Bořetice – Chapel, History and Castle in the Surrounding Area

Bořetice combines a connection to the landscape with a local history spanning several centuries, in which natural features and historical evidence stand side by side. This connection extends from the Bořetický stream on the southeastern edge of the village, through the chapel and war memorial, to early written and biographical records.

The Bořetický stream on the southeastern edge of the village

The Bořetický stream runs along the southeastern edge of Bořetice. It is a right-bank tributary of the Trnava. Those who wish to take in the landscape as well as the historical sites in Bořetice will find a watercourse on the southeastern edge of the village. Its course adds a landscape feature at the edge of the village to the chapel and memorial.

Chapel and culture of remembrance

The chapel in Bořetice was built in the second half of the 19th century in the Neo-Gothic style. Its bell is significantly older than the chapel building. The chapel therefore combines Neo-Gothic architectural expression with an older piece of furnishings. In this location, the building and the bell represent different historical periods.

The Bořetice memorial to the victims of the First World War was erected in 1928. Photographs of six fallen men are mounted on it. The commemoration is thus linked to six individual people and, in addition to the year of its erection, has a specific human dimension.

First mentioned in 1300

The first written record of Bořetice dates from 1300 and reads “villa Boreticz ad Horzepnik”. In its early history, Bořetice belonged to the archbishopric domain of Červená Řečice. The village is therefore connected both with an early written record and with the domain of Červená Řečice at that time. The 1300 entry predates the chapel and the memorial by a considerable margin. The period from 1300 to the erection of the memorial in 1928 spans more than six centuries.

Individual life stories also lead to Bořetice. The historian Václav Žáček was born in Bořetice in 1905. The connection with Bishop Franz Žak is different: it is not his place of birth but the origin of his parents that leads to Bořetice. These two biographical connections highlight different aspects of the village’s history.

Červená Řečice Castle and bus connections

In the vicinity of Bořetice, 5 km to the east and not in the village itself, lies Červená Řečice Castle. The national cultural monument complex offers guided tours with commentary. It is therefore a separate site outside Bořetice and complements the village’s historical evidence with a destination in the surrounding area.

Bořetice is served by the Hořepník–Pacov, Pacov–Pelhřimov and Lukavec–Pelhřimov bus routes. Each of the three routes connects two places. Pacov and Pelhřimov are each part of two connections. Hořepník and Lukavec are each part of one of the three routes. For further searches for suitable destinations, you can also consider Horní Ves, Hojanovice, Vokov, Kletecna, Dubovice, Cetoraz, Eš and Libkova Voda.

For the broader travel overview: Pelhřimov District.