Discover Cetechovice

Cetechovice combines the landscape of the Chřiby Mountains with unusual traces of marble and a concentrated historic town center. If you are looking for a stay that places nature and culture close together, you will find several clearly distinguishable points of interest here: mountains and springs above the village, a route along a blue-marked hiking trail, Cetechovice Castle and evidence from the village’s history.

Landscape between the Chřiby Mountains and Mramůrka

Cetechovice lies in the heart of the Chřiby Mountains. Above the village rises Mount Brdo, at an elevation of 587 meters. Also above Cetechovice is Studýnka Panny Marie, a spring on the western slope of Mount Pláňava. Below this spring lies the natural formation known as Mořské oko. This sequence of mountain, spring and rock formation gives the surroundings a clearly recognizable landscape structure.

A special connection with geological history can be seen at Mramůrka, about 800 meters southeast of Cetechovice. There, a section of Jurassic seabed from around 120 million years ago can be found in the form of limestone transformed into marble. The local rock formation Mramůrka is also connected with the former mining of marble in Cetechovice. Three former marble quarries lie at the foot of the 561-meter-high Mount Vlčák southeast of Cetechovice.

Hiking Route and Distinctive Rocks

The route “From Cetechovice via Vlčák to Gavendova skála” begins in Cetechovice and follows a blue-marked hiking trail. A side path on this route leads to the Pod Mramůrkou forest spring, where simple wooden seats have been installed. Mramůrka can be reached on foot via a blue-marked tourist route covering approximately 1 km. Anyone exploring this route should be aware of the nature of Gavendova skála: the rock formation is rugged, very steep in places and dangerous.

A path also runs along the ridge of the surrounding Chřiby Mountains, separating the Cetechovice Forest from the Buchlov Forest. The area therefore offers not only individual natural points of interest, but also a comprehensible connection between a marked route, woodland landscape and geological features.

Castle, Church and Town Center

The Baroque Cetechovice Castle was built between 1731 and 1738 on the site of a Renaissance fortress. It is a simple rectangular Baroque building with a small courtyard and a monumental portal. Its layout features four wings around an irregular courtyard and a mansard roof. In the center of the village stands a stone crucifix dating from 1753. The village square, near the castle, is also home to a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk dating from around the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary in Cetechovice is a late medieval church that was remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries. Inside is a tombstone for Jan Kokorský z Kokor, who died in 1559. The history of the marble also extends beyond the village: marble from Cetechovice was used for the portals and all the door and window surrounds at Kroměříž Castle. It was also used for several altars in Olomouc Cathedral and in St. James’s Church in Brno.

More Places

For further options, you can also view the place pages for Ludslavice, Rymice, Třebětice, Zástřizly, Prasklice, Zdounky, Loukov and Kremsier.

To the higher-level travel overview: Kroměříž District.