Kateřinice: Nature and Culture in the Kateřinka Valley

Kateřinice between Valley, Forest, and Natural Landscapes

Kateřinice is located in the Hostýnské vrchy, 9 kilometres northwest of Vsetín, in a long valley along the Kateřinka stream. Numerous hiking and cycling trails pass through the area. This brings together a clearly defined valley setting and a wide range of opportunities for days spent on foot or by bike.

Water is one of the defining natural features. Březinka is a significant tributary of the Kateřinka and has a natural riverbed. The most valuable meandering section of the Březinka lies north of the fire pond. Forests also shape the landscape: they cover approximately 60 per cent of the cadastral area of Kateřinice.

The 1950-established Dubcová Nature Reserve on Dubcová Hill is particularly diverse. It lies on the eastern slope below the summit, 0.5 kilometres southwest of Kateřinice, at an elevation of 435 to 520 metres. The area includes mixed stands of birch and pine, as well as wet meadows with orchids, early marsh orchid, broad-leaved marsh orchid, yellow flag irises, narrow-leaved cottongrass, and other plants. The reserve also protects wet meadow communities with globe artichoke, calcareous fens, mesic hay meadows, submontane and montane Nardus grasslands, and Carpathian oak-hornbeam forests as habitats for specially protected plant and animal species.

A notable tree stands at Ojíčná: A large lime tree has a trunk circumference of 640 centimetres, was planted at the beginning of the 17th century, and is one of the five largest lime trees in the former Vsetín District. The hills and forests around Kateřinice also offer good viewpoints for photographers. In winter, the ridges of the local hills provide good conditions for cross-country ski trails.

Trails, Seasons, and Local History

For a longer hike, the walking trip from Kateřinice to Lázy Loučka covers approximately 5 kilometres uphill in total and takes about 3 hours overall. An asphalt road also leads from Kateřinice to Lázy Loučka. Bus route 628 operates between Hošťálková, Kateřinice, and Valašské Meziříčí from 14 June 2026 to 12 December 2026.

The local history also reveals several distinct facets. The memorial to those who fell in the First and Second World Wars stands by the primary school; it was unveiled on 29 September 1946. In Ojíčná, a partisan memorial commemorates the fighter Franta Belgičan, who fell there on 8 March 1945. The Protestant church in Kateřinice was built in 1952, Kateřinice has a school building dating from 1910, and a church is surrounded by a garden.

A distinctive cultural connection of the town is the Zvonky Dobré zprávy ensemble. Based in Kateřinice, the ensemble was founded on 6 July 2011 during an international handbell camp in Kateřinice and is considered the only ensemble of its kind in the Czech Republic. Traditional household crafts included making brooms, baskets, and wooden tools, as well as weaving seats for factories producing bentwood furniture.

Discover Local Traditions

The more recent events calendar included four summer gatherings under the name “Snídaně v trávě”. The four editions documented in 2025 were themed around sweet, English, Wallachian, and fire-related topics. These themes show how differently local gatherings in Kateřinice were organised, without reducing the town to a single attraction.

For further orientation, you can also discover Choryně, Lázy, Prostřední Bečva, Francova Lhota, Jarcová, Rosenau, Mikulůvka, and Lužná U Vsetína.

For the higher-level travel overview: Vsetín District.