Two chapels, a historical reference point and national Cycle Route No. 35 give Großfürwitz (Vrbice) several distinct points of interest. St. Anne’s Chapel stands in the village centre, while the “Vrbice - kaple” chapel is located about 300 m south of the village. Together, they represent different geographical and historical reference points. The cycle route running through Vrbice adds a second focus. This means you can choose your accommodation based on whether architectural history or cycling is your priority.

St. Anne’s in the village centre

St. Anne’s Chapel was built by the municipality in 1893 without ecclesiastical approval. It stands in the eastern part of the village square in the centre of Vrbice. A prismatic bell tower is attached to the centre of the west-facing entrance façade. These features provide concrete points of reference: the location places St. Anne’s within the village, while the tower marks a prominent feature of the western façade.

Inside, the chapel had a pseudo-Romanesque altar with a painting of Saint Anne, as well as sculptures of Saint Joachim and Saint Joseph. The style designation “pseudo-Romanesque” refers to the altar and should be distinguished from the exterior architecture. The chapel is occasionally used for services. The altarpiece depicts Saint Anne, while Joachim and Joseph were represented by sculptures: the historic furnishings thus combined a painting with two three-dimensional depictions of saints.

The “Vrbice - kaple” chapel

The pseudo-style “Vrbice - kaple” chapel was built in the second half of the 19th century at a crossroads on the right-hand side of the road to Bošov. It was built on the site of an older cross. Its location therefore differs from that of St. Anne’s on the village square: here, the crossroads and road define its setting, while St. Anne’s is associated with the village centre.

The façade features a three-dimensional blind pointed arch and folk-style decoration. A blind arch is an arch motif without an open passage; its three-dimensional treatment gives this feature a distinct form on the façade. Together with the folk-style decoration, it offers a different architectural point of interest from St. Anne’s prismatic bell tower. The two chapels can therefore be distinguished by their specific architectural features without treating them as examples of a single building style.

Local history and the cycle route

The earliest historically recorded mention of the municipality of Vrbice dates from 1384. This provides a point of reference that predates the construction of both chapels in the 19th century by a considerable margin. The construction date of St. Anne’s is recorded as 1893; “Vrbice - kaple” is dated to the second half of the 19th century. This chronological comparison connects the history of the municipality with two distinct building histories, without equating the 1384 mention with the construction of the chapels.

National Cycle Route No. 35 runs through Vrbice. For travellers who want to plan their stay around a cycling route, this offers a different focus from the architectural history of the chapels. The route is therefore a specific reason to include Großfürwitz in your travel plans from a cycling perspective; the chapels offer a cultural and historical focus in the village.

Discover more destinations: Uitwa, Gießhübl-Sauerbrunn, Warta, Neu Rohlau, Hochofen, Buchau, Gängerhof, Wickwitz.

For the regional travel overview: Karlovy Vary District.