Blšany – Churches, Chapels and Local History

Blšany combines a Baroque church with smaller chapels and memorial sites. Road I/27 runs through the town and provides a specific road reference for geographic orientation. If you are looking for a hotel in Blšany and would also like to explore local history, sacred architecture, sculptures and regional connections to St. Wenceslas are the defining themes.

Church, Rectory and Baroque Sculptures

The single-nave Baroque Church of St. Michael the Archangel was built between 1716 and 1717. A tower was added to its south wall in 1762. A comprehensive reconstruction in 1825 gave the church its present form. The three dates mark distinct building phases: the construction of the church, the later addition of the tower and the comprehensive reconstruction.

East of the church stands the two-storey Baroque rectory, dating from 1734. In front of the rectory, on the village square, is a Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk with two angels, dated 1735. The rectory and statue thus date from consecutive years; construction of the church had begun earlier. Together, these buildings and sculptures illustrate different aspects of the town’s Baroque history, without conflating their dates of origin into a single building phase.

Chapels and Connections to St. Wenceslas

At the eastern edge of the town, on the road to Soběchleby, a niche chapel is built into the gable wall of the single-storey house No. 113. It contains a figure of St. Anthony of Padua holding the infant Jesus. Another brick niche chapel dedicated to St. Wenceslas stands at the crossroads of the Blšany–Žatec and Liběšice–Letov roads. A figurative relief in its shallow niche depicts the saint on horseback. The two depictions are clearly distinct: one centers on a statue of a saint with the infant Jesus, the other on an equestrian relief.

On a hill north of Blšany, a remnant of the 17th-century Chapel of St. Wenceslas has been preserved. The St. Wenceslas site in the vicinity of Blšany is part of the wider historical context. The medieval village of Nevechovice stood there; archaeological evidence for its beginnings dates back to the 9th–10th centuries. The site has a pilgrimage tradition dating back to the 14th century and is considered one of the oldest pilgrimage sites associated with St. Wenceslas.

The wider region also includes the site of the vanished Church of St. Wenceslas at a crossroads between Letov, Blšany and Liběšovice. This location places the former church in a broader geographical context; it should be distinguished from the buildings in the town and its immediate surroundings.

Memorial Sites and Practical Amenities

The war memorial, erected in 1947, commemorates primarily the victims of the Second World War, including three local residents named on the monument. It also honors residents who did not return from the battlefields of the First World War. The memorial thus connects the remembrance of two world wars with the memory of people from Blšany.

The sports center in Blšany offers a hall, a gymnasium and table tennis. The facilities can be reserved for a fee by arranging in advance by telephone with the municipal office. Confirm your reservation with the municipal office before your trip. Zámeček Blšany offers venues for weddings, celebrations and other private events. If you are planning such an event, confirm availability in advance.

Discover more destinations: Lenešice, Vinařice, Opočno, Líšťany, Žerotín U Panenského Týnce, Očihov, Krásný Dvůr, Lipno

For the broader travel overview: Louny District.