Vitanov: Discover Hiking, Culture and Landscapes

A landscape experience in the Žďárské vrchy

Vítanov lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area. The Chrudimka River flows through the village, and hiking and cycling trails lead to the nearby Veselý Kopec open-air museum. This gives you various starting points for planning your trip: you can combine nature trails, regional history and cultural discoveries. When choosing your accommodation, it is worth considering the focus you want for your stay – for example, extensive routes through the landscape or visits to historic sites and collections.

The railway is also useful for getting around the area. Vítanov railway station is on line 238 between Pardubice and Havlíčkův Brod. All platforms are step-free, but the station building and passenger shelter are not accessible.

Hiking trails with regional stories

The blue-marked Stezka Po Martinových stopách trail runs for five kilometres from Studnice to Stanský mlýn. Along the route, five information panels provide information about the nature around Hlinsko and the features found along the way. A longer regional route is the green-marked Vlastivědná stezka Krajem Chrudimky trail. It leads from Čachnov via Vítanov and Stan to Bojanov; a total of 37 panels provide information along the route. The two trails offer different lengths, markings and thematic focuses for planning your outings.

The Kavánova stezka trail is intended to follow the existing green hiking trail via Kouty, Vítanov and Stan to Veselý Kopec. Information panels with pictures by František Kaván are to be installed at viewpoints. Visitors could compare the landscapes depicted more than a hundred years ago with the view today. In 1904, the painter bought house no. 55 in Vítanov and lived and worked here until 1922. His landscape paintings of the area around Vítanov can be seen, among other places, in the National Gallery and in private collections.

Historical traces between Vítanov and Stan

One of the notable cultural landmarks in Vítanov is the Jewish cemetery. It is surrounded by a stone wall and contains Jewish tombstones, including one dating from 1688. The Chapel of Saint Anne was consecrated on 19 October 1873, after the residents had built a new stone chapel with a vaulted ceiling. Today, it is described as a roadside chapel with an apse, semicircular windows, a small turret and a relief of the Virgin Mary.

A Slavic hillfort once stood on Hradiště Hill; an old trade route from eastern Bohemia to Moravia also crossed the hill. Hradiště is a protected historic monument. Vítanov is also home to a steel bridge over the Chrudimka dating from 1881. In Stan, the historic Stanský watermill, Znamenáčkův mlýn, has been documented in writing since the 17th century. A small hydroelectric plant with a Francis turbine that generates electricity is located there. The facility is accessible by prior arrangement.

Regional traditions also contribute to the character of the area. The Shrovetide processions and masks in the villages of the Hlinecko region were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. Local organizations in Vítanov support the traditional Masopustní maškara. Another historic site is the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist in Stan: it was consecrated on 18 October 1874 following a procession from Hlinsko and stands in the Stan district of Vítanov near the main road by a railway crossing.

Compare other places

If you would like to compare other destinations with Vitanov when planning your trip, you can also look at Ctětín, Morašice, Prosec, Horní Bradlo, Dolívka, Tri Bubny, Nasavrky and Zaječice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Chrudim.