Štěnovice – Castle, History and Nature

Štěnovice offers several distinct reasons to stay: a Baroque castle on the Úhlava, a historic road bridge, the Jewish cemetery and outdoor destinations. The town’s history is reflected in different ways—from a date on the castle portal to inscriptions on gravestones. It is also important for your planning to know that not every site can be visited spontaneously: the locked cemetery can be visited by prior arrangement.

Castle, Church and Different Reasons to Visit

The Baroque Štěnovice Castle stands on the left bank of the Úhlava; the date 1723 is inscribed above the entrance portal. The ground floor houses an exhibition of historic photographs of the Štěnovice estate. The private owner occasionally opens the castle for guided tours, depending on scheduled events.

A red-marked hiking trail also runs around the castle. It offers a distinct way to view the building while hiking; the trail and a guided tour inside the castle are different ways to visit.

Since 2008, the Church of St. Procopius, together with its extensive, renovated garden, has occasionally been opened to visitors each year—not only for religious services, but also for concerts, exhibitions, children’s events and spiritual gatherings. The individual openings depend on events. The church’s history also includes the mid-18th century, when Spanish monks of the Trinitarian Order lived for three decades in a newly established small monastery.

Cemetery, Bridge and Estate

The Jewish cemetery lies on the southern slope above the Losinský potok and was founded on 1 August 1795. The grounds contain 164 gravestones with inscriptions in Hebrew, German and Czech. The three languages make the multilingual nature of the inscriptions a distinctive feature of the site. The cemetery has been listed as a cultural monument since 2016. It is locked and can be visited by prior arrangement. Confirm your appointment before visiting.

The road bridge in Štěnovice crosses the Úhlava as a straight reinforced-concrete girder bridge. It was built in 1905 by the company Müller & Kapsa and is protected as a cultural monument. The former estate in Štěnovice is also protected as a cultural monument and is historically connected with the adjoining castle grounds.

In Plzeňská Street, near the bridge, the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk was returned to its plinth. It was created by the academic sculptors and AVU graduates, the married couple Šmídovi.

Quarry and Landscape

Lom Štěnovice quarry is a small spot closely connected with nature. There is a small car park on the outskirts of town; the quarry is about 200 metres from there. Nearby, a forest path leads to the Komárov viewpoint, which offers a view of the surrounding landscape. This adds a scenic destination to the area’s buildings and historic sites.

The different visiting arrangements can help with planning: castle tours are occasional and depend on scheduled events, the locked cemetery requires a prior arrangement, and the church’s openings depend on events. This allows you to combine visits to historic sites with the hiking trail or scenic spots.

Discover more destinations: Radkovice U Příchovic, Čmelíny, Přeštice, Oselce, Ptenín, Neurazy, Bolkov, Netunice

For the broader travel overview: Plzeň-Jih.