Tvarožná: Santon, Battle History and Cycle Paths

Tvarožná combines a distinctive landscape with vivid traces of local and battle history. At Santon, a rocky steppe, the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, historic fortification remains, and memories of the Battle of Slavkov come together. There are also cycle paths across the battlefield of the Battle of the Three Emperors and through the Brno wine region. This creates a destination where nature, history, and different ways of exploring can be combined.

Santon and the History of the Battlefield

Santon is a 0.39-hectare rocky steppe on Kulm conglomerates. Particularly protected plant species are among the defining features of this area. The site of the field fortification remains forms part of the Santon Nature Monument. Santon also contains the remains of trenches dug by French soldiers in 1805 while fortifying Santon. The landscape is therefore interesting not only as a natural area but also because it bears concrete traces of its former military use.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows on Santon was built in 1832 on the foundations of a wooden chapel dating from 1700. The Gallery of Military Leaders is located on its northern wall. It consists of portraits of commanders who led troops in the vicinity of Santon during the Battle of Slavkov. Paths from the Rohlenka rest area and from Tvarožná end at this chapel. The educational trail dedicated to the Battle of the Three Emperors was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization Mohyla míru-Austerlitz and leads to viewpoints commemorating important locations on the former battlefield.

The historical connection also extends into the present-day culture of remembrance: By 2007 at the latest, Santon in Tvarožná had been the venue for a main program event of the commemorative celebrations of the Battle of Slavkov for more than 25 years—a reenactment of the battle. The diorama of the Battle of Slavkov is located on the first floor of the Tvarožná municipal office. It was created by Alfred Frühwirth and donated to Tvarožná in 1990 by the Viennese group Deutschmeister Schützenkorps. The Jeannette replica is a copy of a French Gribeauval-type eight-pounder gun used in the Battle of Slavkov.

Churches, Monuments and Village Views

The Neo-Gothic parish church of St. Nicholas was built in 1880–1881 on the site of an earlier church dating from the first half of the 14th century. It is a cultural monument and one of Tvarožná’s distinctive architectural landmarks. Below the church stands the Václav Kosmák monument, erected in 1923 by grateful members of the local community. On the village square, the three Tvaroženské Venuše add another distinctive feature: they are bronze sculptures of stylized women by Vladimír Drápal, mounted on concrete plinths in the central area of the village square.

Smaller memorial sites also tell the story of local history. The statue of Saint John of Nepomuk by the stream on the village square is the work of an unknown artist and is registered as a monument. Kosmákův kříž is a polychrome wooden Art Nouveau cross by Matouš Plotěný. It was erected in 1893 by local community members to commemorate the departure of Tvarožná’s priest and writer Václav Kosmák. The Soffer Memorial is a concrete monument in the Functionalist style. It stands at the spot where the 30-year-old racing driver Bedřich Soffer died on September 15, 1928, during a test drive.

The historic building stock also includes the former windmill. It dates from the third quarter of the 19th century and is locally known as Bahnerův mlýn, or the Bahner Mill. The explicit reference to its former use preserves the building’s historical character without implying a present-day function.

Cycle Paths and the Landscape Below Tvarožná

Cycle paths run through Tvarožná, with routes across the battlefield of the Battle of the Three Emperors and through the Brno wine region. This allows historical sites and a regionally distinctive landscape to be connected in different directions, without requiring you to limit yourself to just one way of exploring. Below Tvarožná, a wetland lies at the confluence of the Tvaroženský potok and the Roketnice, providing a habitat for numerous waterbirds. It complements Santon’s dry, rocky landscape with a distinctly different natural environment.

More Destinations for Your Research

If you would like to extend your travel planning beyond Tvarožná, the same selection also includes Syrovice, Borač, Ostopovice, Česká, Predklasteri, Vohančice, Sokolnice and Rudka.

To the main travel overview: Brno-Country District.