Discovering the Historic Town of Slavonice: A Hidden Gem in the Beautiful Czech Countryside
The historic town of Slavonice is about 3 hrs away from Prague, situated at the border of Bohemia, Moravia, and Austria. It’s a small town with stunning Renaissance houses, quiet streets and beautiful countryside around it. The Slavonice houses are so special that they have been protected since 1961 and since 2001 are listed on the tentative list of UNESCO. I also know Slavonice because of the nearby Mariz pottery, which has a very quirky design.
Slavonice town has come on the tourist radar more in the last 30 years, but it’s still less visited than other towns. This is probably because of the distance from Prague and the fact that it’s much smaller than other places. In a way, I’m glad, because it means that it’s still slightly unspoilt and remained as a historic town with beautiful countryside around.
I first visited Slavonice back in the late 1990s when most of the town still needed to be renovated and apart from the Czech people, there was not much tourism to speak of.
I remember the train station, now at the end of the line, which originally continued over the border to Germany. When the borders were closed in 1948 the train tracks were dismantled and taken away. Once prosperous border town became a quiet village at the end of the Czech Republic far away from anywhere.
But over the last 30 years, the town has restored their beautiful houses, the borders have opened again and the town was re-discovered by tourists.
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My visit & what to see in Slavonice
I decided to visit Slavonice on a balmy summer day, which made the journey by train just perfect. I had the train summer ticket, which is why I went by train, but if I didn’t I would have definitely used the direct bus from Prague, as it’s a lot quicker.
I’ve had about 5 hrs in Slavonice, which gave me just enough time to walk around the centre of the town several times, stop for a coffee, climb up the church tower and have a short hike to see the Slavonice fortifications outside the town.
Although it was the main summer holiday, the town was fairly quiet, with only a few cyclists taking a break in the main square.
I feel like Slavonice makes you appreciate the little things in life. There are no big attractions, chateau, large museum or shopping centre, practically no distractions of a large town. The town is like a miniature Telc and if you feel overwhelmed by Prague, it’s the perfect place to spend a few hours. Just explore the town, read a book with your coffee, walk in the local park and have a locally made ice-cream in the main square.
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Explore the Slavonice town history
The town grew from a small settlement that was guarding the main road from Prague to Vienna. Over time, it was owned by a number of different noble families such as the Lords of Hradec, the Slavat family, the Lords of Liechtenstein-Castelcorn, and the Podstatzky-Liechtenstein family.
The town’s biggest expansion was in the 16th century, which is when most of the beautiful townhouses were built around the two main squares – the Horní Namesti – Upper Square and the Peace Square – Náměstí Míru. The previous Gothic houses also got a Renaissance makeover.
Renaissance Town Houses
Looking up all the different houses and taking lots of photos has to be my favourite thing to do in Slavonice. The town has two main two squares, which are lined with wonderfully ornate historic houses. Each house is slightly different, painted in pretty pastel colours, some are decorated with sgraffito and intricate figurative scenes.
Probably the most interesting house is the Guild Hall (house No. 479) with fresco paintings and vaulted entrance, and several other houses decorated with attics and graffito on the facades.
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Walk around the town
The town is quite compact, so it’s great to walk around without getting lost. You can see parts of the preserved town walls with several bastions on the eastern and northern sides of Slavonice, as well as two gates, Jemnická and Dačická.
Apart from the houses, the Lower Square also has a fountain from 1667 with a statue of the Immaculata from the second half of the 18th century and the Upper Square has a fountain of St. Florian.
Climb the town tower
My favourite way to see the town is from the top of the town church tower. There is a beautiful view of the town and the surrounding countryside from the tower of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in the middle of the town. You don’t get many historic towns, where you can literary see the whole town from the top of the tower.
The tower is open every day during the main tourist season (and at the weekend during the low season), but you will need to climb the 176 steps to get to the top. The entry is 70 CZK and the ticket office is right at the top! I have to say, that after sitting on a train for more than 4 hrs, it was the perfect way to get moving again!
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Medieval tunnels
If you are up for a bit of adventure, you can explore the system of medieval drainage tunnels and canals that stretch several meters below the historic centre of the town.
