Modřovice – History, Pilgrimage Route and Water

Modřovice Between History and Water

Modřovice combines several layers of local history with distinctive points in the townscape today. Hrádecký rybník lies in the centre, and the Modřejka stream flows through the town. There are also traces of the former fortress, three cast-iron crosses and a section of the pilgrimage route from Březnice to Svatá Hora. If you would like to combine historical details, religious culture and the landscape during your trip, the town therefore offers various points of interest for planning.

The Fortress and Crosses in the Townscape

The fortress of Modřovice probably fell into disrepair after 1510. At the site of the former fortress in the southwest of Modřovice stands a granary building known as a “špejchar”. Opposite it is a former sheep pen. The two buildings are therefore concrete points of reference around the former fortress site. Their historical classification remains unchanged: no present-day use or accessible visitor offering can be inferred from their former use.

Three cast-iron crosses stand in the centre of Modřovice at house numbers 41, 18 and 15. The cross at house number 15 bears the year 1883 carved into it. The stone pedestal bearing this year was moved to Holý vrch in 2017. Together with the former fortress site, the historical points of reference are spread across different parts of the town, linking central details of the town with a point outside the centre.

The Pilgrimage Route from Březnice to Svatá Hora

The seventh station of the pilgrimage route from Březnice to Svatá Hora lies within the cadastral area of Modřovice. Its imagery changes depending on the direction of travel: towards Příbram, it shows the depiction “Zatčení Krista v zahradě Getsemanské”; on the return journey, it shows Saint Agnes of Bohemia, the patron saint of Bohemia. The station is therefore characterised not only as a point along a historic route, but also by two different religious depictions.

The route also includes a clearly identifiable gap: the eighth chapel of this pilgrimage route has not survived. For travel planning, this results in the coexistence of a surviving station reference and a documented history of loss. Those who place the route in its thematic context will therefore find both a specific pictorial motif and an indication of the changes that the historic route has undergone in Modřovice.

Water and Orientation

Hrádecký rybník lies in the centre of Modřovice and provides a clear point of orientation there. The Modřejka stream flows through Modřovice and complements the pond as a second landscape element in the townscape. The central pond and the stream flowing through Modřovice shape the townscape in different ways: the pond lies in the centre, while the stream crosses the town.

Road III/1911 also helps with spatial orientation. It runs from Příbram via Třebsko, Modřovice and Chrást to Březnice. The first written mention of Modřovice dates from 1367 and records the appointment of the pleban Matěj to the parish of Třebsko. Thus, a historic road route, church history, water and visible individual monuments come together in the town.

Other Places

Zbenice, Smolotely, Rybníky, Korkyne, Drsník, Počepice, Koupě and Voznice

For the higher-level travel overview: Příbram District.