Křižánky Between Village History and Educational Trails

Křižánky brings together village history, crafts, and nature. For your trip planning, you can choose between historical sites and educational trails: the village heritage reserve focuses on cultural history, while trails explore the history of file makers, native tree species, and the landscape around glassworks. Devět skal is also one of the area’s defining natural features.

A Village in Two Parts and a Distinctive Natural Landscape

The Svratka River divides Křižánky into a Czech and a Moravian part. This division is part of the village’s layout and gives it a distinctive character, separate from its individual cultural and natural sites. When looking for accommodation, it may help to first consider whether you are most interested in the village’s history, its crafts, or its trails.

Devět skal lies in the cadastral area of Moravské Křižánky. This protected gneiss rock formation, which is geomorphologically significant, forms a rock city. Its documented features include vegetation on silicate rocks and scree, as well as adjacent woodland. At Devět skal, the focus is therefore not only on the rocks themselves, but also on the varied natural areas around them.

Village Heritage Reserve and Craft Tradition

The Křižánky village heritage reserve includes 45 cultural monuments and is the largest village heritage reserve in the Vysočina Region. This number conveys the scale of the cultural focus without reducing it to a single building. For a stay focused on architectural and local history, the reserve offers a distinctive way to experience Křižánky.

A closer look at the local craft tradition leads to the file-making workshop in the Kupcův mill complex. Authentic structures and features have been preserved there, bearing witness to the workshop’s original function and historical value. The Za Pilníkáři na Český kopec educational trail also explores the history of Křižánky’s file makers. The workshop and trail therefore cover the same craft but from different angles: one presents the preserved elements of a workshop complex, while the other explores the history of file makers along an educational trail.

Educational Trails Through Trees and Glassmaking History

The Naše stromy educational trail starts in the centre of Křižánky and follows the green hiking trail towards the summit of Devět skal. Its 25 stops introduce 19 tree species, most of them native. The trail is about one kilometre long and takes 30 to 60 minutes to walk. This short route combines information about trees with a path leading towards Devět skal.

The Milovská naučná stezka is a circular trail, 4.7 kilometres long, with 20 stops. Its panels tell the story of the landscape below Čtyři palice and point out the remains of a glassworks built in 1835. Compared with Naše stromy, the two trails differ both in length and in subject matter: Naše stromy focuses on tree species, while Milovská explores the landscape and the history of the glassworks. Naše stromy also has a stated walking time; Milovská is described by its circular route, length, and number of stops.

The educational programme at Galerie Na Milovské huti is also part of the area’s glassmaking history. It includes a guided tour of the glassmakers’ settlement and exhibition, a lecture, and a discussion. The programme complements information about the glassworks remains with several ways to explore the subject.

Planning Your Trip and Finding a Hotel

The local tourist information centre, TIC Křižánky, is located in the municipal office building and is accessible by elevator. When choosing where to stay, you can weigh up the different focuses of your trip: the village heritage reserve and file-making workshop showcase cultural heritage, while the two educational trails offer different perspectives on natural and industrial history. Then look for a hotel for your stay in Křižánky and choose based on which of these topics interests you most.

Discover more destinations: Prosetín, Bohdalov, Vídeň, Chlumětín, Tři Studně, Dalečín, Dobra Voda, Karlov.

Go to the main travel overview: Okres Žďár Nad Sázavou.