Discover Hlinsko V Cechách

Hlinsko V Cechách combines folk architecture and craft traditions with museum history, nature trails and other visitor attractions. When planning a trip, you can consider the cultural sites and routes through the landscape as distinct areas of interest.

Getting to Hlinsko

The Pardubice–Havlíčkův Brod railway line, which has been in operation since 1871, runs through Hlinsko. By road, Hlinsko is located on State Road 1/34. It connects Polička and Havlíčkův Brod and is linked to the D1 motorway.

Folk architecture and crafts in Betlém Hlinsko

The preserved Betlém Hlinsko quarter of folk architecture lies in the centre of Hlinsko on the right bank of the Chrudimka. The heritage reserve comprises 24 buildings, 16 of which are cultural monuments. On a guided tour, visitors can enter several buildings and see exhibitions about the lives of small-scale craftspeople.

Betlém also has craft workshops. A weaving workshop preserves the production of textile goods, especially the well-known Hlinecké žinylky. Alongside its architecture, the quarter thus showcases local craft traditions. If you are interested in this aspect of cultural history, the guided tours and workshops offer practical insights into various aspects of craftspeople’s lives.

Museum, church and historic buildings

The Městské muzeum is housed in a former Jewish synagogue and was founded in 1874 as the fourth rural museum. Its permanent exhibition covers the history of Hlinsko, education, associations, clothing, textiles and traditional crafts. The exhibition also includes a fully functioning orchestrion.

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary also offers a chance to compare different periods: the Baroque church was built between 1730 and 1745, but its bell dates from 1520 and its baptismal font from 1628. The Tvrz is considered the oldest building in Hlinsko. It stands next to Ježdíkův dům, also known as Dům u tvrze, in the lower left-hand part of Poděbradovo náměstí. Ježdíkův dům is built in the Neo-Gothic style; its façade frescoes depict the crafts typical of Hlinsko: pottery and weaving.

The Židovský hřbitov was established in 1904, covers 380 m² and is one of the smallest Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic by area. Visitors can borrow the key for access from the Turistické informační centrum Hlinsko.

The Masopust tradition and regional folk buildings

The village Masopust processions and masks in Hlinecko were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. During the processions, four dancers known as turci perform a ceremonial dance in front of every house. Blatno, a district of Hlinsko, is among the places where the processions take place.

In the area around Hlinsko, Veselý Kopec is home to a collection of relocated folk buildings. The buildings come from Hlinecko, Poličsko, Litomyšlsko and parts of Chrudimsko, and stand in the settlement’s original landscape. The collection expands the view of folk architecture with buildings from several regional areas of origin.

Ponds and trails through the landscape

Hlinsko and its region lie at the transition between the Žďárské vrchy and Železné hory protected landscape areas. The Pohádková stezka leads to the Ratajské rybníky, which have been protected as a natural monument since 1990. They consist of three ponds with wetlands and marsh meadows.

The Pohádková stezka is 2 km long in total; the stated walking time of 45 minutes applies to the full round trip. It starts at the cross-country skiing area in Rataje and is also suitable for children, families with pushchairs, people with disabilities and seniors. The Lázeňská stezka follows a different route: it leads from the centre of Hlinsko towards Studnice and returns via Svatojánské Lázně. Beside the trail, next to the road from Hlinsko to Svatojánské Lázně, stands a heart-leaved lime tree protected as a memorial tree.

More visitor attractions

The Skiareál Hlinsko has three downhill runs: a 250 m blue run, a 450 m red run with a road overpass, and a 250 m black run. Since the run configuration may change, check current operating details separately. The Vzdělávací centrum Planeta Hlinsko offers visitors an entertaining introduction to processes and phenomena that occur on Earth.

Discover more destinations: Chroustovice, Miřetice U Nasavrk, Stolany, Žumberk, Parizov, Bylany, Hošťalovice, Honbice

For the broader travel overview: Okres Chrudim.