Veselíčko – Castle History, Church Art and Cycling Routes

Historic Traces Around the Castle and Church

Veselíčko is a destination for you if you would like to combine local history with cycling. The castle, church, park and family crypt represent different chapters of history; at the same time, two cycling routes pass through or over Veselíčko. In the castle grounds, St. Anne’s Chapel and the English landscape park represent two different sides of the local history, while statues and a cross at the church provide further specific points of interest. When choosing accommodation, you can therefore first consider whether your stay should focus more on the historical sites or on a cycling tour.

St. Anne’s Chapel and the English Landscape Park

At Veselíčko Castle, Josef Bretfeld established St. Anne’s Chapel in 1798. The chapel was expanded as early as 1801 and opened to ordinary worshippers. Josef Bretfeld also created an English landscape park at Veselíčko Castle and below the pond dam. The castle grounds thus combine a religious structure with a landscaped park area. Together, these two elements complement the history of the castle with religious and landscape-related aspects.

St. Anne’s Church and Stone Memorials

St. Anne’s Church in Veselíčko was built in 1851. It was consecrated from 9 to 11 September 1854. Two sandstone statues stand in front of the church: St. John of Nepomuk and St. Erasmus the Martyr. A cross with the crucified Christ, dating from 1910, also stands in front of the church. The church site thus combines architectural history, religious representations and a memorial from 1910.

The Nádherný Family Crypt in the Castle Grounds

The Nádherný family crypt is located in the castle grounds of Veselíčko and is a cultural monument of the Písek region. The family crypt of the Nádherný lords, Knights of Borutín, was completed on 11 August 1892. In Veselíčko, the crypt is described as the only surviving memorial to Emil Nádherný. This connection adds another specific testimony to the region’s collective memory to the history of the castle and church. Together with the chapel, park and church, the crypt extends the historical focus of the village into the family history of the Nádherný family.

Veselíčko on Two Cycling Routes

Two cycling routes with different itineraries are available for planning your excursions. The 86-kilometre cycling loop “Cykloturistický okruh regionem Milevsko” passes through Veselíčko and includes Veselíčko Castle as a listed stop. The “Vesele ke Smutné” cycling loop passes through Veselíčko. Its starting point can be reached by car or bus. The route and length provide an initial orientation when you want to compare different cycling excursions. The 86 kilometres of the Milevsko loop make it an extensive cycling excursion; with “Vesele ke Smutné”, you can also take the accessibility of the starting point into account when planning.

If you are looking for accommodation in Veselíčko, you can focus your further research on these two topics: historical sites around the castle, church and crypt, or the village’s integration into a cycling route.

More Destinations to Research

Hrejkovice, Oslov, Záluží, Tálín, Přeborov, Varvažov, Mirovice, Orlík nad Vltavou

To the overarching travel overview: Písek District.