Libenice – Archaeology, Fortress and Historic Buildings

Libenice: Archaeology and Local History

Libenice combines archaeological traces, religious architectural history and notable landmarks on the outskirts of the village. This creates a place whose history is not visible in just one building: the archaeological site, the Toleration Prayer House, the fortress and the Chapel of the Virgin Mary represent different periods and locations within the village. The village square and a protected tree are also defining features of the village.

Archaeological Traces on the Northeastern Outskirts

The archaeological complex in Libenice contains remains dating from the Neolithic to the Migration Period. The archaeological site lies on the northeastern outskirts of the village, near the turnoff from the Kolín–Čáslav road. It includes an area measuring 80 by 20 metres, surrounded by a 2-metre-wide and 1-metre-deep ditch and a lower inner earth rampart. The dimensions of the site and its enclosure of ditch and earth rampart give the archaeological site a clearly recognisable spatial structure. The grave of a woman about 50 years old was discovered there, containing rich grave goods made of bronze, silver, glass and amber.

The protected Toleration Prayer House complex comprises the Toleration Prayer House, the rectory at No. 34, a surrounding wall and the associated plots of land. The Toleration Prayer House is one of the last surviving architectural monuments of its kind in the Czech Republic and preserves historic furnishings. The Protestant cemetery lies behind the Toleration Prayer House, on the northwestern outskirts of the village; it was established in 1827.

Fortress, School and Chapel

The Libenice fortress was first mentioned in 1437. Originally probably a small Gothic fortress, it was rebuilt and enlarged from 1574 by Jan Libenický z Vrchovišť. This created a Renaissance building that retained its fortifications. The surviving fortress is integrated into House No. 1 and is not open to the public.

The former Protestant school also tells the story of the village: teaching began there in 1863, and it was used as a school until 1965. Today it is privately used for residential purposes and is not accessible to visitors. For your orientation, it is therefore important to distinguish clearly between historical significance and actual accessibility.

The Chapel of the Virgin Mary stands on the southern outskirts of Libenice, on the road to Grunta. It is probably a niche chapel dating from the late 18th century and contains a painted image of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. A copy of a stone stele or menhir stands on the village square. The Libenický Oak is also protected as a prominent landscape tree – because of its age, biological importance and aesthetic value.

For your orientation, notable points are located on different sides of the village: the archaeological site in the northeast, the Chapel of the Virgin Mary in the south and the Protestant cemetery in the northwest. For further travel planning, you can also include Hradešín, Vrbčany, Drahobudice, Grunta, Svojšice, Krychnov, Český Brod and Plaňany.

For the higher-level travel overview: Kolín District.