Žabovřesky – Village Tradition, Dehtář and Cycling Routes

Žabovřesky combines village tradition, a history dating back to 1334, and the waterscape around Dehtář. The village is associated with the recurring Masopust festival, with events documented for 2015 and 2025. In 2015, Masopust was already being held for the seventh time. At the same time, cycling and hiking trails lead to the Dehtář dam, while archaeological traces on Vosí vrch provide insights into considerably older settlement phases.

Local History and Living Traditions

The oldest written mention of Žabovřesky dates from 1334. Also on 26 May 1334, Jan Lucemburský exchanged Žabovřesky, Dehtáře and Radošovice, which belonged to the Poděhusy fortress, with the Rosenbergs for the border castle of Janovice nad Úhlavou. Remains of an early settlement were discovered at the foot of Vosí vrch. Finds from this area include ceramics from the Late Bronze Age, the Hallstatt period, the La Tène period and the Early Middle Ages.

Remarkable details can also be found in the present-day village: The niche chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk is registered as an immovable cultural monument under registration number 35016/3-618. A zvonička stands on the village green and regularly rings for the Angelus. At the Hasičské Májové hody on 31 May 2025 next to the Žabovřesky cultural centre, visitors were able to sample food and drinks.

Dehtář: Pond, Wetlands and Bathing Area

The nearby Dehtář pond was flooded in 1479 and covers 260 hectares. Today, it is used for fish farming and recreation. At the Dehtář dam, reached from the settlement of Dehtáře in the municipality of Žabovřesky, there is a bathing area, a small grassy beach, a shallow entry into the water and a small car park. The nearby Dehtář bird protection area safeguards, in particular, the common tern (Sterna hirundo) and the greylag goose (Anser anser). In the surroundings of the pond, fish farming and recreation are thus combined with the protection of specific bird species in the nearby area.

The municipal history of Žabovřesky links the place name with numerous ponds, pools and wetlands inhabited by a diverse range of plant and animal life. In nearby Dehtáře, at the Žabovřesky–Břehov crossroads, there is also a brick wayside shrine from the first half of the 19th century.

Cycling and Paths by the Water

Cycle route 1083 runs through Žabovřesky. At the Dehtář dam, cycle route 1085 from Holašovice to Zliv and the yellow-marked KČT hiking trail from Hluboká nad Vltavou to Dubné also pass by. The different routes provide a practical basis when choosing between cycling, hiking and spending time by the water for your trip. Another historical reference is the Žabovřeský mlýn mill, which local tradition associates with Jan Žižka spending a night there on his journey from Poděhusy Castle to Zlatá Koruna.

If you would like to extend your research to other places, you can find Vitín, Polzov, Vráto, Temelín, Štěpánovice, Svatý Jan Nad Malší, Nuzice and Betschitz here.

For the higher-level travel overview: České Budějovice District.