Hovorany – Wine Trails, Wine Cellar Lanes and Culture

Hovorany combines wine landscapes, village culture and short as well as extended discoveries. A particularly distinctive feature is the wine educational trail through the communities of Moravian Slovakia: the 31 km route can be started in Hovorany and is well suited to cycling. Those who prefer a shorter tour can take “Hovoranskými vinohrady za vínem”, a 5 km circular route around Hovorany suitable for pedestrians and cycling tourists. Along the route, at least 20 wineries await visitors with a selection of their own wines.

Experiencing wine: trails, cellars and events

The wine culture is evident not only along the trails. The traditional wine event “Den otevřených sklepů” allows visitors to visit up to 25 wineries and taste a total of more than 300 wine samples. The programme includes guided tours of wineries with explanations, singing groups, performances by the winemakers’ children and evening entertainment. At “Hovoranskými vinohrady za vínem”, men’s choirs and an evening programme featuring the Rubáš cimbalom band from Buchlovice add to the supporting programme.

For a focused wine tasting, the wine cellar of Vinařství Machalínek is located in the Hluboká cesta cellar area in Hovorany, where wine tastings with expert explanations take place. Na Benátkách offers a special view of the village: the wine cellar lane lies directly by Hovoranský rybník and has a lookout point overlooking the picturesque wine cellars. The wine cellars of Na Benátkách are reflected in the surface of the local pond. The cellar lane also offers wine tastings and seating.

Church, museum and local history

Hovorany also has distinctive cultural attractions beyond viticulture. The Church of St John the Baptist was built in 1721–1725 by expanding an early Baroque chapel dating from 1670. The single-nave Baroque building has a striking prismatic tower on its western façade. The Hovorany Museum is housed in a listed building with typical folk architecture and a painted façade. Its historical artefacts range from housing and agriculture to mining, viticulture and local crafts. Another exhibition is dedicated to the local artist, academic sculptor and medallist Václav Adolf Kovanič.

The village landscape also includes the Church of the Redeemer of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, built in 1957, and the painted Rochus Chapel, built in 1834. The Hovoranské hody 2026 in Hovorany was a five-day festival featuring folklore, music and traditional folk costumes; it included the raising of the maypole, processions in traditional dress and evening entertainment.

Nature in the surrounding area

Near Hovorany lies Hovoranské louky, approximately 1.5 km northwest of the municipality in the direction of Karlín. The protected area belongs to the European Natura 2000 network for nature conservation. It protects steppe and dry-grassland communities with rare, endangered and protected plant species. This protected area therefore complements the wine trails and visits to the village with a landscape aspect, without losing sight of Hovorany’s character as a wine-growing village.

Other destinations in South Moravia: Veselí Nad Moravou, Malá Vrbka, Lužice, Hýsly, Celoznice, Kyjov, Labuty and Rohatec.

To the main travel overview: Hodonín District.