Drunče: Water Landscape, Village Layout and History

Drunče brings together water, paths and an unusually cohesive historic village landscape. If you are looking for both a connection with nature and history on your trip, the village offers several clearly distinct points of interest.

Water Landscape and Hiking Trail

Drunče and Annovice lie on opposite banks of the Koutský potok. This stream features a cascade of four ponds. Drunče also lies in a valley protected from strong winds. Another pond is located in the centre of the village. In a brief description, this brings together a stream, a pond landscape, a valley and a pond in the village centre. The sequence of stream, pond cascade, valley and pond in the village centre creates several distinct landscape connections. When planning a walk, you can therefore view the water and the village layout as interconnected but separate points of focus.

A yellow-marked hiking trail runs west of Drunče. If you would like to explore the village on foot, you can treat this trail as a separate focus in your planning. The marked route complements the water landscape with a clearly designated way to discover the surroundings of Drunče. The yellow-marked trail is a specific point of reference when you want to combine walking through the surroundings with observing the village. Its location west of Drunče clearly places it within the landscape.

The Okrouhlice of Drunče

The oldest original houses of Drunče form a circular village layout known as an “okrouhlice”. The Czech term describes the distinctive shape of this historic village centre. This makes the village’s history visible not only through individual buildings but also through the layout of the village. The circular structure therefore forms a separate spatial focus alongside the bodies of water. When walking through the village, you can thus pay attention both to the landscape features and to the form of the village.

Traces of a Long History

The remains of a barrow cemetery in the cadastral area of Drunče point to settlement dating back to after the beginning of the Common Era. A written record from 1267 mentions the knight “de Sporllo in Trunsch”. The surviving traces therefore range from early settlement to a specific written reference. The historical record thus extends from early settlement to the written evidence of 1267.

Crafts and Local Features

At the Provaznické muzeum, you can see traditional methods for making ropes, straps, mats and nets, using original tools and historic rope-making machines. The museum therefore forms a separate focus alongside the landscape and village history. Drunče also has a freestanding bell structure mounted on a forked post of the “dvoják” or “vidlák” type.

Annovice, called Annadorf in German and Annín according to Palacký, was established on the site of a former farm estate in Drunče, which was divided among eight manorial farms in 1794. Drunče has a bus stop. If you are looking for accommodation here, you can focus your search on your preferred point of interest: the marked hiking trail, the water and valley, or the village layout, museum and history.

More Travel Ideas

For further research, you can also find Horní Lhota, Chlum U Třeboně, Heřmaneč, Lodhéřov, Nová Hlína, Dvory Nad Lužnicí, Lutová and Staré Hobzí.

For the higher-level travel overview: Jindřichův Hradec District.