Kotovice – Heritage Protection, Manor Farm and Water Areas

Kotovice combines rural history with distinctive cultural monuments and water areas on the western edge of the Pilsen Basin. The location at approximately 365 to 385 metres above sea level should deliberately be understood as an approximate elevation range. This creates a destination whose special appeal lies less in major sights than in preserved buildings, historical traces and distinctive landscape features.

Village Green and Heritage Protection in Kotovice

A particularly specific starting point is the rural farmstead at No. 10. Its façade has been preserved, and the building remains protected as a historic monument. The farmstead is located at the eastern edge of the southern side of Kotovice’s irregular village green. This precise setting is what makes the site interesting: the village green provides the spatial context in which the historic farmstead can be viewed, while the preserved façade is a visible testimony to the local architectural history.

Kotovice was first mentioned in 1272 in connection with Chotěšov Monastery, to which the village belonged at the time. The history of the school adds much more recent, yet equally formative, chapters to this early reference. The German school in Kotovice began operating in 1898 and closed in 1945. Later, its building was used as a classroom for one of the two classes at the former primary school in Kotovice. Those travelling with children can use this example to understand how the functions of a village building changed over several historical periods.

School History and Dvůr Gigant

The former Czech minority school is also part of this multifaceted local history. It was built after 1918 for children from the surrounding Czech villages. In 2000, the former school building was converted into four residential units.

Another cultural focal point is Dvůr Gigant in Záluží near Kotovice. The farmstead is a cultural monument and was originally established as a monastic manor farm, which was rebuilt by 1662. Its history therefore exists on a different scale from that of the village farmstead or the school buildings: here, the development of a former manor farm can be connected with its monastic origins. The cultural profile also includes the traditional Advent charity evening at Dvůr Gigant, which reached its 22nd edition in 2025. This date refers to an edition that has already taken place, not to a promise of a future event.

Water Areas and Distinctive Natural Features

In the area around Záluží, individual natural and landscape features stand out alongside the architectural history. In front of House No. 35 near Dvůr Gigant stands a protected large-leaved lime tree. It is approximately 360 years old and nearly 34 metres tall. These figures convey the tree’s scale without presenting its age or height as exact values.

Dvorský Pond lies 500 metres west of Dvůr Gigant. Its water surface covers 4 hectares and is used for recreation and sports. On the southern side of Záluží there is also a water area created by the flooding of a sandstone quarry. It is used for fish farming and recreation. These two descriptions refer to different water areas, each with its own origin and use; they do not imply specific information about access, swimming or opening hours.

Other Locality Pages

For further orientation, you can also compare the locality pages for Dvorec, Mileč, Zdemyslice, Dolní Lukavice, Tojice, Letiny, Oselce and Dnešice.

For the broader travel overview: Plzeň-Jih.