Chvalovice U Netolic

Chvalovice U Netolic combines cycling with traces of crafts, mining, and rural architectural history. This creates a destination where an active tour can be combined with exploring the villagescape and its history. The combination makes the village interesting for travel plans that do not want to separate physical activity from cultural discoveries.

Cycling with two clear route connections

The “Netolice and Back” cycling loop passes through Chvalovice and then continues via Babice back to Netolice. This sequence makes the route clear for planning: the route passes through Chvalovice and then leads via Babice back to Netolice. In addition, Chvalovice is stop 13 on the “Through the Foothills of the Blanský Forest to Holašovice” route. For cyclists, the sequence of villages makes a practical difference: after passing through Chvalovice, the first route returns to Netolice via Babice. On the second route, stop number 13 marks Chvalovice’s position. The two routes therefore have different focuses: one is the return to Netolice via Babice, while the other is Chvalovice’s position as stop 13.

Traces of Earlier Mining

In the former mining area known as “V louchu” and in a wooded area in Chvalovice, concrete foundations, protruding iron bolts and metal bands, as well as terrain depressions created by waste rock, have been preserved. The former mining activity is thus visible in several forms: as a structural remnant, as traces of metal, and as an alteration of the terrain. The various traces give the village’s history a concrete, spatially tangible expression. When viewing the terrain, the focus therefore shifts between solid structural remains, metal traces, and the forms of the ground.

Graphite and Historic Buildings

Flake graphite of the highest quality was mined in the graphite pits of Chvalovice to a depth of 115 metres. This depth gives the former mining activity a concrete sense of scale. The architectural heritage also includes Farmstead No. 2. It is a substantial timber building with an attached brick gable at the front and clay plaster on the side; it may have been the original monastic farmstead. At Farmstead No. 2, the substantial timber building, brick gable, and side clay plaster visibly meet.

Distinctive Forms in the Villagescape

Some houses in Chvalovice have hipped roofs with half-hipped gables. In the region, these forms are interpreted as remnants of Rožmberk Gothic. This means that understanding the villagescape depends not only on a single building, but also on the way roofs and gables are designed. A niche chapel of unknown dedication near Chvalovice is a plastered masonry structure that probably dates from the 19th century or from around the turn of the 20th century. It has been preserved and is freely accessible. When looking at the villagescape, roof and gable forms thus alternate with a single plastered structure. The unknown dedication and probable date limit what can be stated with certainty about the building.

Compare More Destinations

If you would like to compare destinations other than Chvalovice U Netolic for your travel planning, you can find Lužice U Netolic, Zálezly, Vlachovo Brezí, Borova Lada, Strunkovice Nad Blanicí, Babice U Netolic, Záblatí U Prachatic, and Libotyne here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Prachatice District.