Vrbice – Church, History and Natural Monument

Vrbice combines a distinctive church complex, traces of a varied local history and a protected natural area. The complex of St. Gallus Church, situated on a raised spur of land in the centre of the village, is particularly prominent. Those interested in architecture, regional history and quiet natural settings will find several different points of interest here to explore for themselves.

St. Gallus Church and Ecclesiastical Historical Traces

The complex of St. Gallus Church comprises an enclosing wall with an entrance gate, a bell tower and the church. The building itself is a single-nave Baroque structure dating from 1733–1734. It was created by rebuilding an older Gothic church. The complex therefore points both to Baroque design and to an even earlier ecclesiastical history of the village: a church in Vrbice is already documented for the year 1305.

At the eastern end of the cemetery, a fragment of the ground floor of the original bell tower has been preserved. The upper structure exists only as a relic; it once housed two bells.

The events of the 19th century are also part of Vrbice’s historical picture. In a village fire on 11 September 1887, 14 buildings, including all farm buildings, burned down; the old church was also destroyed. The new parish church in Vrbice was solemnly consecrated in 1893 by Bishop Jan Nepomuk Brynych. For dating a visit, both the medieval records and the consequences of the fire followed by the subsequent rebuilding are therefore relevant.

Chapel of Our Lady

The Chapel of Our Lady stands northwest of St. Gallus Church at the centre of a junction of three roads. Its construction is unusually clear in its layout: the square plan is formed by four pillars connected by semicircular arches. Above them is a low pyramid-shaped roof covered with tiles. The chapel is designated as a protected structure and complements the larger church complex with an independent architectural feature.

Vinný vrch Natural Monument

Vinný vrch Natural Monument was first designated on 1 April 1974. The protected area preserves heat-loving plant communities containing the plant species Bělozářka liliovitá.

A Regular Fixture in the Church Year

On Sundays in even-numbered calendar weeks, Mass is held at 9:00 a.m. in the parish church of St. Gallus in Vrbice. This specific detail complements the architectural description with a recurring event and may be of interest to visitors who also wish to plan their stay around the village’s religious tradition.

Historical Trace in the Wider Surrounding Area

Near Opočnice, the site of the hillfort and the location of the abandoned village of Bolice lie less than 2 km north-northeast of Opočnice on the road to Městec Králové. About 500 m beyond the buildings of the agricultural cooperative, a field track branches off to the east. This information describes a separate historical trace in the wider surrounding area and should therefore be considered separately from the sights in the centre of Vrbice.

Discover More Destinations

You can also explore Seletice, Kounice, Kněžice, Košík, Dvory, Odřepsy, Kněžičky and Všechlapy.

For the higher-level travel overview: Nymburk District.