Zvěřínek lies on the eastern edge of Kersko-Bory Nature Park. The village combines historic landmarks within its municipal area with a landscape where both forests and open, agricultural land are protected. This gives you two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: the village’s history and the nature park’s landscape. Both can inform your choice of whether to focus your stay more on culture or include walks and cycling trips in the surrounding area.

Local history told through a chapel, tower and memorials

The chapel in Zvěřínek stands in the southern part of the municipality, at the centre of the village green, which took its shape over time, and is part of a public park. Its location connects the historic village green with a public open space. Zvěřínek is first mentioned in writing in 1345; in 1525, Nymburk bought the village from Bedřich, Burgrave of Donín. The municipal bell tower on the road to Hořátev was built in 1865. Historically, its bell was rung in the morning, at noon and in the evening, as well as for funerals.

A metal cross was erected on a stone base at the crossroads by the village entrance in 1887. The war memorial in Zvěřínek was unveiled on 20 September 1936. These buildings and memorials represent different aspects of local history: a bell tower with a historic ringing tradition, a metal cross and a war memorial. The local industrial history also has a specific date associated with it: a brickworks built in 1909 formed the basis of the Asbestos factory. The historic landmarks span the period from the village’s first mention in the Middle Ages to a 20th-century war memorial.

Forest, open countryside and water

Kersko-Bory Nature Park protects pine and birch forests on the gravelly, sandy subsoil of the Elbe floodplain, as well as open areas of the agricultural Polabí landscape. The protected area therefore encompasses different types of landscape: forest and open farmland are equally part of it. Zvěřínek lies on the eastern edge of the nature park, whose character is therefore shaped by more than just its forests.

The village’s original name also reflects its woodland setting: Zvěřínek was formerly called Zvěřinec; the name is thought to derive from the large number of game animals in the surrounding forests. This possible origin of the name adds a historical connection to the picture of the landscape. The Černavka stream runs along the eastern side of Zvěřínek and flows into the Výrovka near the hamlet of Kopaník. The Černavka and Výrovka watercourses near Zvěřínek have been regulated since 1896.

The area around Zvěřínek offers suitable conditions for walks and cycling trips. There is also a sand lake in Sadská, near Zvěřínek. So, alongside the village’s historic landmarks, there are various landscape features to consider when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations

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Return to the regional travel overview: Okres Nymburk.