Hostišová

Hostišová combines a history documented back to 1397 with distinctive sacred buildings, memorial sites and a landscape in which traces of human settlement extend back to the Early Stone Age. The character of the village is particularly vivid at several distinct, clearly identifiable sites: the stone Baroque cross, the chapel, and the paths and landscape features around the settlement.

Culture and history in Hostišová

The stone Baroque cross “Barokní kříž” is made of coarse-grained sandstone. Jakub Polášek erected it in 1756; it is listed under number 1909 in the Register of Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic. The chapel “Kaple Navštívení Panny Marie” was built in 1869 on the site of an earlier bell tower. Masses are held there every year on 2 May, 2 July and 2 September. The Mass on 2 July is also the local pilgrimage “Náš svátek”.

The more recent history is also present in the village landscape. The memorial “Památník Clay - Eva” was unveiled on 6 May 2005. The Clay parachute group was dropped during the night of 12–13 April 1944 in the Trnovec area, within the cadastral territory of the municipality of Hostišová. Another memorial, “Památník partyzána Metoděje Ponížila”, commemorates the partisan Metoděj Ponížil, who fell during the liberation on 5 May 1945 at the age of 29. The Stations of the Cross “Křížová cesta” above Hostišová was ceremonially opened on 26 September 2009.

Landscape, views and distinctive natural features

In the surroundings of present-day Hostišová, the landscape contains archaeological settlement traces from every period since the Early Stone Age. Paleolithic finds are dated to around 10,000 BC. A completely different timescale is represented by the approximately 250-year-old common pear (Pyrus communis) in the fields above Hostišová. Its trunk circumference is 370 cm. In the center of the municipality, an English oak (Quercus robur) with a trunk circumference of 270 cm also grows on the grounds of a locksmith's workshop. It is connected with the history of the Vojáček family: During the First Republic, celebrations were held in their garden, at which national flags were hung from the oak.

The observation tower is 14 m high and made of natural materials such as stone and wood. Its circular viewing platform is located at a height of 11 m. Below the chapel there is a workout area and a children's playground. This places historical, landscape and more active points of interest in different parts of the village, without requiring them to be combined into a single visiting experience.

Festivals and recurring dates

The annual Hody celebrations in Hostišová are called “Náš svátek” and are always held on 2 July. Another fixed date is the annual New Year's ascent of the nearby Hřeben hill. The hill is 399 m above sea level; participants receive their own New Year's stamp. At the carnival celebration, a masked procession takes place on the last Saturday before Ash Wednesday, led by a bear.

Other places in the surrounding area

For further orientation, you can also compare Trnava U Zlína, Březnice, Sazovice, Horní Lhota, Hrobice, Veselá, Ostrata and Slušovice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Zlín District.