Svitavy: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Svitavy can be explored through its preserved interiors, history and landscape. The original interior furnishings have been preserved in the Church of St. Giles, including the Chapel of St. Nicholas, the Marian Chapel, altars and a pulpit.

Culture and History

The Svitavy City Museum and Gallery focus their collecting, exhibition and educational work primarily on regional history, fine art, crafts and the folk traditions of the Hřebečsko region. The “History of Laundry” exhibition also includes a washhouse where visitors can try washing clothes on a washboard and using a historical mangle.

The Esperanto Museum documents the origins and history of the Esperanto movement in the Czech Republic and abroad, showcases the diverse practical uses of Esperanto today and pays particular attention to Esperanto activities in the Svitavy region. The “Searching for David’s Star” exhibition tells the story of Oskar and Emilie Schindler, who saved 1,200 persecuted Jews during the Second World War.

The Svitavy Heritage Trail leads through the main square and along old lanes, past reminders of the city’s former textile-industrial prosperity, the residential villas of the manufacturers and garden parks. Ottendorferův dům was opened as a library and reading room in 1892; its construction was financed entirely by the patron Oswald Ottendorfer. The heritage trail can be walked in less than two hours.

In front of Oskar Schindler’s birthplace, his monument symbolizes Svitavy as a city of three nationalities: Czechs, Germans and Jews. The inscription on the monument commemorates the saving of lives during the Holocaust.

Nature

The nature trail to the sources of the Svitava runs through the attractive and heavily visited recreational area around Svitavy’s two largest ponds, Rosnička and Dolní rybník. Along the way, it provides information about the biology, ecology and history of the ponds, life in the forest and the source area of the Svitava.

An ornithological observation point in Svitavy offers an excellent view for observing birds, especially in the more remote parts of the pond, which are covered with reeds, cattails, reed canary grass and sedges. The Stezka příběhů lesa pod Sluneční Strání trail presents animals and plants on information boards that can be encountered on the Javornický Ridge.

Active Outings

The Brand forest recreation area offers a twelve-kilometre cycle route with an uncomplicated elevation profile that children can also complete without difficulty. A playful addition is Sváťova zážitková cesta: this storytelling adventure lets visitors rescue the Swan Princess or take part in tournaments involving board games and marbles.

More Places

More places: Cerekvice Nad Loučnou, Řídký, Čistá, Vidlatá Seč, Nedvezi, Újezdec, Bezděčí U Trnávky, Vendolí

To the higher-level travel overview: Svitavy District.