Osek: Chapel, Castle and Hiking

Osek Among Cultural Monuments and Hiking Trails

Osek combines historic buildings, a Jewish cemetery, and hiking and excursion routes. The listed Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk stands in the southern part of Osek on the main road. It was built in the second half of the 18th century with Baroque elements, on a rectangular ground plan with a three-sided termination. The combination of a clear basic form, three-sided termination and Baroque design defines the character of this sacred building. The chapel thus creates a distinctive accent alongside the history of the castle, the cemetery and the rural paths.

Castle, Landscape Park and Jewish Cemetery

At the southern edge of Osek lies the extensive Zámek Osek complex with a landscape park. On the site of today’s pseudo-Baroque, four-winged castle, built in 1911, there was a fortress constructed by the Osecký of Brloh family in the 15th century. JUDr. Eduard Daubek commissioned the conversion. The castle complex thus links the memory of a medieval fortification with the present-day building from the early 20th century. For the history of the village, this creates a clear chronological contrast between the 15th-century fortress and the later castle ensemble. The landscape park forms part of the spatial setting of the complex and complements the historic architecture with an extensive outdoor area.

Another stop in the history of the village is the Jewish cemetery of Osek. On its 250-square-metre grounds, around 50 tombstones from the first half of the 19th century have been preserved. The cemetery is freely accessible. Its manageable size and preserved tombstones make it an independent cultural destination, distinct in subject from the history of the castle and Baroque sacred architecture. Those who wish to combine various historical themes in Osek will find here, alongside architectural history, a place of Jewish remembrance.

Hiking and Excursions Around Osek

The municipality’s events calendar lists the spring hike “Okolo Oseka” for 2024, 2025 and 2026. A second event is the “Pochod okolo Oseka” in 2026. The starting point is the village inn, after which the route leads mainly into the forests behind Malá Turná. The two hikes therefore have different emphases: The spring hike is listed for several years, while the second event has a fixed starting point and a predominantly forested route. These differences help you organize your excursion planning by date and landscape character without losing sight of the history of the village.

Osek is also part of a longer excursion loop: The 35-kilometre “Za památkami Radomyšle” tour passes through Osek. South of the village, the wayside shrine of St. Tekla also stands about 1 kilometre along the main road in the direction of Kbelnice. The masonry-built column is considered a valuable landscape feature and a testimony to popular piety. The chapel and wayside shrine are therefore both associated with the main road, but differ in their location and function within the village landscape. Together with the longer tour, the column broadens the cultural perspective beyond the castle and village centre.

More Places to Help You Find Your Bearings

If you would like to continue your research in the same area, here are the other destinations: Třebohostice, Velká Turná, Metly, Kadov, Jinín, Třešovice, Bratronice and Litochovice.

For the broader travel overview: Strakonice District.