Discover Sany: Church, Canal and History

For planning a stay in Sany, the parish church of St. Andrew, the Sánský Canal and a marked hiking trail offer three specific points of interest. If you are looking for a hotel, you can consider whether you would rather discover Sany through its architectural history, the historic fortress or its waterside landscape. The church and fortress reveal the town’s history, while the canal and hiking trail draw attention to the area’s routes.

St. Andrew’s Church and the town’s early history

St. Andrew’s is the parish church of the Roman Catholic parish of Sány. The church is a rectangular, single-nave building in the Empire style; its tower stands above the east façade. The present church was completed in 1827.

If you plan to attend a service, check the service schedule separately.

The fortress associated with Jan Čapek ze Sán is also part of the town’s history. It stood at the sites of today’s house numbers 2, 3 and 42. Jan Čapek ze Sán was a famous Hussite warrior and ruled from this fortress.

The Sánský Canal and its watercourse

The Sánský Canal was built around 1450 to divert water from the Cidlina to the ponds near Poděbrady. The historic canal remains in the area of Sány to this day. Its history thus connects an earlier purpose—carrying water—with a landscape feature that has survived to the present.

The route begins at Bader, before Sány, where the canal branches off from the Cidlina. It flows through Opolánky, passes Opolany, Odřepsy, Pátek and Křečkov, and joins the Mrlina at Budiměřice. This distinguishes the beginning and end of the watercourse: the Cidlina is its source, and the Mrlina is the river into which it flows. The route through these named places beyond Sány is therefore also part of the story.

Hiking trail and local events

A marked hiking trail runs along the Žehuň–Sány–Libice–Poděbrady route. This offers another way to get a sense of Sány’s location: the hiking trail focuses on the sequence of places, while the canal follows the course from the Cidlina to the Mrlina and the ponds near Poděbrady.

Competitions held by the Sánský Fire Brigade Association are also among the local events. Since 2003, the association has held competitions in Sány for the Mayor’s Cup (Pohár starosty obce), as well as a district league in firefighting attacks. These events complement the architectural and local history with club activities. If you would like to plan your stay around a competition, check the event dates in advance. For 2026, the Želviáda is announced as a canoe trip on the Cidlina towards Kanín, with a refreshment stop planned halfway along the route in Sány. Unlike the fire brigade competitions, this event centres on the river trip, and the refreshments are specifically tied to it.

Discover more destinations: Straky, Kněžice, Hradčany, Netřebice, Vrbice, Kolaje, Velenka, Hořany

For the wider travel overview: Okres Nymburk.