The underground system probably dates back to the 13th century and the tunnels were carved into the rock underneath the houses to help to drain the basements. The tunnels were also used as a defensive and escape route in case of danger, with direct entrances from most houses in the historic centre of the town. The system gradually became non-functional, eventually flooding the cellars.
There are two different underground tours you can take, one suitable for everyone, and the other quite challenging (most of this route is only about 50 cm wide and 150 cm tall, permanently wet and not officially lid, but don’t worry you will be getting lamps, raincoats and wellington boots to attend!)
What else not to miss in Slavonice if you have more time
You can also see the Pilgrimage Church of the Body of God located just outside the town. I’ve walked past the church when I was returning from the war fortification walk and found out that this church is the oldest building that was built at Slavonice.
There is also the slightly excentric Museum of Driftwood, or the Town Museum, which has a local history displays including archaeological findings from the nearby extinct settlement of Pfaffenschlag.
To the east of the town you can also find the Pilgrimage Church of Our Lady of Montserrat (about 4 km).
Find out about The story of Johann Georg Grasel and his hiking trails
I followed the beginning of the Grasel Trails to get to the 2 World War fortifications trail, so I wanted to know why the trail was called ‘Grasel’.
The trails are named after the bandit Johann Georg Grasel (1790–1818), who terrorized the area around Slavonice two hundred years ago. Grasel allegedly committed a total of 205 crimes – he was only nine years old, when he first robbed somebody.
In the Czech language, the name Grasel becomed “grázl” and is a synonym for a minor criminal, somebody who lies and means harm to other people. At the same time, the original ‘Grasel’ is described in folk tales as a cheerful and brave fellow.
Mariz Pottery
A couple of kilometres west of Slavonice, is an artist’s paradise – a small village of Mariz, where you can visit a shop selling original Maříž pottery, a restaurant, and a guesthouse. If you have the time, you can also decorate your own mug, plate or vase.
Mariz Pottery was founded back in the 1990s, in nearly abandoned village of the same name. The pottery is colourful with quirky designs and it’s painted by many different artists following the similar style.
If you don’t have the time to walk to the Mariz village just outside Slavonice, you can also visit the ‘Kafe Hrnky’ (Mug’s Café) right in the centre of Slavonice, which is owned by the same company. You can stop for a coffee and homebaked cake and also paint your own pottery there too.
You can also find ‘Kafe Hrnky’ (and a piece of Mariz pottery) on Nerudova Street in Prague. It’s one of my favourite breakfast places in Prague and I often pop in there for breakfast or a coffee. Like in Slavonice and Mariz, you can also buy the original pottery there or even paint your own pottery.
Museum of 20th Century
This a very small museum (practically just one room) packed with various displays from 20th century, including war time, domestic life and toys.
Fortification Complex Slavonice
As much as I love exploring the Slavonice town, by the afternoon I was itching to explore the countryside and walk in a forest. Since Slavonice is a town on the borders, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of war bunkers around.
I followed the red hiking trail for about 2 km until I came across the Slavonice Fortification Area with a pretty cool educational trail.
This area was a part of the defensive fortification line which was built in the 1938 and also used during the Cold War years 1949 – 1989.
You can see anti-tank obstacles and nine reconstructed light fortification bunkers model 37. And you can even see two of the bunkers, one from 1938 and one from 1963 inside with a tour guide. You will see original machine guns, rifles, pistols, and submachine guns, a functional hand fan, observation periscopes and other crew equipment.
The bunker tour costs 90 CZK (50 CZK children) and it gives you also a discounted admission to the 20th Century Museum in Slavonice. The tour guides are super knowledgeable and they also often demonstrate firing the guns, so don’t be surprised if you hear gunshots (the shots are super loud!).
The educational trail, which is completely free, runs through the entire area and tells an interesting story about the construction of fortifications in 1935-1938 in former Czechoslovakia. It has 13 stops and it’s very detailed with photos and descriptions.
