Discover Hoštice

Hoštice combines walks through a landscape shaped by chestnut avenues with Baroque architecture and a long history of its castle. The routes offer different points of interest to help you plan your trip: the “Kaštanová vycházka” walk heads towards the forest, while another circular route leads to the Na Strašné forest chapel. Churches, a wayside shrine, and the castle each provide their own cultural highlights.

Walks and Chestnut Avenues

The “Kaštanová vycházka” walk follows the yellow-marked hiking trail from the chestnut avenue to the forest. It also leads from Hoštice Castle along a second chestnut avenue to the forest. The avenue along the walk consists of a total of 332 trees: horse chestnuts are complemented by ash and walnut trees. It is one of the protected memorial tree avenues. Both the row of trees and the forest shape the character of this route.

Another circular route is called “Lesem Hříběcích hor z Hoštic ke kapličce Na Strašné” (“Through the Hříběcí Mountains forest from Hoštice to the Na Strašné chapel”). From Hoštice, it leads along an old castle avenue to the Na Strašné forest chapel. When choosing between the two route descriptions, you can use their stated destinations as a guide: the forest is the destination of the “Kaštanová vycházka,” while the chapel is the destination of the other circular route. Check the current route and markings before setting out, as route details and markings may change.

The old, extensive chestnut avenue between Litenčice and Zdislavice also leads to Hoštice. Its connection to both places adds another named route to the description of the landscape. The chestnut avenue of the “Kaštanová vycházka” and this old avenue are both part of the local landscape; the trees and routes provide specific landmarks for walks.

Hoštice Castle and Its Gardens

The castle’s history dates back to a fortress that preceded it in the 12th century; this was later converted into a small castle. A historic formal ornamental garden extended across two terraces beside the castle. Horse chestnuts planted in a regular grid remain on the lower terrace. Together, these details describe both the garden’s former design and the trees that have survived to this day.

Hoštice Castle is not currently open to the public. You can look into the park through the iron gate; check access arrangements before your trip. A bust of the writer Marie Ebner-Eschenbach is located in the castle park: it is made of white marble and stands on a stone pedestal. The description of the bust adds a specific monument to the castle’s history, without implying that looking through the gate gives access to the park.

Church and Baroque Wayside Shrine

The Baroque Church of St. Giles was built to a design by Jakub Pánek. Its wall paintings are attributed to Sebastini, also known as František Antonín Šebesta. Two distinct aspects of the church’s construction therefore come together in Hoštice: the design of the building and the attribution of the paintings.

The Boží muka wayside shrine is also part of Baroque folk architecture and is described as a High Baroque wayside shrine. It has a rectangular ground plan. The lower section contains niches with conches, with shallow niches depicting saints above them. The structure is topped by a pyramidal roof with a two-armed iron cross. The sequence of the ground plan, niches, and roof makes the shrine’s architectural design easy to understand, while the church and castle show other facets of Hoštice’s cultural heritage.

Discover more destinations: Bystrice Pod Hostynem, Kremsier, Koryčany, Bezměrov, Soběsuky, Rymice, Rusava, Záříčí.

View the broader travel overview: Okres Kroměříž.