Discover Großfürwitz: Chapels, History and Cycle Route No. 35

Großfürwitz (Vrbice) can be explored through several clearly distinct themes: chapels and local history, the planned Vrbice wind farm and National Cycle Route No. 35. Those who do not choose their trip based on just one destination will find various points of connection here for culture, technology and cycling.

St. Anne’s Chapel in the Village Centre

St. Anne’s Chapel stands in the eastern part of the village square in the centre of Vrbice. The municipality built it in 1893 without ecclesiastical approval. The chapel had a pseudo-Romanesque altar with a painting of Saint Anne, as well as sculptures of Saint Joachim and Saint Joseph. A prismatic bell tower is attached centrally in front of the western entrance façade. Thus, both the furnishings and the tower’s distinctive position form part of the building’s appearance. The chapel is occasionally used for services, linking its history with a religious use that continues to this day.

A Second Chapel on the Road to Bošov

The pseudoslological chapel “Vrbice - kaple” was built in the second half of the 19th century at a crossroads on the right-hand side of the road to Bošov. It stands approximately 300 m south of the village of Vrbice (Großfürwitz), on the site of an older cross. Its façade features a sculpturally executed blind pointed-arch arcade and folk-style decoration. The location at the crossroads and its connection with the older cross give this building a different historical context from the chapel in the village centre. The two chapels also differ significantly in design: here, the façade with its pointed-arch arcade and folk-style decoration immediately catches the eye.

Local History and Wind Farm

The oldest historically preserved mention of the municipality of Vrbice dates from 1384. This year provides an early reference point for the history of the locality. The year 1384 predates the construction of both chapels. The planned Vrbice wind farm represents a different focus: it is located in the cadastral area of the municipality of Vrbice at an elevation of 610 to 620 m above sea level. The wind farm comprises two ENERCON E82 E2 wind turbines, each with an output of 2.3 MW, a hub height of 98 m and a rotor diameter of 82 m. The wind farm therefore remains a planned project, while St. Anne’s Chapel, built in 1893, is already part of the locality’s historic building stock.

Cycle Route through Vrbice

National Cycle Route No. 35 runs through Vrbice. For planning your trip, what matters here is the route through Vrbice, not just a single building. If cycling is the focus of your plans, you can classify Großfürwitz as a place along this route. The cycle route creates a different emphasis from the two chapels and the historical references in the locality.

Discover More Places

If you would like to expand the geographical scope of your trip planning, you can also find Chiesch, Warta, Engelhaus, Nové Hamry, Neudek, Schaub, Schönwald and Klein-Werscheditz.

For the higher-level travel overview: Karlovy Vary District.