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Kristýna Kotásková, a native of Hodonín, completed a roughly 2,200-kilometre walk from Hodonín to Rome on 30 September 2026. The route led through Austria, Germany, Slovenia and Italy and took just under three months [1][2].
Course of the route
She set out at the beginning of July 2026, according to one source specifically on 2 July [1]. She walked an average of 33 to 38 kilometres a day, with the longest stage measuring over 41 kilometres [2]. She covered half of the route from Hodonín with a companion; in Slovenia their paths parted and she continued the rest of the way alone [2]. She spent most nights outdoors or in a tent, in meadows, on the edges of forests or near fields [2]. She described the stretches along roads outside villages, where she was exposed to direct sunlight, as the most demanding [1]. During the journey she was caught in a storm in Italy; a local driver offered her a ride, which she declined, but he gave her an umbrella [1]. She was most impressed by Austria, particularly the Hohe Tauern National Park and the view of the Grossglockner, as well as the emerald-coloured Soča river in Slovenia [2]. Along the way she also visited the Vatican and San Marino [2].
Purpose of the journey
Along the way, Kotásková gathered support for the Pet Heroes shelter in Lanškroun, which she had come across by chance and wanted to help fund through publicity [2]. During her journey she shared photos and information about the shelter on Instagram and asked for help with its renovation [1]. Shelter manager Renata Kristková said the facility has been operating for twenty years, is housed in a former farm building, and lacks insulation, new windows, doors, electrical wiring and ceiling panels [2]. She estimated the repairs would cost around five million crowns [2]. Kristková added that she was grateful for Kotásková's effort and described her and her travel companion as “absolutely amazing, passionate young people” [2]. The shelter is home to 41 animals [2].
Previous journeys
The walk to Rome was not Kotásková's first long-distance trek. In 2025 she walked a route of more than a thousand kilometres across the Czech Republic, from the country's westernmost to its easternmost point [2]. At the beginning of 2026 she completed a 4,100-kilometre train journey across Europe [2]. After finishing the route to Rome, she planned to spend two to three days in the city, visit the Colosseum and possibly the Vatican, and then return home by bus or with her parents via Venice [1].
Related articles: Kristýna Kotásková
Chronology
- — Twenty-year-old Kristýna Kotásková from Hodonín completed a walk of over 2,200 kilometres from Hodonín to Rome, undertaken to support an animal shelter. Blesk.cz Novinky.cz
Sources
- Blesk.cz — 7 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 7 October 2026