Velenice U Zákup: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

The area around Velenice combines sandstone, Baroque popular piety and a distinctive hilly landscape. The Boží hrob rock chapel was carved into a sandstone rock in 1710–1711 by the local farmer Schille. It contains reliefs depicting the suffering of Christ. The reliefs carved into the sandstone rocks in the second decade of the 18th century depict the Passion cycle and are considered a unique testimony to Baroque popular piety and the veneration of Christ’s suffering. About 50 metres from the rock chapel, a folk relief of the Crucifixion has been carved into the rocks.

Landscape

Velenice lies in the valley of the Svitava stream. The landscape around Velenice combines forests, sandstone rocks and a hilly plateau characteristic of the foothills of the Lusatian Mountains. A distinctive landscape feature is Velenický kopec, a wooded basalt hill 417 metres high, with a rocky ridge and scree slopes overgrown with forest. The summit view from Velenický kopec is overgrown; today, Velenice can be viewed from a meadow below the edge of the forest. The landscape around Velenice is suitable for hiking.

Culture and History

The Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity in Velenice was completed in 1735 and solemnly consecrated on 25 July 1735. A village conservation area was designated in Velenice in 1995. The remains of Velenice Castle include a narrow cellar carved out of the rock and the foundations of a rectangular sandstone building. The stone Schill Cross bears the year 1633. In the 14th century, the medieval fortress of Velenice belonged to a fief held by Hanuš Pancíř ze Smojna.

Paths and Location

The Boží hrob Chapel is located about 350 metres from Velenice on the left-hand side of the road leading eastwards from the village towards nearby Brniště. The nature trail from Zákupy can be extended with a walk to Velenice. An excursion route from Zákupy leads towards Velenice with a descent.

Customs and Regional Cuisine

In 2018, Petra Pilná and Josef Vörös began creating a wooden Christmas nativity scene, the Velenický betlém, next to St. Joseph’s Chapel. The ceremonial lighting of the Velenický betlém takes place every year on the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. The ceremonial lighting includes delicacies prepared by local housewives. At the Velenický betlém event, the person with the tastiest homemade product in the competition receives the title “Velenická kulinářská hvězda”.

More local pages: Prysk, Provodín, Mimoň, Velký Valtinov, Stvolínky, Skalice U České Lípy, Tuhan, Dubá.

To the higher-level travel overview: Česká Lípa District.