Chuchelna: Holiday apartments and holiday homes

Chuchelná combines a multifaceted aristocratic and ecclesiastical history within a small area with a forest region that receives particular attention in the scientific literature. At its centre is the Chapel of the Holy Cross (sv. Kříže), with the Lichnovský family crypt. It is located in a park beside the village pond in the centre of Chuchelná. The chapel is an elaborately designed, romanticising central building made of unrendered exposed brickwork. Its crypt contains three restored sarcophagi belonging to members of the princely Lichnovský family.

Culture and history

The history of the Lichnovský family shapes several of the town's buildings. Towards the end of the 17th century, Chuchelná became the centre of a large Lichnovský estate. The Lichnovský Mausoleum was designed and built in 1902 and 1903 by the well-known Opava architect Julius Lundwall. Zámek Lichnovských Castle is also part of this historical context; it served as a hunting and country residence.

The ecclesiastical architectural history also includes the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Povýšení sv. Kříže). The original church was built in 1921 and 1922 and destroyed during the Second World War. The new Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Povýšení sv. Kříže) was designed by Jan Krömer and consecrated in 1996. Thus, different periods stand side by side in Chuchelná: the older history of the Lichnovský estate, the buildings from the early years of the 20th century, and the new church built after the war.

The Zámecký park is now 5.5 hectares in size. Its present form developed around the middle of the 19th century. The park has therefore been handed down as a distinct historical part of the town, while the chapel by the village pond and centre forms another clearly identified site.

Museum

The Muzeum Chuchelná has a permanent exhibition on the Second World War from 1938 to 1945. The military history exhibition grew out of the long-standing work of members of a historical and regional studies association who focus on the region's wartime history. Military uniforms are displayed in the museum, which also includes an accessible air-raid shelter. Visitors can also try guarding a border crossing there. The Muzeum Chuchelná offers guided tours by prior arrangement.

Nature and landscape

The Chuchelenský les forms a natural counterpoint to the historic buildings. It is known in the scientific literature, particularly among geologists studying the Quaternary and among botanists. Montane and submontane plant elements occur in the Chuchelenský les. These include sedmikvítek evropský, žebrovice různolistá, samorostlík klasnatý, kýchavice zelenokvětá and věsenka nachová. These plants give the forest a clearly described botanical character, without reducing its significance to a single type of landscape.

Border and cycle routes

The Chuchelná–Krzanowice border crossing provides a connection to Poland for local border traffic. The deep forests around Chuchelná invite visitors to hike and cycle along the regional cycle routes. One specific connection is cycle route 6096, which is 12.5 km long: it leads from the Krzanowice / Chuchelná border crossing via Bohuslavice and Kozmice and joins cycle route 55 before Hlučín Lake. This documents both the area's proximity to the border and a signposted sequence of routes with several named stops.

Further town pages in the surrounding area: Skřipov, Zlatníky, Vršovice, Nové Sedlice, Dolní Životice, Jakartovice, Lhotka U Litultovic, Služovice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Okres Opava.