Poleň: Village Heritage Zone, Churches and Trails in the Czech Republic

Poleň combines historical traces with opportunities for hiking and cycling tours within a small area. A village heritage zone has been designated in the historic centre. If you are looking for accommodation for a culturally and actively oriented stay in the Czech Republic, the village therefore offers several different points of interest: churches and traditional architectural history as well as a regional cycle route and a marked hiking trail.

Churches and history in Poleň

The Church of All Saints has a Gothic core dating from the 14th century and was structurally altered in the 16th and 18th centuries. Inside, you can see a copy of a painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus from the workshop of Lucas Cranach. The original Poleň Madonna is an oil painting on wood from the 16th century and is held in the National Gallery Prague. For your visit, this creates a special connection between the local church interior and a work of art whose original is preserved in Prague today.

The Chapel of St. Salvator also tells part of the village's history. It was built in 1789 and serves as the crypt of the priests of Poleň. The Church of St. Markéta dates from the first half of the 14th century; today, only its surrounding walls remain. The former Pasička water mill is another part of the historical heritage. It was a typical Šumava mill, was mentioned as early as 1379, and has since disappeared. Only the cellars remain of the former fortress at what is now house no. 13; a manorial farm building was built in its place in 1820.

Hiking and cycling around the village

A red-marked hiking trail runs through Poleň. Regional cycle route 305 also passes through Klatovy, Tajanov, Poleň, Lučice, Chocomyšl, Koloveč, Srbice and Hlohovčice before reaching Staňkov. Its route through several villages places Poleň on a longer cycling tour. For your planning, this provides a regional cycle route alongside the red-marked hiking trail and the village's cultural and historical attractions.

Several mountains lie in the area around Poleň: Běleč, Úliště [Javor - Loučany] and Jezvinec. The Doubrava hill [Dolany-Řakom] is also located nearby. The mountains and hill complement the historical attractions in the village with landscape sites. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between different focuses, including churches, local history, hiking and cycling.

Events and places to visit

The Strašidelná stezka is held regularly in Poleň at the beginning of November. The Bayerwald-Tierpark Lohberg, a zoo, is located in the wider surrounding region. This makes it possible to combine the village's history with a seasonally fixed event and another destination in the surrounding region. The Poleň linden tree also recalls that the historian Josef Dobrovský liked to sit there.

More places for your research

If you would like to compare pages for other villages in addition to Poleň, you can also find information on Bolešiny, Sveradice, Dlažov, Měčín, Biřkov, Prasily, Susice and Bukovník.

For the overarching travel overview: Okres Klatovy.