10 Perfectly Preserved Villages in Prague

In the valley of the Botič stream there are several commanding homesteads, among them two former water mills. A maze of narrow streets with small picturesque houses creates the impression of Bethlehem on a slope above the Botič. On the village square there is hidden a church with one of the oldest wooden bell towers in Bohemia and the typical village pub Na Kačabce with a beer garden in the backyard. A landmark of old Hostivař is the Toulcův Dvůr, farm; walk along its wooded path through the wetlands.

This village nestled into the hillside offers a fantastic view. The ancient St. Wenceslas church, dated back to the 11th century and a baroque presbytery are here. Every September a feast is held on the village square featuring wines from the nearby vineyard Máchalka. Once you are there, you can ride on a bobsled run in the neighborhood. In old Prosek there is an incredible concentration of old pubs. Have your dinner in Konkurence, relax on the terrace of Zlaté sele or get your country-western on at pub U Brabců.

The best surprise awaits you, when among the Bohnice „panelaks“, you turn the corner and suddenly find yourself in a South Bohemian village. The village square is surrounded by the baroque Vraný´s homestead with original gables, preserved barn, baroque manor, neoclassical church and an Art Nouveau buliding which formerly housed a restaurant and cinema. On the hill above the village you can visit a sociotherapeutic farm and a little further along there is a mysterious old cemetery for inmates of the nearby insane asylum.

Local residents here initially had some bad luck. Their village was originally called Hloupětín (village of stupid people). Of course the locals were not satisfied, so they submitted a request to the authority for a change and in 1907 they succeeded and the village was renamed to Hloubětín. The village is dominated by a neo-gothic castle. Top secret – walk through the courtyard and around the castle and you will find a castle park with a little gothic viewtower on the ramparts. On Poděbradská street you cannot miss the 300-year-old coach inn with old baroque gables. It housed three imperial rulers: the Emperor Charles VI, his daughter Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II.

On a little hill there is one of the most important sacred monuments in Prague: the Romanesque church of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist with precious paintings from 13th century. The Knor´s farmstead emerges with its beautiful baroque facades under the church. A local mysterious monolith, called “the stone servant”, was erected over six thousand years ago. According to a legend, it should not be moved, or he who moves it, will be hit by disaster. It seems that this legend has been taken to heart as the stone is still in its original location and even a new fence has been built around it.