Stračov – Church, Castle and Forest

Stračov combines distinctive buildings, archaeological traces and an extensive forest landscape to create a destination with several clearly defined focal points.

Church and castle as historic landmarks

The defining landmark of Stračov is the Church of St. James the Elder. A tall, three-storey prismatic tower stands on its west side, with the portal forming the entrance. The Church of St. James the Elder was restored in 1997–1998 through cooperation between the municipality and the church. Thus, alongside the building’s architectural form, its more recent history is also a focal point: its preservation was carried out as a joint project by the municipality and the church.

A second historic focal point is Stračov Castle. It is an authentically preserved country castle with Neoclassical alterations and an older Baroque core dating from the 18th century. The Baroque core forms the older part of the building; the Neoclassical alterations belong to a later phase in the castle’s history. The castle is located on the west side of Stračov village square and has been protected as a cultural monument since 2004. For your travel planning, this results in a clear cultural focus, without reducing the two buildings to the same period: the church defines the village’s appearance, while the castle combines different phases of construction.

Archaeological traces in Stračovský Bor

Southwest of the village of Stračov, the Stračovský Bor forest is home to the Mohylník Stračovský Bor burial mound site. The site is therefore located in the forest surroundings southwest of the village and spatially separate from the built-up area of Stračov. The archaeological site is classified as a significant archaeological site in category ÚAN I. Its classification ranges from prehistory through the Věteřov culture and the Lusatian culture to the periods “Early Middle Ages 1” and “Early Middle Ages 3”. The sequence of classifications thus encompasses several clearly distinguishable historical periods. Anyone interested in the deeper historical layers of a landscape will find here an independent way of exploring the surroundings, extending beyond Stračov’s visible buildings.

Forest landscape and events

Stračovský Bor is an extensive forest complex south of Stračov. The highest point of Stračovský Bor lies at 295.7 m above sea level and is one of the highest points of the Nechanická tabule.

Local events include long-distance hikes, which have been held in Stračov for several years at the end of the summer holidays for all age groups, with strong public participation. In addition, the local volunteer fire brigade organizes popular events in Stračov’s natural area. If you are travelling with diverse interests, you can therefore focus your stay either more strongly on the church, castle and archaeology or on the forest landscape and community events.

For further research, you can also compare Račice Nad Trotinou, Máslojedy, Kosice, Radíkovice, Libřice, Kobylice, Třebechovice Pod Orebem and Nové Město Nad Cidlinou.

For the higher-level travel overview: Hradec Králové District.