turn left towards Šentjur and Kozje. We drive to the village of Lesično, where the described route starts at the roundabout. We park in one of the parking lots in the center of the village.

Route description:
From the place where we parked, we first return to the roundabout and then follow the road towards Kozje. Near the bus stop, the signs for Pilštanj direct us left onto the access road to the nearby house, which we bypass on the left side. Behind the house we cross a small stream over a wooden footbridge, after which the path turns into a forest. With the help of steps and a railing it begins to ascend steeply along the slope, which higher up is also somewhat exposed. Higher up, shortly before the exposed viewpoint with the Slovenian flag, the path turns left and then gradually ascends onto a gentler ridge.
Here we pass the location of the former Drenski grad (Hartenštajn). Since today there are no longer any remains or information board at the location itself, the area is completely unrecognizable; with some careful attention to the surroundings one can still notice only the outlines of the former defensive ditches. The path further bypasses the nearby house on the right side, where a path marked with local signs joins us from the right. After the junction we reach the central part of the village Pilštanj, where we go slightly right and past the famous Pilštanj pranger (pillory) and the century-old dogwood tree. While viewing the rich cultural sights of the place we quickly reach the church of St. Michael.
We bypass the church on the right side, after which the path splits.
We continue left in the direction of the Grajske poti (straight ahead is the shorter, direct path by which we can descend), which turns into a forest and then crosses the slopes to the right past information boards. When we have almost circled the summit we join the direct path, but we continue right of the chapel of St. Ema Krška or Pilštanjska and in a minute of moderate ascent we reach the summit, where a bench is placed and from where a view opens towards the valley of Bistrica.
We descend to the church of St. Michael by the shorter path.

Starting point - sv. Mihael 0:15, sv. Mihael - Na gradu 0:10.
The description and photos refer to the situation in May 2026.

Along the route: Sveti Mihael (Pilštanj) (375m)

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