Lestkov – Nature, Village History and the Kosí potok Educational Trail

Lestkov combines a compact village history with protected landscapes and an educational trail that reveals historic traces in the valley of the Kosí potok. The village is located 11 km east of Planá on the road to Konstantinovy Lázně.

Historic Traces around the Village Square

The first written mention of Lestkov dates from 1257. Later, the village was granted brewing rights in 1524 and permission to hold two annual markets in 1527. These dates tell the story of a local history shaped not only by individual buildings, but also by former rights and public markets.

An important landmark is the Church of St. Procopius. It stands on a slightly elevated rise on the southwestern side of the elongated village square. Medieval masonry has been preserved at the corners of its tower. During repair work, the church was almost completely remodeled in the Baroque style; following restoration work that began in 2003, it is fully roofed.

The local heritage landscape also includes the statue of St. Anthony of Padua, which is designated as a protected monument, as well as the protected rural homestead No. 84. This homestead includes a granary. A tour of Lestkov therefore offers different scales: religious architecture, a village square with a clearly defined spatial layout, and preserved elements of rural building culture.

Protected Nature in the Cadastral Area

The U rybníčků Nature Reserve in the cadastral area of Lestkov covers 9.86 hectares. It protects a wet meadow with typical biological communities and occurrences of specially protected plant species. The eastern part of the cadastral area also lies within Hadovka Nature Park. The natural features therefore range from a specifically defined protected area to a broader landscape unit.

A protected wild service tree stands in the valley of the Kosí potok. This individual tree complements the picture of the wet meadows and the nature park with a specific natural monument in the landscape. Those who choose Lestkov for its scenery will therefore find both protected areas and individual noteworthy natural features here.

The Kosí potok Educational Trail

The Kosí potok Educational Trail is 8 km long and has 13 stations. Its first station is located near the former settlement of Caltov on the road from Planá to Lestkov.

The remains of several mills lie along the educational trail. The only surviving complex is a former paper mill below Kořen. The trail thus connects the landscape with the history of earlier uses of the Kosí potok. The route therefore offers not only a defined length and a fixed number of stations, but also a thematic focus on the watercourse, settlement history and former businesses.

Further Destinations to Research

Further destinations to choose from are Erpužice, Horní Kozolupy, Cebiv, Zadní Chodov, Halže, Vranov U Stříbra, Lom U Tachova and Cernosin.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Tachov.