Holiday apartment in Karlovice: History and forest trails

In Karlovice, medieval traditions, chapels, forest trails, memorials and a custom maintained for decades come together. The village thus combines historical traces with marked trails and surroundings in which smaller monuments and religious sites also have their established place.

Culture

The history of Karlovice reaches back to the site of the former manor farm of Pěnkov. On 23 October 1768, Count Karel Vincenc Salm-Neuburg decided there to establish Karlovice; at that time, he owned the Malenovice estate. The medieval community of Pěnkov goes back even further, with its existence documented since 1368. Karlovice was established on its land parcels.

The Žižkův dub oak is also associated with local tradition: according to it, Hussites camped by this tree during the siege of Malenovice Castle. The bear tradition “Vodění medvěda” has taken place in Karlovice for decades and is maintained by members of the volunteer fire brigade.

Another focal point of the village’s history is the Chapel of Our Lady, Mother of Good Counsel. Its principal donors were the sisters Anežka, Barbora and Františka Gorgoňovy, who also commissioned the main image of the Virgin Mary in the chapel. Construction began in June 1903; on 17 July 1904, the chapel was consecrated to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel.

The culture of remembrance is also present in the village landscape. A black memorial plaque on the Karlovice Cross for those who fell in the First World War honors Jan Mikeštík, who lost his life in the anti-fascist resistance. A sandstone cross stands in the upper part of Karlovice, known as Pěnkov, on the left side of the road toward the farm. In the lower part of the village, another monument is located behind the fire station and municipal office. A stone monument to the first mayor of Karlovice also stands on the main road from the junction toward Svatá voda: it is on the right side in the first section of a bend.

Nature

Karlovice lies in the forests between Malenovice and Oldřichovice. The notable Žižkův dub oak stands on the edge of the Karlovice cadastral area; there, the cadastral area borders that of Oldřichovice. Nearby is the pilgrimage site of Svatá voda–Malenovice, with a well covered by a stone vault and a rock cave containing a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Trails

Marked routes connect Karlovice with the surrounding area. The “Stezky napajedelských emirátů” trail network covers 70 kilometers and connects Napajedla with Karlovice and other nearby municipalities. The Stezky napajedelských emirátů are intended for hikers and mountain bikers.

On the hiking trail from Napajedla via Svatá voda to Malenovice, Karlovice is marked at 8.7 kilometers and Svatá voda at 10.1 kilometers. In addition, the yellow-marked section of the Cyrilometodějská Trail leads from the spring at Svatá voda to Karlovice.

Other places at this level: Rudimov, Štítná Nad Vláří-Popov, Halenkovice, Drzkova, Komárov, Lutonina, Nedašov, Pohořelice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Zlín District.