Discover Žlunice: Church, Rectory and Cycle Path

Žlunice combines impressive architectural history with a clear cycling connection and preserved deciduous forests. If you would like to get to know a place not only through its best-known attraction but also through several layers of its history, you will find specific points of interest here: the Church of St Peter and Paul, the Baroque rectory, memorial sites and the KČT cycle path that runs through the village.

Church and Rectory as Historical Focal Points

The Church of St Peter and Paul is a brick building that probably dates from the second quarter of the 14th century. Its present appearance also tells of a later alteration: between 1701 and 1704, the church was extended to the west. This renovation added a tower and a side chapel. The building thus reveals both its medieval origins and its Baroque-influenced extension.

A second important building is the Baroque rectory in Žlunice. It was built in 1762–1765 by V. Jirsák according to older plans by V. Schneider. The original layout and original decorative stonework have been preserved inside. These include entrance portals and window surrounds with windowsills. The rectory was declared a cultural monument in 2012. For visitors interested in culture, not only the building’s exterior is noteworthy, but also the preserved architectural context inside.

Memorial Sites in the Village

Among the village’s special historical details is the birthplace of the painter Václav Špála. The building was formerly a brickworks that his father had leased from the Czernin family estate in Dymokury. The building’s former use provides a different perspective on the history of the village than the religious buildings.

Below the rectory stands a stone Pietà on a pedestal; it was acquired in 1749. A Pietà depicts Mary with the dead Christ. At the junction of the roads to Sekeřice and Kozojídky, a stone statue of Saint John of Nepomuk stands among linden trees. On the west side of the former Švehlův dům, which now houses the municipal office, a monument also commemorates those who fell in the First World War. The Pietà and the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk are stone sculptures; the war memorial, by contrast, stands on the west side of the former Švehlův dům.

Cycle Path and Landscape

KČT cycle path No. 4288 runs through Žlunice and connects Roudnice with Rožďalovice. The preserved natural deciduous forests in the Žlunické polesí provide a close-to-nature contrast to the architectural and memorial sites. They are characterized by oak, hornbeam and linden trees.

Compare More Destinations

For further research, you can also consider Valdice, Zelenecká Lhota, Tuř, Brdy, Zámezí, Úhlejov, Žeretice, Podkost in addition to Žlunice. To travel to Žlunice, IREDO bus route 154 or 610/590 connects Nový Bydžov, Smidary, Žlunice, Kozojedy and Kopidlno. On this route, Žlunice lies between Smidary and Kozojedy.

For the higher-level travel overview: Jičín District.