Starý Maletín: Local History and Sandstone

Starý Maletín offers two clear starting points for planning your trip: historic buildings and Maletín sandstone. The town’s history includes a parish church with a cemetery, several religious sculptures and a house featuring decorative sandstone details. At Kubíčkův lom, there is a nature trail and an outdoor photographic gallery. This gives you the option of focusing on either cultural and historical details or the story of a regional material. If you are looking for a hotel for a trip to Starý Maletín, these specific interests can help you decide what to focus on during your stay.

Church, Cemetery and Religious Art

The parish Church of St Nicholas in Starý Maletín dates from 1804–1805. Its grounds include the cemetery, a perimeter wall and gates; the cemetery wall dates from the early 19th century. A local stone cross dating from 1750, situated by the rectory, is part of the church grounds. Behind the church, in the cemetery, is the Calvary ensemble from 1848. It depicts Christ on the cross, as well as Mary Magdalene, Our Lady of Sorrows and St John the Evangelist.

The dates give the ensemble different points of reference: the cross from 1750 and the Calvary ensemble from 1848 are almost a century apart; the church, built in 1804–1805, provides a separate point in between. If you are interested in religious art, you can also take a closer look at the figures depicted in the Calvary ensemble: besides Christ, the scene includes three other figures.

Buildings and Sculptures in the Townscape

House No. 1 is a building of traditional masonry architecture dating from the first half of the 19th century. It is richly decorated with Maletín sandstone; its portal dates from 1839. The house shows that sandstone is not only the subject of a nature trail but is also used as decoration on a building.

The Marian column in the town centre is a Baroque sculpture dating from 1725, with an addition made in 1883. The two dates should be distinguished: 1725 refers to the original date, while 1883 marks the later addition. Another Baroque sculpture is the statue of St John of Nepomuk. It dates from the second quarter of the 18th century and is attributed to the sculptor J. H. Heintz. This attribution is distinct from a confirmed identification of the sculptor.

Maletín Sandstone and Its Uses

Sandstone has been quarried around Maletín since the 16th century. Later, it was increasingly used for large buildings and sculptures. This gives the nature trail’s subject a historical context: sandstone features both as a local material and as a material for architecture and sculpture.

At Kubíčkův lom, there is a nature trail about Maletín sandstone and an outdoor photographic gallery. The gallery’s captions cover sandstone fossils of plants and animals. The two attractions have different focuses: the nature trail is about the rock, while the gallery draws attention to the fossils identified in its captions. Anyone interested in the natural history of the material will find a different perspective here from that offered by the town’s historic buildings and sculptures.

Landscape and Travel Planning

Starý Maletín lies in a hollow in the western part of the Mírovská vrchovina, which is surrounded by forests on almost all sides. This description of its location adds a landscape setting to the town’s historical details without equating the distinct subjects of sandstone and buildings.

Bus services provide public transport in the municipality of Maletín. Before planning your specific journey, check the timetable for your travel date. When looking for a hotel, you can also first decide whether the town’s history or Maletín sandstone is the main reason for choosing this destination. The church, sculptures, house and attractions at Kubíčkův lom offer different points of interest to help you decide.

Discover more destinations: Jedlí, Kamenná, Úsov, Rájec, Mala Morava, Dubicko, Líšnice U Mohelnice, Jindrichov

For the broader travel overview: Šumperk District.