Svatý Jan: Baroque Church and Hiking Trail

Svatý Jan combines a striking Baroque church with a hiking trail that places the village within a longer sequence of stops. The mansard-style roof, shaped like a burning heart, is particularly memorable. History and landscape reveal different sides of the municipality.

Svatý Jan at a glance

• The Church of St. John of Nepomuk was built between 1760 and 1764 on the site of an earlier chapel and is a protected landmark.
• The “Ke Svatému Janu” hiking trail is 18 km long and passes through Svatý Jan, Brzina, Kunclův mlýn and other stops.
• Brzina is home to a stone wayside shrine from the 19th century and a circular St. Wenceslas Chapel built in the first half of the 1990s.
• A Jewish cemetery was established on Radobyl in Řadovy in 1680 during the plague.

A church with an unusual roof

The Church of St. John of Nepomuk is a prominent cultural landmark in the village. It was built between 1760 and 1764 on the site of a former chapel and is a protected landmark. This spacious Baroque building stands out in particular for its unique mansard-style roof, shaped like a burning heart.

Svatý Jan takes its name from this church. The building and the village name are therefore closely connected; visitors interested in religious architecture or the history of a place will find a tangible starting point here. The church brings together a clearly documented period of construction, the Baroque style and an unusual roof shape.

The Ke Svatému Janu hiking trail

The 18 km hiking trail runs from Krásná Hora through Svatý Jan, Brzina, Kunclův mlýn, Drážkov and Hojšín. The village is thus one stop in a longer sequence of named places. The route offers a different perspective from the view of the church: it connects several places along a trail through the landscape.

Along the way, a footbridge crosses meadows over the Brzina stream in the direction of Svatý Jan. The meadows, stream and footbridge give this section a distinctive character. If you are weighing up architectural history against a longer hike, they offer two different focal points for planning your trip.

Cultural landmarks in the municipality

The municipality is also home to buildings with a variety of forms and histories. In Brzina, a stone wayside shrine from the 19th century stands by the bridge over the stream. The circular Chapel of St. Wenceslas, built in the first half of the 1990s, is also located there. Above the Kunclův mill stands a modern ecumenical Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity, designed by architect David Vávra.

In Řadovy, the cemetery on Radobyl recalls another chapter of history: established in 1680 during the plague, it was used to bury Jews from the village and surrounding area. From the remote settlement of Boží muka in Řadovy, there are views over the surrounding area, particularly towards Kamýk. History and landscape each come to the fore here in their own way.

The Váchův špejchar in Drážkov is another example of village architecture. The four-storey building was created in 1680 by converting a late Gothic fortress and is considered one of the most valuable examples of village architecture in Central Bohemia. The municipality’s landmarks thus range from religious buildings to a historic structure that began as a fortress.

Which focus suits your trip?

To plan your trip, you can first decide whether to focus on the church and its architectural history or on the 18 km hiking trail and its stops. The municipality’s other places add a variety of architectural and landscape themes to this choice. You can also use this focus to guide your search for a hotel for your stay.

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