Discover Vrbčany: Church, Hradiště and Velká Stráž

Vrbčany combines a multifaceted history with a landscape where watercourses, rocky slopes and a former quarry come together. Particularly characteristic are St. Wenceslas Church, the early medieval Hradiště and the natural areas in the surroundings. During your stay, you can discover both tangible traces of the past and unusual habitats, as well as a climbing sector.

St. Wenceslas Church and the Traces of the Hradiště

St. Wenceslas Church preserves several noteworthy pieces of evidence. Before the year 999, a Romanesque stone predecessor building was erected in Vrbčany. Its remains came to light during the archaeological examination of the church in the 1930s. The furnishings also include the Pazderňák bell, cast in 1592. It bears the coat of arms of the Smiřický family and a relief of Christ on the cross.

Another bell in the church weighs 296 kilograms. It was consecrated on September 29, 1946, and is still used today to announce the death of a Vrbčany resident or an important church event. The church therefore remains not only a historic site but is also connected with the life of the community.

The early medieval Hradiště of Vrbčany lies on a low spur of land above the confluence of the Vrbčanský potok and the Výrovka. Distinctive changes in elevation are visible in today’s fields. They are considered the last visible traces of the former fortifications. The rampart surrounding the fortified area near the church is approximately 184 meters long and up to 1.6 meters high.

If you would like to explore the Hradiště, the described route from the village center leads via steps to the eastern tip of the church area and then along unmarked paths in an easterly direction. Orientation is therefore part of the character of this historic site: the visible terrain features and the location above the watercourses reveal themselves step by step in the landscape.

Výrovka, Velká Stráž and Protected Nature

The Výrovka stream flows through Vrbčany; the Vrbčanský potok flows into it there. Velká Stráž is located in the surroundings, northwest of and above the village. There you will find a partially flooded, abandoned quarry with a pond and a landscape with a steppe-like character. This forms a clear contrast to the village surroundings and makes the site a distinct natural and recreational area.

Velká Stráž provides a habitat for wild ducks, coots, fish, numerous frogs, dragonflies, lizards and other small reptiles. Marsh harriers also breed among the animal species found there. Those who would like to combine nature observation with a more active activity will also find a climbing sector in the quarry with 17 listed routes. They are distributed across the right, middle and rear sections.

Another protected natural area in the surroundings of Vrbčany is the Stráně u splavu Nature Reserve. On the rocky slopes of the Výrovka Valley, it protects heat-loving plant communities of the rocky steppe, as well as numerous specially protected and endangered drought- and heat-loving plant and animal species. Together with Velká Stráž, this area shows how closely historical land use, rocks, water and specialized habitats stand side by side around Vrbčany.

Vrbčany as a Stop on a Regional Discovery Tour

Vrbčany is stop 6 of the regional project “Tajuplná místa Podlipanska.” The project includes a free pocket guide for walks to places surrounded by mysteries and legends. For planning your excursion, this provides a storytelling-based approach to the region: the Hradiště and its visible traces of fortifications can be discovered as part of a larger landscape full of stories passed down through generations.

Discover More Places

If you would like to look at more places for planning your trip in addition to Vrbčany, you can find Kšely Kšely, Klučov Klučov, Veltruby Veltruby, Tismice Tismice, Veletov Veletov, Chotutice Chotutice, Zásmuky Zásmuky and Klášterní Skalice Klášterní Skalice here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Kolín District.