Chmelík: Natural Monuments and Village History

Explore Chmelík through three themes: natural monuments, the character of the village, and sacred art. These themes can help guide your choice of stay: you can focus on nature, settlement history, or religious culture. The specific topics range from protected habitats and historic houses to a church, a pilgrimage Mass, and a statue.

Natural Monuments and Habitats

The Sněženky ve Vysokém lese Natural Monument was first designated on June 15, 1994. It protects waterlogged ecosystems with an abundant population of snowdrops. For nature enthusiasts, the connection between the plant and its habitat is important: the focus is not only on the snowdrops, but also on the wet ecosystems where they grow.

Another natural monument, V bukách, protects a near-natural beech forest with lush undergrowth. It is one of two natural monuments in the cadastral area of Chmelík. The habitats in focus therefore differ: waterlogged ecosystems with snowdrops and a near-natural beech forest. Sněženkové údolí is distinct from Sněženky ve Vysokém lese. This natural monument lies in the Vysoký les forest complex, about 2.5 km southwest of Chmelík and 1.2 km southeast of the settlement of Vysoký Les. The similar names thus refer to different natural monuments and should be distinguished when finding your way around.

Village Character and Local History

Chmelík is a village of the elongated-row type, with irregularly arranged buildings. The term combines a settlement form laid out lengthwise with a non-uniform layout. The fields originally extended on both sides of the valley and usually ended at a stream, a path, or a depression in the terrain. Their boundaries therefore followed different local features; the description of the fields also preserves a record of an earlier landscape structure.

Several wooden log houses still standing in Chmelík originated in so-called Franconian farmsteads, which arrived in the Bohemian lands through colonization in the 13th and 14th centuries. The local history thus connects surviving log houses with a much older settlement context. The Trstenická stezka also ran through Chmelík. In addition to the settlement form and buildings, an earlier route is therefore part of the village’s history.

Church, Pilgrimage Mass, and Statue

The late Baroque Church of St. John of Nepomuk was built from 1780 to 1782 and consecrated in 1790. The construction period and the year of consecration mark two stages in the church’s history. A pilgrimage Mass is held in the church once a year at 9:30 a.m., following prior announcement. If you plan your trip around this event, check the parish’s latest announcement before you travel.

A copy of the statue of the Man of Sorrows (Bolestný Kristus) was made in 1973 by academic sculptor František Janda. Only three examples of the statue of the Man of Sorrows (Socha Bolestného Krista) exist in the Czech Republic. The details about the church and the statue copy span the late Baroque building history and an artwork from the 20th century.

Discover more destinations: Korouhev, Vlčkov, Lubná, Pomezí, Radkov, Řídký, Študlov, Oldris.

For the broader travel overview: Svitavy District.