NATURE
  HISTORY
  SWIMMING


  NATURE

Surroundings of Pelhřimov - the town of Pelhrimov is situated in an enchanting part of the Czech-Moravian Highlands and if you take the road in any direction, you will always find a lot of picturesque places and corners. In the summer and autumn the region is a real mushroom-pickers´ paradise.

Čertův hrádek (Devil’s Castle) - the surroundings of the hill of Cerinek – well-preserved natural forests in the area of the typical rock tops of Jihlavske vrchy (the Jihlava Hills).

Křemešník - This wooded hill is a popular centre of tourism and skiing with a ski lift, the hilltop is covered by typical original beech woods. In the past silver was mined here, refuse heaps and adits may still be noticed. The Baroque church from the first half of the 18th century stands in the site of an earlier chapel, which forms its sacristy. The church is surrounded by cloisters with two chapels, at the lower end of the cloisters is “the Chapel of the Dead“ commemorating soldiers from the environs who died in the two world wars, decorated by Frantisek Bilek. The Way of the Cross is partly the work of the sculptor Antonin Bilek, Frantisek Bilek´s brother. There is a spring with radioactive water, which gave rise to the place of pilgrimage on the hill of Kremesnik. Near the spring stands a Baroque chapel built in 1689 and rebuilt in its present appearance in 1939. A relief made by František Bílek is placed above the entrance. The spring is periodical, the water runs through silver-bearing ores and is slightly radioactive. Not far from the church is “The Windy Castle“, a romantic building begun by the world-famous sculptor and medallist Josef Sejnost, but he did not manage to complete it due to the coming of World War Two. There is a commemorative plaque on the parsonage to inform visitors that the novel "Na krasne samote" (“In the Beautiful Solitude“) written by F.B.Vanek is set in this place. It is possible to make a pleasant and easy walk around Kremesnik using the “Kremesnik Route“ marked in green. Splendid views of the surrounding countryside from the observation tower called “Pipalka“. If you want to experience somethin adveturous you can visit "Climing (rope) centre" that offers enjoyment for children and adults as well.  www.hotelkremesnik.cz

Javořice - the highest hill of Jihlavske vrchy (the Jihlava Hills) and the Czech-Moravian Highlands, 837 metres above see level. A television tower. Views only possible from the openings in the slope. Slopes and running tracks suitable for skiing. On the northern slope “Our Lord’s Spring", a nicely decorated spring of drinking water connected with the tradition of the Bohemian Brethren.

Jihlavské vrchy (the Jihlava Hills) - Velky parezity rybnik (“Big Stumpy Pond“), Maly parezity rybnik (“Small Stumpy Pond“), Mikova skala (“Mika´s Rock“), Javorice etc. Splendid woody area suitable for hiking, cycling or relaxation.

Malý Blaník - a hill 576 metres above see level, remnants of fortification of a castle from about 1400 as proven by field research in 1961. Ruins of a chapel built in 1735 and abandoned in 1790.

Velký Blaník - a legendary hill 638 metres above see level, connected with folk-tales about the Knights of Blaník. In the first millennium BC there was a circular-shaped fortified place with two rows of stone mounds. In 1868 - 71 huge mass meetings were held here to call for the Czech state law. In May 1868 this site gave a stone to be put in the foundations of Národní divadlo (The National Theatre). On the hilltop there is a look-out tower shaped like a Hussite watchtower.

Trips along the Roof of Europe – The environs of Pelhrimov are crosscut by the European continental divide, which offers wonderful views of “the country of the three hills“ as well as Jihlavske vrchy (the Jihlava Hills). The best-known route is the one following yellow tourist signs from Nová Bukova to Ecleruv vrch (Ecler´s Hill) and to Kremesnik.
 

