Staré Město: Great Moravia, Waterways and Family Experiences

Staré Město between Great Moravian history and active excursions

Staré Město combines impressive evidence of its Great Moravian past with unusual family experiences, cycling by the water and excursions on the Baťa Canal. Those looking for accommodation can therefore choose the town according to their preferred holiday focus: culture and archaeology, outdoor activities or a variety of things to do with children.

Great Moravia at several historic sites

The Great Moravia Memorial stands above the foundations of the Great Moravian church “Na Valách” and has been a national cultural monument since 1969. Three exhibitions focus on the history of Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius, and the prehistory of the Uherskohradišťsko region. This gives visitors several historical perspectives instead of focusing on a single building.

Another historical focal point is Špitálky in Staré Město. It is home to a national cultural monument with the foundations of a Great Moravian church and traces of earlier settlement. The foundations at Na Špitálkách were discovered in 1949; the excavations also revealed a cemetery with 42 richly furnished graves. At the Church of St. Michael, the site of a 9th-century rotunda recalls the town’s early history. Inside, visitors can see the remains of the former rotunda beneath an illuminated glass panel. The church also includes the former ossuary chapel of St. John the Baptist.

The Church of the Holy Spirit provides a different architectural accent. Its rotunda-shaped floor plan symbolises a Great Moravian church, while the main nave is clad in glass. The vestibule is open to visitors every day during the day, but it cannot be visited during services.

KOVOZOO and other family experiences

KOVOZOO is located on a reconstructed former sugar factory site and displays animals made of metal. It also features industrial, firefighting and agricultural machinery. KOVOZOO is also home to the Veteran Museum, an indoor permanent exhibition of historic cars and motorcycles opened in 2019. Around six dozen vehicles are on display, manufactured from the beginning of the 20th century through the 1970s. Admission to the Veteran Museum is included in the KOVOZOO admission price; the Maják Šrotík observation tower is also included.

Other areas add a range of different themes to the visit. The terrarium features, among other animals, pythons, venomous snakes, a caiman, desert and rainforest lizards, monitor lizards, poison dart frogs, turtles, spiders and scorpions. It was moved to larger premises in Staré Město in March 2024. Commentated tours with the option of individual adaptation are available for schools and groups. At the Experience Forge, visitors can also take part in blacksmithing courses and experience the craft in practice. The Museum of Blacksmithing is open daily and accessible to all KOVOZOO visitors.

Water, cycling and outdoor activities

The signposted paved cycle path along the Baťa Canal and the Morava River passes through Staré Město and is suitable for road bikes. For excursions on the water, Hamboot rents motorboats and canoes for trips on the Baťa Canal and the Morava River. Houseboats are also available for longer stays on the Baťa Canal and in its surroundings. The Staré Město landing stage is accessed from the road bridge; a boat slipway is located behind the premises of the nearby car dealership.

Other options include the Širůch outdoor swimming pool, with a 50-metre outdoor pool with a slide, a children’s paddling pool, a beach volleyball court, table tennis and a children’s playground. MOTOKÁRY Staré Město is an outdoor go-kart track on the edge of the REC-Group complex. It offers two-seater karts, children’s karts, EASY Min karts with 50 cc engines, and karts specially adapted for people with disabilities. No driving licence is required to drive a kart. At the Rybníček Staré Město Sports Park, Človíčkova stezka combines the history of sport with exercise and child-friendly learning; it includes a wooden outdoor playground.

Choose the right focus for your stay

Staré Město thus offers a variety of ideas for day trips, without reducing culture, water and exercise to the same experience. Other nearby places include Břestek, Kunovice, Uherský Brod, Sušice, Babice U Uherského Hradiště, Nedachlebice, Svárov and Hradčovice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Uherské Hradiště District.