Lukavec – Castle Park, Culture and Historic Routes

The castle, park, historic buildings, and routes offer a range of options for a stay.

Castle Park and Antonín Sova

Lukavec Castle is a late Renaissance four-winged building with an arcaded courtyard. It was built on the site of an earlier Gothic fortress. It is surrounded by an extensive English-style park with ponds and a Neoclassical pavilion. The poet Antonín Sova grew up in this pavilion. He spent his childhood and youth in Lukavec and the surrounding countryside and attended primary school there.

Near the castle is Hříbek, a two-storey, hexagonal Neoclassical pavilion built toward the end of the 18th century. Its exhibition includes historical photographs and documents, as well as a nearly exact replica of an Art Nouveau dress worn by Marie, Sova’s wife. Hříbek is located in the freely accessible castle park. The Jewish cemetery is also freely accessible; check access conditions before your visit. The Antonín Sova Memorial House features a permanent exhibition about the poet’s life and work. The house was reconstructed and reopened to visitors in July 2004.

Church, Heritage Zone, and Cemetery

Originally Gothic, St. Wenceslas Church was rebuilt as a larger Baroque church in 1765. Together with the adjacent Gothic-Renaissance fortress, the late Baroque rectory, the hospital, and the Neo-Gothic tomb of the Lincker and Lilgenau families, it forms a heritage zone. This ensemble brings several architectural styles and periods together in one setting.

The Jewish cemetery in Lukavec was established no later than before 1724 and contains about 100 tombstones. The oldest surviving tombstone dates from 1725. At the southeastern edge of the older section is a restored, simple stone mortuary chapel. Alongside its history, the cemetery offers visitors this distinctive architectural feature.

St. Roch Wayside Shrines and Routes

Southwest of Lukavec, masonry wayside shrines dedicated to St. Roch, designed in the Baroque style, stand in open countryside on the site of a former chapel dedicated to the saint. During restoration in 2010, their niches were fitted with hardened glass panels bearing black printed text about the saint, Lukavec, and the history of the structure.

The Stations of the Cross follows a local road in southwestern Lukavec, along the edge of the castle park, with benches along the way for resting. It has fourteen stations and ends at the St. Roch wayside shrines. During its complete restoration in 2009, the original, more slender granite columns were replaced with columns also made of granite, but more massive.

The Sovova educational trail leads from Pacov through the municipality of Bratřice and over Mount Stražiště to Lukavec, then continues to Načeradec and Velký Blaník. It is 12 km long, takes approximately 2 to 5 hours, and includes four stations focused on local history. The trail is suitable for walkers and cyclists. Check the current route markings before setting out. The approximate duration helps with planning, while the distance makes clear that this is a longer outing rather than just a short stop at individual buildings.

Discover more destinations: Cernov, Budíkov, Mezná U Pelhřimova, Střítež Pod Křemešníkem, Božejov, Jiřice U Humpolce, Proseč U Humpolce, Bystrá.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Pelhřimov.