  HISTORY

Želiv
Monasterial complex of The Abbacy of Želiv is located 18km from Pelhřimov in the direction of Červená Řečice in a picturesque small town.  Želiv near the recreational reservoir Trnávka. Some the famous persons are connected with the village Želiv. For example -   a significant Hussite preacher Jan Želivský came from Želiv, writer Josef Čapek or composer Bohuslav Martinů admired this small town and its landscape.   
Monastery was established in 1139. Originally it was built in the Romanesque style but after fire it burned down it was rebuilt in the Gothic style. In 17th century, after a renovation of the monastery,  Siard Falco was elected as the first abbot of The Abbacy in Želiv. Thanks to him the monastery became a spiritual, economic and cultural centre. A monaterial school of philosophy and theology was founded there. The First half of 18th century was the era of prosperity for the monastery. In 1712, after a huge fire, the monastery was renovated in the Baroque style by Jan Blažej Santini - Aichel.
In 1950’s, during the communist era the Monastery in Želiv was closed down. A detention campe for priests and monks was established in the monastery. From 1957 to 1992 it was used as a mental hospital. In May 1991, the monastery complex passed to the Regular Community of  Premonstratensians again.
On 9th February 2010 the Monastery Complex in Želiv was claimed as a national cultural monument. The Complex consists of the Building of The Abbacy of Želiv, The Church of the Nativity of Virgin Mary, Trčka’s castle in the late Gothic style, an accommodation facility for public and  the Monasterial brewery. A beer of the Belgian type is brewed and sold here.  www.zeliv.eu, www.pivovar-zeliv.cz 


Blažek´s Chateau – ruins of a Gothic keep on a rocky uphill in the vicinity of the village of Nemojov (moats, ramparts). It was in possession of the Lords of Vokov and became desolate in the 16th century.

Červená Lhota - state chateau in an extremely impressive position on a rock holm, surrounded by water, the only approach being a bridge. At first there used to be a Gothic water fortress, in the 16th century it was converted into a Renaissance chateau, the early-Baroque alterations are from the 17th century, further alterations took place in the 19th century. The chateau is open to the public at the usual opening times of state castles and chateaux. Its romantic location has attracted film-makers many times. http://www.zamek-cervenalhota.eu/

Castle Kámen - Gothic castle from the early 14th century, converted into a chateau in 1673, further alterations in the 19th century. After the recent extensive improvements the castle now houses a motorcycle museum. The castle stands on a granite rock eruptive from gneiss bottom layer. The church was built in the Baroque style in the 17th century. www.hradkamen.cz

Castle Orlík - Ruins of a castle first mentioned in the middle of the 14th century, originally called the castle of Humpolec. It was the seat of the owners of Humpolec - one of them was Ondrej of Dube, who accompanied Master Jan Hus to the Council of Constance. Preserved a square tower of stone, a gate and a part of the palace. Remains of silver mining with deep pits in the forest called "Na stulach" http://hrad-orlik.cz


Castle Choustnik - ruins of an early-Gothic castle from the middle of the 13th century founded by Benes of Choustnik. Between the years 1322 - 1597 it was in possession of the House of Rozmberk. In the first half of the 15th century the castle was enlarged and got massive fortification, preserved a tracery window in the castle chapel. It became desolate in the 17th century. One of the towers has been adapted as an observation tower. On the crest of the granite rock there is a nature reserve of ancient stands and rare vegetation (9,9 ha). In the nearby town stands a Renaissance chateau from the 17th century, nowadays used as a multiple-purpose building. The church, built in the Gothic style in the 14th century, was damaged in the period of the Hussite wars and rebuilt between the years 1673 - 87, early-Renaissance mobiliary from the second half of the 17th century.  www.choustnik.obecniurad.net

Janštejn - ruins of a Gothic castle from around 1315, which was destroyed in the 15th century during the Hussite wars. Remains of an angle tower and fortification walls.

Jihlava - The economic and cultural centre of the region. The historical centre of the town is a historical conservation area. Originally a Slavic settlement known before the 13th century. In 1249, due to development of silver mining, Jihlava was granted the status of a royal town with the mining right. The historical conservation area incorporates mostly ecclesiastical architecture of the 13th century and burgher architecture of the 16th century. Preserved Gothic ground-plan of the historical core of the city, city walls, early-Gothic churches and narrow land parcels of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque houses. The city walls have been restored and new views have been enabled by opening a path running along the walls. The Municipal Hall was originally built in the Gothic style but was provided with outer Baroque decorations in 1786. The Church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary of the Minorite Order – early-Gothic church from 1240 - 1260 with a late-Gothic presbytery from 1500. The church has a Baroque front side from 1756. Holy Cross' Elevation Church is a three-nave church from the late 14th century built on earlier foundations. St. James the Greater Church – early-Gothic church from 1257 altered at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. St. Ignatius' of Loyola Church in Masaryk Square was built in the Baroque style in 1680-1689. St. John the Baptist Church, originally a miners´ church built on Jánský Hill, is a Renaissance structure built in 1534 on the foundations of a Romanesque church, in 1712 altered in the Baroque style. Renaissance graffiti. www.jihlava.cz

