Kostelec u Křížků – History, Culture and Landscape

History, Memorial Sites and a Pond

Kostelec u Křížků combines a long history with distinctive cultural monuments and landscape features. If you are looking for a place in the Czech Republic with tangible historical traces and special discoveries for your stay, you will find several different points of interest here – from a Romanesque rotunda to an autumn event at the pond.

Historical Traces in the Village

Settlement in Kostelec u Křížků dates back to the beginning of the first millennium. A salt route that connected the Mediterranean with the Baltic also passed through the village. The local church is already mentioned as a parish church in 1350. An even older sight is the Romanesque Rotunda of Saint Martin: it was built at the beginning of the 12th century and contains valuable frescoes. This span of time makes the village particularly interesting if you want to discover history not only in a single building but across several eras.

An important monument in the northwestern part of Kostelec u Křížků is the Jewish cemetery. It covers 2,510 m² and served the Jewish communities in Michle and Kunratice. The cemetery contains around 100 old gravestones; the oldest legible gravestone dates from 1724. For travel planning, this site offers a distinct cultural focus that makes the history of the region tangible through preserved signs and precise dates.

Landscape and Special Experiences

Kostelecký Pond is located in the southern part of the municipality. The pond is currently used for fish farming. The autumn fish harvest is a major attraction, especially for children, and can therefore be a special shared experience during your stay.

Another landscape feature is the Březka game preserve, which extends across several hectares in the cadastral area of Kostelec u Křížků. It is currently administered by VÚLHM Jíloviště–Strnady and is home to breeding herds of mouflon and fallow deer. Important for your planning: The game preserve is not open to the public and should therefore not be planned as a publicly accessible activity.

Kalifáč is considered the oldest part of the municipality. In the early Middle Ages, it was a warming shelter for pilgrims; the area lies around the cultural centre and a restaurant. Kalifáč thus complements the religious and historical sights with a place where the traditional history of community life is particularly vivid.

Getting There and Further Destinations

By road, travel via the D1 motorway and the exit near Velké Popovice, continuing through Štiřín. In Želivec, cross the old Benešov road; from there, it is another 2 km to Kostelec u Křížků. For further travel planning, you can also find Sulice, Výžerky, Mnichovice U Říčan, Vyšehořovice, Předboj, Polerady, Mochov and Březí U Říčan.

For the higher-level travel overview: Praha-Východ District.