Kozárovice: Hillfort and Kozárovická Granite

History in Kozárovice can be traced through an unusual material. After 1900, Kozárovická granite was used in the construction of the Vienna Parliament. The same granite can also be found in the courtyard of Zvíkov Castle, and it was likewise used for the Gothic portal of the main entrance to Orlík Château. In this way, local history is connected with named buildings outside the village.

Geographical setting

Kozárovice lies in the Central Bohemian uplands on the eastern slope of the 568-metre-high Březina mountain. This location defines the geographical setting of the village and complements the historical evidence with a distinctive relationship to the terrain.

Culture

The medieval and modern-era centre of Kozárovice is an area with archaeological finds. A late Baroque chapel stands on the small triangular village square. Kozárovice has medieval origins and is mentioned in a document from the third quarter of the 12th century. Visible buildings, archaeological finds and written records thus stand side by side in the village centre.

The Chapel of the Virgin Mary in Kozárovice is an unoriented Baroque building from the late 18th century with a five-sided apse. It has a documented, richly decorated Baroque fresco scheme; the uncovered paintings reach an exceptionally high artistic quality. The building itself and its interior decoration thus represent two different levels of architectural and art-historical consideration. Those who view the village square and the chapel therefore encounter both the building’s external form and a particularly detailed interior.

History

The four-part Kozárovice–Vystrkov hillfort covers approximately 12.5 hectares. Four distinctive belts of transverse ramparts divide the site. Hradiště Hradeň hillfort was built sometime in the 10th century and may have been a centre of Přemyslid colonisation in the central Vltava region. The two sites thus represent different historical questions: at Kozárovice–Vystrkov, the large area and the transverse rampart belts define the surviving archaeological evidence, while Hradiště Hradeň is associated with an interpretation framed cautiously in terms of both time and content.

Cycling route

The 41.5-kilometre Okolo Orlické přehrady II cycling route passes through Kozárovice and Holušice and is suitable for trekking bikes. Its length places a different emphasis from the individual cultural and historical sites in the village. Combining both allows an extensive route and short visits to be treated as different elements of the day’s planning. In this way, the historical stops in the village can be mentally distinguished from a longer route through Kozárovice and Holušice, without conflating the two forms of travelling.

Surroundings

The Vystrkov recreation centre is located in the cadastral area of Kozárovice. The Orlík Hotel is also located in the same cadastral area. The Orlík Reservoir on the Vltava and several campsites lie in the immediate vicinity of Kozárovice. The geographical reference therefore includes both facilities within the cadastral area and destinations and accommodation sites in the nearby surroundings.

For a stay in Kozárovice, the accommodation pages allow you to compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies according to your own plans. This information appears alongside the various local and landscape themes that shape a stay in Kozárovice.

Other places

Koupě, Borotice, Hořejany, Svatý Jan, Obecnice, Drahlín, Volenice, Hrimezdice

Příbram District