Rácovice – Chapel, Pond Landscape and Village History

Rácovice combines a historic village centre around the chapel with a pond landscape in the Bihanka valley. Those looking for accommodation for a trip featuring cultural discoveries and rural landscapes will find a place whose special character is closely connected with the village square, water and its documented history.

Chapel and Village Square as the Historic Centre

The Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius was built in 1901. It stands on a lawn in the centre of the village, immediately beside the pond, and is a defining element of Rácovice’s village square. The historic village centre and the village square around the chapel also include a public green area with landscaped park features. As a result, the centre forms a clearly recognisable ensemble in which sacred architecture, open green spaces and the pond’s water come together. Immediately in front of the chapel stands a cast wayside cross on a stone pedestal. It has trefoil ends, a cast-iron corpus of Christ and, at its base, a relief of Our Lady of Sorrows from the 19th century. The wayside cross at the chapel is registered as a cultural monument under number 18117/7-3096. Another historical trace in the village landscape is the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, which dates from the first half of the 18th century. A historic granary also characterises the adjoining farmyard beside the pond.

Ponds and Paths in the Bihanka Valley

Rácovický Pond lies in the middle of the Bihanka valley and provides an important spatial reference point for the landscape. A cascade of ponds was created around 1700 along the left-hand woodland side as far as Dědice. The regional history of the ponds also includes the body of water below Křivánky: it was formerly used for fish farming, and there were fish holding tanks below its dam. This former use remains part of the local landscape and economic history, without any present-day function being inferred from it. For orientation in the area, two locally significant routes that cross in Rácovice are relevant. The existing network of field and farm tracks can also be used to some extent by pedestrians and cyclists.

Traces of the Fortress and Local History

By the middle of the 14th century, Rácovice probably already had a stone fortress, or one was under construction. The local history also refers to escape passages from this fortress that ran beneath the front part of the former sheep pen. The sheep pen itself was converted into a residential building in 1896. For travel planning, it is important to note that České dráhy trains currently do not stop at Rácovice railway station.

Other Places in the Area

For further orientation, you can also look at [Jinošov](Jinošov), [Kdousov](Kdousov), [Radonín](Radonín), [Benetice](Benetice), [Zvěrkovice](Zvěrkovice), [Studnice](Studnice), [Číhalín](Číhalín) and [Smrk](Smrk).

For the wider travel overview: Třebíč District.