Hovorany – Wine Routes, Cellar Lanes and Culture

Hovorany combines wine-making traditions with historic buildings and a protected area nearby. There are various options to shape your travel plans: a cycling route through the Moravian Slovakia region, a shorter circular route during a wine event, cultural sites in the village, or the landscape around Hovoranské louky. This gives you the chance to consider which of these aspects matters most for your stay.

Wine Routes and Events

The 31-kilometre wine trail through the villages of Moravian Slovakia is easy to cycle and can also be started in Hovorany. In addition, the recurring event “Hovoranskými vinohrady za vínem” includes a five-kilometre circular route around Hovorany, suitable for walkers and cyclists. The distances offer different planning options: five kilometres for the circular route and 31 kilometres for the wine trail. Check the route and programme for “Hovoranskými vinohrady za vínem” again for each edition.

The traditional wine event “Den otevřených sklepů” combines winery visits with tastings. Depending on the year, visitors can visit up to 25 wineries and taste more than 300 wines in total; participation and quantities vary. Winery tours with explanations, singing groups, performances by the winemakers’ children and evening entertainment are also part of the programme, whose specific line-up changes from year to year.

“Hovoranskými vinohrady za vínem” focuses on the circular route and its accompanying programme. This includes men’s choirs and an evening programme featuring the Rubáš dulcimer band from Buchlovice. If a particular programme item is important to you, check the details for the relevant edition.

Architectural History and Local Culture

The Church of St John the Baptist was built between 1721 and 1725 by extending an early Baroque chapel dating from 1670. Its single-nave Baroque structure has a distinctive prismatic tower on the west façade. Its architectural history thus links an older chapel with the later church; the building gives the village a distinctive historic landmark.

The Hovorany Museum is housed in a listed building featuring traditional folk architecture and a painted façade. Its historical artefacts cover domestic life, agriculture, mining, wine-making and local crafts. The collection therefore extends beyond wine-making to include various aspects of local life. One exhibition is dedicated to local artist, academic sculptor and medallist Václav Adolf Kovanič.

Other historic landmarks include the painted Chapel of St Roch, dating from 1834, and the Church of the Saviour of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church, dating from 1957. Together with the Church of St John the Baptist, they represent buildings from different centuries, showing that the village’s history is not limited to a single period.

Cellar Lanes and Landscape

The Na Benátkách cellar lane is located right by Hovoranský rybník and has a viewpoint overlooking the picturesque wine cellars. The wine cellars of Na Benátkách are reflected in the surface of the local pond. The local cellars along the lane offer wine tastings and seating. The wine cellar of Vinařství Machalínek is also in Hovorany, in the Hluboká cesta cellar area. If you plan to visit, it is best to check the arrangements before travelling.

Nature is also part of the area around Hovorany. The Hovoranské louky protected area lies about 1.5 kilometres northwest of the village, in the direction of Karlín. It is part of the European Natura 2000 network and protects steppe and dry grassland communities with rare, endangered and protected plant species. The wine routes, buildings and cellar lanes thus offer a different focus from the protected landscape nearby.

Discover more destinations: Milotice U Kyjova, Žarošice, Nová Lhota, Kyjov, Vřesovice, Terezín U Čejče, Žeraviny, Rohatec.

For the regional travel overview: Okres Hodonín.