Jindřichův Hradec - capital of the district – an economic, cultural and administrative centre. The historical core is a historical conservation area. First mentioned as a town and castle in 1293. In the 13th century it was a seat of German knights, later an important feudal estate (the Lords of Hradec, the House of Slavata, the House of Cernin). The state chateau is a huge complex of buildings enclosing three courtyards on a promontory between the Nezarka River and Vajgar Lake. The core of the chateau was part of the original Gothic castle. The castle was converted into a Renaissance chateau after 1580 with the participation of Baltazar Maio da Vomio and Ant. Cometa, the builders, and R. Vidman and J. Vidman, the painters. Last adaptations in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the chateau garden there is an pavilion – a large Renaissance roundel from 1591 by G. Falconi with paintings by V. Miller and rich Renaissance stucco decorations. The chateau houses a picture gallery and period exhibitions. It is connected with the well-known legend of the “White Lady“. The original late-Gothic Municipal Hall from before 1493 was rebuilt after a fire at the beginning of the 19th century. The building of the Jesuitical Seminary from 1606 – 1608 houses the local heritage museum. In its possession are rich ethnographic collections, guilds objects, collections showing the housing culture of the 19th century, Gothic and late-Gothic carvings, pictures, pieces of graphic art, prints from Landfraser´s print works, tapestries and the mechanical Bethlehem with 200 moving figures made by folk artist Tomas Kryza. Memorial halls of Bedřich Smetana, the composer, and Ema Destinova, the opera singer. Late-Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque burgher houses in the square and neighbouring streets. The Gothic Provost church was founded before 1382. It is intersected by the 15th meridian, which is marked on the pavement near the church. The church with the former Minorite Cloister is a structure built in the early-Gothic style in the third quarter of the 13th century, with later adaptations. The building of the cloister itself dates back as far as about 1480, the courtyard is enclosed by arcades. The former Franciscan monastery and church are late-Gothic buildings from 1478. The annexe to the Jesuitical College is probably the oldest church in town, first mentioned in the 13th century, altered in the early Baroque style between the years 1628 - 1632 and abandoned in 1788. Another church, located on the outskirts of the town, dates back to 1859 - 60. The neighbouring late-Gothic little cloister founded after 1534 was used as a hospital and widows´ refuge, Baroque alterations from 1750 - 80, a gallery connects it with the church. The Jewish cemetery is from the beginning of the 15th century. In the square there is a large sculptural group by M. Strachovský from 1764 - 68. In Vajgar lake an artificial islet.
www.jh.cz

Kamenice nad Lipou - a town lying on the narrow-gauge railway from Jindrichuv Hradec to Obratan built in 1906. Founded probably in the middle of the 13th century. According to legends the name of the town (“Kamenice-upon-Lime-tree“) is connected with the old lime tree in the chateau park, the tree is estimated to be 700 years old. Iron ore mining in the surroundings in the Middle Ages. The chateau dates back to the 15th century, it acquired its present Renaissance appearance in 1580 - 83. The turret above the gate is from 1777, the courtyard is lined with arcades. Remains of town walls from the 15th century. Part of the park with the ancient lime tree is open to the public, the chateau now houses a sanatorium for children. The original Gothic church built in the 13th century was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries, the tower comes from the 17th century. On the hill of Bradlo a forest graveyard with a Gothic chapel from 1348, rebuilt in 1595. The local museum offers not only ethnographic exhibitions, but also exhibitions on the history of the town, guerrilla warfare in the Czech-Moravian Highlands, glass making, and the memorial hall of a native of the town, Vitezslav Novak (1870 - 1949), the composer. The surrounding countryside also attracted famous painters: A. Kalvoda, Fr. Danek-Sedlacek, K. Holan, J. Setelik. Due to good climatic conditions, Kamenice is a suitable recreation area, which may be proved by a lot of sanatoriums and summer camps in the environs. www.kamenicenl.cz/zamek/d-77788  

