Vlachovo Březí: Pilgrimage and Cultural Heritage

The town’s history, religious buildings and an annual pilgrimage offer different reasons to visit Vlachovo Březí. The town was granted market town status in 1538 and city status in 1868. Other features include a Jewish cemetery, traces of brewing history and excursion destinations with seasonal conditions.

Town history and architecture

Vlachovo Březí was granted market town status in 1538, before becoming a city in 1868. It is also designated a conservation area; the designation dates back to a 1995 decree. These two historical dates and the later conservation designation mark different milestones in the town’s history.

The Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Zvěstování Panny Marie) dates from the mid-17th century and was built by Karel Leopold, Count of Millesimo. Another architectural feature is the former smithy, “Bývalá kovárna”: it is a residential and farm building whose southern gable has volute wings and stucco decoration typical of Jakub Bursa.

The Jewish cemetery contains around 200 tombstones; the oldest dates from 1729. The cemetery is freely accessible. As visiting arrangements may change independently, check them before your visit.

The château also combines several architectural features: the ground floor has original stone masonry two metres thick and Romanesque-style barrel vaults; Baroque stucco ceilings have been preserved on the first floor. The château is currently unused and not open to the public. Check visitor information again before your trip.

The Panský pivovar brewery was founded around 1670 and operated until 1924. This period places the brewing heritage within the town’s history without implying that the former brewery is operating today.

Pilgrimage and seasonal excursions

At the sv. Ducha pilgrimage site, you will find two distinct forms of the Stations of the Cross: the uphill path to the site includes a Calvary group and fourteen chapels. The sv. Ducha pilgrimage chapel contains fourteen relief-style wood carvings of the Stations of the Cross. The chapels along the path and the carvings inside the chapel are therefore two different expressions of the same religious motif.

Every year around the transition from May to June, the large Svatodušní pouť (Pentecost pilgrimage) takes place in Vlachovo Březí. If you would like to plan your trip around the pilgrimage, check the dates for the relevant year before travelling.

For a summer outing, consider the nearby natural swimming pool on the road to Libotyně. You can cool off there during the summer months; check its seasonal opening before your visit.

The excursion “Za kozlíky, pivovary a nejhezčími holkami do Vlachova Březí” (“In search of billy goats, breweries and the prettiest girls in Vlachovo Březí”) can be done with an all-terrain stroller and with dogs on a leash. As trail surface conditions may change, check them before setting off. The planning considerations therefore differ: the pilgrimage takes place during a particular period each year, the natural swimming pool is a summer destination, and current trail conditions should be checked for the excursion.

Discover more destinations: Lhenice, Zálezly, Budkov, Račov, Šumavské Hoštice, Nová Pec, Repesin, Buk Pod Boubínem

For the higher-level travel overview: Prachatice District.