The romantic valley, rocky and mostly surrounded with pine-tree forests, was named after the Plakánek family who - under the rule of Heřman Černín in the 17th century, manufactured wood coal at this place. There is a well-preserved water mill (near Střehom), and - at the lower end of the valley, you can come across the Roubenka well, mentioned in poems written by Fráňa Šrámek. The Plakánek valley is known for several sandstone quarries: the stone was used for construction of Kost Castle and the church in Sobotka. The Malý Plakánek (i.e. small Plakánek) is a rocky passage directed to the village of Vesec u Sobotky.