Discover Kožlany: History, Educational Trail and Crafts

Kožlany between history, crafts and landscape

Kožlany combines distinctive historical themes with a local craft tradition and a landscape that can be explored along an educational trail. Eduard Beneš, the second president of Czechoslovakia, was born in Kožlany in 1884. At the same time, Kožlany’s pottery tradition is a local craft tradition that continues to this day. This gives the town different points of interest for your stay: political history, living crafts and nature observation can all be found in the same destination.

Historical traces in the town

The Church of St Lawrence is considered the oldest building in Kožlany. The three-aisled church has a western tower and a polygonal presbytery. The protected ensemble also includes a mortuary, the enclosing wall with two gates and a wicket gate, a cast-iron cross and the plots of the complex.

Another historical trace leads to the abandoned Angerbach Castle. The complex had a two-part layout protected by a rampart and a moat; a wooden bridge over the moat led into its rear section. Angerbach is dated to around the middle of the 13th century. The surviving description makes the former fortification interesting for visitors who would like to compare historical architectural forms and medieval complexes.

Educational trail and wet habitats

The Naučná stezka Kožlany educational trail is 6 km long. In both directions, it is marked with the usual symbol for educational trails: a white square with a green diagonal. Its route includes Hliny, a flooded former site where ceramic clay was extracted. Plant and animal communities adapted to wet habitats thrive at this location.

Jewish cemetery in the surrounding area

The Jewish cemetery in the vicinity of Kožlany was established by the end of the 17th century at the latest; the oldest documented burial dates to 1698. The site contains 175 gravestones and served as a burial place for Jews from surrounding villages from the early 18th century until the 1930s. The cemetery is freely accessible. During its restoration, the enclosing wall, entrance gate and Beit Tahara mortuary with its tahara table were repaired. The cemetery is therefore one of the places where regional history can be understood particularly concretely through dates, gravestones and preserved elements.

If you are looking for accommodation in Kožlany, you can plan your stay around your preferred focus: the pottery tradition and historical buildings lead into the town’s history, the educational trail and Hliny add a landscape element, while the cemetery provides a distinct cultural and historical point of interest in the surrounding area.

Cycling connection between Kralovice and Kožlany

To support the further development of cycling, a project includes the construction of a new shared, accessible route for pedestrians and cyclists between Kralovice and Kožlany. It is intended to provide a safe connection along the heavily trafficked class II road. This is described as a project proposal, not as an already completed route.

Other places

Studená, Trnová, Nadryby, Česká Bříza, Blatnice, Mladotice, Hněvnice and Křelovice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Plzeň-Sever.