Radětice: Views, Chapels and Local History

Radětice combines landscapes with local history: a lookout tower on the edge of the forest, religious buildings, early medieval burial mounds and a war memorial each offer a different focus. They range from views over the surrounding area to historic sites whose origins and significance can be put into context using specific dates.

Views and Landscapes

The Rozhledna Radětice lookout tower stands west of Radětice on the edge of the forest. From there, the view extends over approximately 150 degrees, from northeast to southeast, particularly towards Bechyně and the surrounding municipalities and settlements. This range of view makes the lookout a distinctive landscape feature: the view takes in a broad stretch between the directions mentioned, not a full panorama. When choosing a destination, this view offers a different focus from the religious buildings and memorials, whose significance is primarily shaped by their history.

The Plziny Nature Park extends partly into the cadastral area of Radětice u Bechyně. Its purpose is to preserve the landscape character of an extensive forest complex with bodies of water, as well as its significant natural and aesthetic values. The focus of the nature park is therefore the character of the landscape, rather than a single building or lookout point.

Religious Buildings in Radětice

The Kaplička-zvonice chapel and bell tower in Radětice was built in 1921 and is 11.80 metres high. Its original interior paintings, pictorial decorations featuring four images of saints, and altar were restored in 2002. This distinguishes the date of construction from the later restoration: the first date refers to the building’s construction, while the second refers to work on the interior decoration and altar.

Another religious building is the semicircular Chapel of Saint Mary. The farmer Jan Kožíšek had it built in 1857. Today, it stands in Radětice on the main road towards Bechyně, is privately owned, and was renovated in 1997 at the municipality’s expense. Its history combines a specific construction date with two later details about ownership and renovation, which are relevant to understanding the site.

The Church and Burial Mounds in Poušť Forest

On a rocky rise in Poušť Forest, the devout Count Jan Norbert ze Štenberka had the Church of Saint John the Baptist and a hermitage built in 1676. Since 1980, the Evangelical Methodist Church has held Christian education courses on the church grounds; the grounds are also used by the church for recreational purposes. The history of the site therefore includes both its founding in the 17th century and its religious use since 1980.

Poušť Forest is also home to 14 surviving Slavic burial mounds arranged in two rows. The total number of early medieval burial mounds is given as 14 to 16; some others were destroyed or had only been observed in the past. The figures therefore refer to different totals: 14 mounds survive, while the overall figure includes additional mounds.

A Memorial to Radětice Residents

The Radětice war memorial bears the names of 30 local residents who fell in the First World War. It therefore offers a different historical focus from the burial mounds in Poušť Forest: here, the emphasis is on commemorating residents from a clearly identified era. Together, these sites show just how far apart Radětice’s historical connections are in time.

Discover more destinations: Dobronice U Bechyne, Slapy, Oldřichov, Zlukov, Budislav, Březnice, Zadní Střítež, Šebířov.

See the broader travel overview: Okres Tábor.