Dražovice – Chapel, Fortresses and Cycling Route

Dražovice can be discovered through three different approaches: its long history, the open landscape along the Nezdický Brook, and the 32 km “Around Sušice” cycling route. In addition, there is the Chapel of Saint Wenceslas, dating from 1760 and located in a visually prominent spot on the village square. If you are looking for accommodation in Dražovice, you can therefore first decide whether you primarily want to experience the village as a place of cultural history, a landscape destination, or a stop on a cycling tour.

Cycling Route and Landscape Around Dražovice

The 32 km “Around Sušice” cycling route passes through Dražovice.

A second way to explore the surroundings is the Nezdický Brook. It passes through the Dražovice area in a predominantly broad, green meadow floodplain and is a right-bank tributary of the Otava. This makes the landscape tangible not only through the name of a watercourse, but also through its concrete form: open meadows accompany the course of the brook. Those seeking a landscape contrast in addition to historical traces will find a distinct aspect of the village here, without equating it with the cycling route.

Chapel and Fortress History

The Chapel of Saint Wenceslas dates from 1760 and is located in a visually prominent spot on the village square of Dražovice. Its construction date and location give the village center a clear historical point of reference. The date 1760 places it chronologically after the fortifications. For a walk through the village, this connects a single precisely dated building with the public space of the village square.

For November 17, 2024, and again for November 17, 2025, a lantern procession was scheduled in Dražovice, with the meeting point at the chapel. In addition, a carnival procession was planned for 2024, which was to pass through the village as it had the previous year.

The history of Dražovice, however, reaches back significantly further. A Gothic fortress stood here by 1356 at the latest. 1356 is therefore not a confirmed construction date, but a point in time by which the fortress already existed. On the site of the old fortress, a central mound approximately 25 m wide and two systems of ramparts and ditches have been preserved. The figure of approximately 25 m refers to the central mound, not to the entire fortress site.

Another historical layer is formed by the new Renaissance fortress of Dražovice. It was built in the 1530s or 1540s on the grounds of a manor farm. The dating to the 1530s or 1540s leaves open which of the two decades saw its construction. Today, it is privately owned and used as a residential building.

Other Places to Help You Get Oriented

The local pages of Nezdice Na Sumave (Nezdice Na Sumave), Mlýnské Struhadlo (Mlýnské Struhadlo), Plánice (Plánice), Bilenice (Bilenice), Ostruzno (Ostruzno), Nehodiv (Nehodiv), Hradešice (Hradešice) and Kejnice (Kejnice) belong to the same broader area.

For the broader travel overview: Klatovy District.