Žabonosy – Culture and the Central Bohemian Fruit Trail

Žabonosy combines an impressive sacred history with a thematic cycling route through the cultural landscape. If you would like to combine culture and cycling during your stay, you will find two clearly distinct points of interest here: the Church of Saint Wenceslas, with its Romanesque elements, and the 72-kilometre, signposted Central Bohemian Fruit Trail, which passes through the village and is dedicated to fruit growing.

Romanesque traces and an important monument

The Church of Saint Wenceslas is one of the oldest and most remarkable monuments in the Kolín region. The original Romanesque church, dating from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, retains ashlar masonry reaching up to two-thirds of the height of the tower, the entire western part of the building, and a Romanesque portal arch on the south wall of the nave, closed with a semicircular arch and decorated with a spiral band. There is also a bricked-up window above the portal. The ensemble is interesting not only because of its age: Together with the mortuary, the surrounding wall, the cast-iron cross and the stone staircase, the church was entered in the Central Register of Immovable Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic on 3 May 1958 under number 40018/2–887.

Historical traces in the village

A fortress was built near the newly constructed farmyard in Žabonosy; it was first mentioned in 1584 in a debt deed issued by Bohumil. Another story is told by the former Rozkoš water mill, house no. 15, on the northern edge of the village near the railway stop. It is not accessible and should therefore be understood as a historical point of interest in the village landscape, not as an interior site open to visitors. The mill was first mentioned in 1654 as part of the Žabonosy farmyard. At that time, it had three undershot water wheels supplied with water from the pond via a channel. Milling operations ended in 1934; the building was subsequently converted into a residential house, which still serves this purpose today.

Cycling route and regional orientation

The Central Bohemian Fruit Trail is a signposted, 72-kilometre thematic cycling route dedicated to fruit growing. Along the 72-kilometre route, there are ten rest areas with maps and information about the tradition of fruit growing in the respective area. The route therefore provides not only a sporting connection through the region, but also insights into its agricultural history. When planning your stay, Žabonosy can therefore be combined particularly well with a cycling tour, while the church and the historic architectural remains provide a cultural focus.

Mysterious Places of the Podlipansko Region

Žabonosy is stop number 10 of the regional project Mysterious Places of the Podlipansko Region. The corresponding information board is located in the centre of Žabonosy, on a slope beside the main road, a short distance above the road bridge over the stream.

For a further selection of villages, you can also view Malotice, Horní Kruty, Přistoupim, Volárna, Krakovany, Krychnov, Dolní Chvatliny and Zalešany.

For the overview of the wider area: Kolín District.