Discover the Medieval Village of Pfaffenschlag
If you have more time or you decide to stay in Slavonice overnight, you might like to go and visit the remains of the medieval village of Pfaffenschlag, translated as a Priest’s Village in the nearby forest. The remains of the village are freely accessible, just follow the red trail from Slavonice (4.5 km) or a 200-meter path from the Slavonice – Stálkov road if you are driving. It’s the same trail that also goes to the Slavonice Fortification.
In 1958, Brno archaeologist and specialist in abandoned medieval villages, Vladimír Nekuda, came across a minor reference about a long-lost village while browsing the “Moravian Homeland” book from 1926.
He was intrigued and set out to the supposed site of the lost village with a few local enthusiasts and were amazed, when they found the lost village.
Although the Slavonice region was colonized mainly by German settlers from the 12th and 13th centuries at the invitation of Přemysl Otakar II, archaeologists believe that Pfaffenschlag was a purely Slavic village and was founded by Slavonice priests (hence the name).
The village of Pfaffenschlag had sixteen homesteads arranged in two rows along a small stream. You can still see the remains of a mill, the perimeter walls of farm buildings and cellars. The folk stories claim that the village was destroyed and burned down by the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War. But, it’s more likely that the village was destroyed 200 years earlier during the Hussite wars as Slavonice and the Priest’s Village didn’t support the Hussita’s movement.
Where to eat & drink in Slavonice
You will find most (if not all) restaurants, pubs and coffee places around the two squares. I get the feeling that, since Slavonice is so close to the border, there are a lot of visitors who just pop in for a day trip and a lunch. Because of that, there are plenty of places to choose from and in most of them, you can sit outside and watch the comings and goings on the square.
I had my packed lunch with me, but I stopped at a few coffee places:
- Kavarna U nas doma (Coffee place at ours… in our own home) – next to the tower
- Atomika Kavarna & Bar – opposite the water fountain on the upper square
- Spolkovy Dum Slavonice – middle of lower square
- Kafe Hrnky – lower square
- Ice -Cream Places – Jadranska Zmrzlina at the top of the main square and the Prava Ceska Tocena Zmrzlina (The Real Czech Ice Cream).
The only supermarket is opposite the bus station and it has everything you possibly need. I was impressed that the basic bread rolls actually tasted like I remember they should, so that was a real treat.
How to get to Slavonice from Prague by public transport
The journey to Slavonice takes 3 hrs by direct bus or 4 hr 30 minutes by train. The direct bus makes the trip to Slavonice perfectly doable as a day trip from Prague.
The only thing is that there is only one direct bus connection there and back, leaving at 8 am from Prague – Roztyly (Bus terminal at the same name underground station) and back from Slavonice at 15.41 pm. You can buy your bus ticket directly from the bus driver as you are boarding the bus.
I think, that’s the best and quickest way to get to Slavonice and it’s also cheaper than by train. It will give you 4 hrs and 30 minutes in Slavonice, which is plenty of time to explore the town, visit the tower, underground or museum and have a lunch or coffee break.
If you do miss your bus connection, the train departs from Prague Main Train station every 2 hrs – six minutes after 6, 8, 10 (and every 2 hrs after that).
There is one changeover at Havlickuv Brod after about 2 hrs and the connecting train takes you directly to Slavonice, which is the last stop).
Going back the last train connection is at 5.25 pm, but you can also take the 7.25 train to Jihlava and wait for a later bus connection to Prague (it’s the FlitBus returning from Vienna and arriving to Prague shortly after midnight). If the train station ticket office is closed, you can buy a train ticket directly from the train ticket inspector without any additional charge.
Whilst it looks like the train gives you more flexibility, the connection at Havlickuv Brod is very tight – about 6 minutes each way. The Czech trains are not known for their punctuality, so having 5-10 minutes delay is absolutely normal. The connecting train will only wait a few minutes (no more than 15 minutes), but it’s never guaranteed.
Other than that, the train journey is very comfortable – you have the refreshment facilities at the Prague – Havlickuv Brod train and the train travels through lovely countryside. The wifi is also good (and free), so I tend to bring my laptop and work on my blog – the train is my favourite office!
This blog post was originally written on 17 July 2024 and last updated on 17 July 2024
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