Castle Lipnice - first mentioned in 1370 in connection with the extramural settlement being granted the status of a town. Centre of stone-cutting and quarry industries. Annual summer festivals of humour and satire called "Haskova Lipnice" (Hasek´s Lipnice). The Gothic castle from the early 14th century standing on a granite rock was rebuilt in the first third of the 16th century and was partly occupied until 1869, when it burned down. Restoration was begun after 1924 and then again after World War Two in 1945. It is open to the public at usual times of opening in state castles and chateaux. The Old Palace – stables and storerooms on the ground floor, former dwelling rooms on the first floor, a large hall on the second floor. The New Palace – Gothic cellars and a large pillar hall on the ground floor. The tower called Samson is a two-storeyed prismatic tower with a 33-metre-deep well on the ground floor. The tower houses the castle museum with a collection of Gothic tiles. The Gothic castle chapel is from the 14th century with Baroque alterations from 1683. Preserved fresco paintings from the middle of the 14th century and Gothic presbytery. In the house opposite the entrance to the castle is the memorial hall of Jaroslav Hasek. Here Hasek lived and died in 1923. He was buried in the local cemetery. The White Tower – ruins and remnants of the town walls on a hill above the cemetery near the southern part of town. The original Romanesque church was rebuilt after a fire in the Gothic style in 1345 and altered in the Baroque style in 1688.  www.hrad-lipnice.eu

Roštejn - Gothic castle from the first half of the 14th century on a rock top, surrounded by mixed forests. In the latter half of the 16th century a game park was founded in the vicinity of the castle, but it has already merged with the neighbouring forests. The beech stand below the castle is interesting from the botanical point of view. The courtyard is used for a number of social events, festivals and theatre performances are held here.  www.rostejn.wz.cz


Telč - historical, mainly Renaissance conservation area formed by the square, the complex of the chateau and the church. There used to be a royal farmstead situated on a rise above the stream, with a late-Romanesque church and tower, and a market settlement developed around it in the 12th century. Of the church the tower with compound Romanesque windows from the early 13th century has survived. In the vicinity of the market settlement Nová Telč (New Telc) was founded in the second half of the 13th century as a water fortress. Around the middle of the 14th century a walled and moated town was built between these two settlements. The Renaissance building development of the latter half of the 16th century gave rise to a specific type of Telc´s house with a maas-house arching to the central supporting post, from which a tunnel-like corridor leads to the courtyard and fortification walls. Most of the houses ranked among the town’s architectural heritage are concentrated in the square. The chateau was built on the foundations of a Gothic castle, probably from the late 14th century. The structure of the old castle is joined with the Renaissance palace comprising the Gold Hall and Blue Hall with compartment ceilings from 1561. The chateau houses a local heritage museum. The main church was built in the Gothic style in the third quarter of the 14th century. Its reticulated vaulting dates back to the middle of the 15th century. The church on the other side of the square is a Baroque one from the years 1663 - 67, built probably under the project by G. D. Orsi. The church in Stare Mesto (Old Town) was originally built in the Gothic style in the third quarter of the 14th century, but in 1647 its nave was rebuilt into an early-Gothic basilican triple nave. An alley lined with Baroque statues connects the church with the town. www.telc-etc.cz

Šternberk (Štamberk) - ruins of a Gothic castle from around 1300, damaged in the fights of 1424. The castle was the centre of a large dominion owned by the order of Knights-Templars, later on it was in possession of the King.

Chateau of Žirovnice - first mentioned as a castle built of stone, entered in the domesday as early as 1350. The chateau, originally a Gothic castle from the latter half of the 13th century, stands on a promontory above the pond called Hutní. In the late 15th century enlarged and provided with more fortification. Built on a triangular ground plan, with an angle tower in the southern side, pillared arcades in the courtyard and a palace with a chapel. Graffito decorations from 1622. In 1964 the chateau burned down, it has already been restored and is used for cultural purposes, for example museum collections are on display here and exhibitions (e.g. Zahrada Vysociny – “The Garden of the Highlands“) are held. Former granary, a Baroque structure from the 18th century. The church, originally in the Gothic style, was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style in 1870. The cemetery church from the 17th century was altered around 1700. The statue of Our Lady on a column from 1777 is a listed monument. A few lime-trees 200-300 years old. http://www.zirovnice.cz

 

  SWIMMING

Pond Stráž – a pond about 1km from Pelhrimov, suitable for swimming and fishing. By the pond there is a pub and amusements for children.

The Trnávka reservoir – a recreation area, near the dam is an artificial canal for water sports.

The Sedlice reservoir - The Zelivka River is formed here by the confluence of the Hejnicky stream and the Hejlovka stream. The dam was built in 1927, it is 24 m high, 123 m long and is formed by 10 arches. The level of the water held is 9 km long. There is a hydro power-station situated behind a huge bend of the river and water runs to it through a long tunnel. A recreation area.

The Želivka regulation reservoir - 1 km from Zeliv. A retention reservoir, it retains water from the hydro power plant at the Sedlice reservoir.