Šťáhlavy

Šťáhlavy is an interesting destination for travellers who want to combine historic buildings, unusual cultural details and paths with a history of their own. In the town itself, Šťáhlavy Château and the Church of St Adalbert are the main highlights. Other destinations include Kozel Château, the ruins of Lopata Castle and educational trails in the Kozelské polesí forest. This makes it possible to combine very different forms of discovery: architecture, parkland, archaeology and a distinctive organ-building feature.

Kozel: a Neoclassical hunting lodge and landscape park

Kozel is a Neoclassical hunting lodge built at the end of the 18th century under the direction of the architect Václav Haberditz for its patron, Jan Vojtěch Černín. Its history therefore represents a clearly defined era and a specific connection between patron, architect and château complex. The château is surrounded by an extensive landscape park. Its present appearance was shaped in the 1870s by the gardener František Xaver Franz.

The entire Kozel château complex and all visitor areas are wheelchair accessible. The Okolo Kozlu educational trail begins at the edge of the forest by Lopatský Pond below Kozel Château and ends at the tourist signpost above the upper château gate.

Educational trails and the ruins of Lopata Castle

Another historical highlight is the ruins of Lopata Castle. They were probably founded by Heřman of Litice between 1367 and 1377 on the site of a prehistoric settlement. The cautious wording “probably” is part of this place’s history and preserves the distinction between an inherited classification and established certainty. The present-day connection with hiking and historical exploration is also specific: the ruins of Lopata Castle are currently part of the F. X. France educational trail.

The archaeological educational trail in the Kozelské polesí forest commemorates F. X. France, an important 19th-century amateur archaeologist and gardener at Kozel Château. The trail therefore has a dual focus: it points to the archaeological past and at the same time to a person connected with the history of Kozel.

Šťáhlavy itself: château history and a distinctive organ

Šťáhlavy Château is an example of a rural Renaissance building that was altered by Baroque additions. The Šťáhlavy château complex also includes a park. Those wishing to compare different historical building phases during their stay will therefore find a direct contrast here between the Renaissance and later Baroque additions.

Another remarkable detail takes centre stage in the Church of St Adalbert in Šťáhlavy. The organ was built in 1856 by the organ builder Ferdinand Guth from Čistá. Because of the low ceiling above the choir, the largest pipes lie horizontally beneath the choir floor. This arrangement is considered unique in the world. The church therefore has not only a date and a named organ builder, but also a structural feature that clearly differs from an ordinary installation.

For further orientation, you can also consider Chrást, Mokrouše, Dýšina, Vstiš, Pilsen, Starý Plzenec, Lhůta and Losiná.

For the broader travel overview: Plzeň-Město District.