Blatná – Castle, Park and Historical Discoveries

Blatná combines a castle surrounded by water, an expansive park and a historic town centre with an unusually wide variety of discoveries. Blatná Castle is one of the best-preserved water-surrounded aristocratic residences in the Czech Republic and was extensively remodelled in the late Gothic period. If you would like to combine culture, nature and walks in a compact destination, Blatná offers several clearly distinct points of interest for doing so.

Blatná Castle and its publicly accessible park

The 42-hectare castle park is open to the public all year round. Streams, bridges, paths and tree-lined avenues shape its character. There are also freely grazing fallow deer and a group of peacocks. The park is therefore not merely the scenic setting of the castle, but an experience in its own right, where observing nature and the historic atmosphere come together.

A special connection between the landscape and the town is created by the route “Blatenské královny – růžová stezka”. It leads through the castle park to the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The castle, park and church district can thus be viewed as different stages in discovering Blatná, without the cultural themes being limited to a single building.

Historic town centre and regional history

The Blatná Town Museum is located in the historic town centre near the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church is considered one of the outstanding expressions of Late Gothic architecture in South Bohemia and the wider Danube region. The cemetery chapel of St Michael, consecrated in 1515, stands beside the church. Another detail of the historic complex is the Neo-Gothic bell tower: it originally served as the entrance to the former cemetery.

At the centre of the urban conservation area, on Míru Square, stands the Marian Column known as “Mariánský sloup”. It depicts Saint Wenceslas, Saint John of Nepomuk, Saint Dominic, Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus. This gives you a rich cultural programme combining sacred architecture, urban history and public space.

Exhibitions, routes and destinations

The “Muzeum Všemi smysly” exhibition makes the history of the Blatensko region tangible through touch, hearing and smell, taking visitors back to the Iron Age across five rooms. The Blatenský okruh begins at the Blatná Information Centre. For a cycling trip, cycle route no. 1 also starts in Blatná, passing through Čekanice, Sedlice, Lom and Škvořetice before returning to Blatná.

The Kontribuční sýpka also adds to the historical picture of the town. The three-storey granary from the first half of the 19th century lies on the outskirts of Blatná towards Buzice and retains its historic roof structure and historic beam ceilings. On more than 30 hectares of plantations, Jan Böhm bred over 100 new varieties of different species, colours and fragrances. When choosing accommodation in Blatná, you can therefore weigh up cultural destinations in the historic town centre, walking routes in the castle park and a starting point for the cycle route described above.

As another travel destination, you can discover Jindřichovice.

Other places in the same regional area: Jinín, Uzeničky, Strakonice, Pracejovice, Volyně, Škvořetice, Bratronice.

To the overarching travel overview: Strakonice District.