Hrusice: St. Wenceslas Church, Josef Lada and walking trails

Hrusice offers several points of interest for a stay: sacred architecture, places commemorating Josef Lada, a museum garden, and two themed trails. You can divide your time between local cultural history and exploring places associated with Lada’s characters. The places and routes described here each have a different focus, from the striking church portal to the museum garden and the trail markers and stops along the routes.

St. Wenceslas Church and memorial sites

St. Wenceslas Church in Hrusice is late Romanesque. Its exceptionally richly decorated, tiered portal is particularly striking. The church is listed as an immovable cultural monument in the Central List of Cultural Monuments; its registration number is 15233/2-2070. This brings the building’s architectural design together with its protected monument status.

Near the church stands a bronze bust of Josef Lada on a tall stone plinth. A winter linden tree is also nearby, estimated to be more than 500 years old. The age is an estimate and may change, particularly in the case of a natural monument. The church, bust, and tree each offer a different point of interest: architecture, a tribute to the artist, and a distinctive tree are all among the places described here.

Another memorial site is the location of Lada’s former birthplace. The original house was demolished in 1932. A commemorative plaque was added to the replacement house in 1958. This sequence of events helps distinguish today’s memorial site from the birthplace that no longer exists.

Josef Lada and the museum garden

Josef Lada’s former villa in Hrusice now serves as a museum. It preserves his life, unique illustrations, and literary contributions. The garden of the Památník Josefa Lady a jeho dcery Aleny museum also contains Lada’s original mushroom forest. The garden adds a place shaped by Lada’s themes to the experience of his life and work.

Since 2010, sculptures inspired by Lada’s themes have stood in the garden. They include “Chlapec s káčou” by Tomáš Havlík, “Lampa” by Hana Nováková, “Pískoviště” by Pavel Charypar, and “Lavičky” by Václav Mašek. At the back of the garden is also an arboretum of old fruit varieties, established in 2009. The four sculptures and the arboretum are distinct features of the garden: art inspired by Lada on the one hand, and a collection of old fruit varieties on the other.

Two trails with different routes

The Cesta kocoura Mikeše runs for 25 kilometres from Hrusice to Mukařov. Its 14 stops are based on Josef Lada’s story about the cat Mikeš. White waymarkers and 25 granite kilometre stones mark the route, which can be divided into several day stages. It is therefore a longer route with a literary connection that can be completed in several sections.

The Pohádkové Hrusice nature trail is four kilometres long, starts and ends in Hrusice, and includes six information boards about fairy-tale characters and stories by Josef Lada. Unlike the route to Mukařov, this trail returns to Hrusice. Its length, route, and number of stops or boards give you concrete points of comparison when deciding which trail best fits your stay. Check the route and signage before your trip, as details may change.

Practical information for your visit

Visitors can park in the parking lot on the square by the church. Visitor toilets, including an accessible toilet, are available behind the villa. The access code is printed on the admission ticket. If you use this information to plan your visit, check local conditions before travelling. This will help you take your journey and visits to the places mentioned into account when planning your accommodation, without confusing the two themed trails or the individual memorial sites.

Discover more destinations: Libeznice, Vodochody, Nová Ves, Káraný, Nový Vestec, Květnice, Radějovice, Zeleneč.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Praha-Východ.