Holčovice combines a cultural landscape shaped over centuries with a protected church, a museum and an observation tower. The municipality lies on the Zlatá Opavice in the foothills of the Jeseníky Mountains. One distinctive feature is its exceptionally well-preserved strip fields: their pattern documents how the landscape was cultivated over many centuries. This also makes Holčovice interesting for travellers who want to appreciate a place’s historical character as well as its individual sights.
Church and Museum: Different Perspectives
The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary offers a tangible insight into Holčovice’s architectural history. It was built between 1770 and 1774 on the site of an early 17th-century Protestant church. Since 1988, it has been a state-protected cultural monument. The single-nave masonry building has a 30-metre-high tower. Its construction dates and predecessor mark two clearly distinct historical periods; its protected status and architecture complement one another without requiring a lengthy timeline.
The African Museum offers a different focus: it displays taxidermied animals at their natural size. The African Museum Safari also includes a zoo park with live animals, including bison and buffalo. The two attractions therefore differ in how visitors encounter animals: the museum displays taxidermy, while the zoo park is home to live animals. The African Museum is near the Na Skalce Observation Tower, bringing two distinct themes together in Holčovice: the museum and the tower.
Strip Fields and Views Across the Mountains
The preserved strip fields tell the story of the landscape’s long history of cultivation in the foothills of the Jeseníky Mountains. Unlike a single building, they can be appreciated through their inherited pattern and the broader layout of the land. They offer a distinct focus alongside the church architecture and animal displays in the museum: Holčovice can be explored through its buildings and exhibitions, as well as through the historical character of its landscape.
The wooden Na Skalce Observation Tower offers views across the surrounding area. It has stood on the slope of Moravský kopec above Holčovice since 2013. From there, the view reaches the peaks of the Jeseníky Mountains and the Beskids, the Low Tatras, and Poland. This expansive view contrasts with the small-scale landscape of the strip fields: here, the named mountain regions and the panorama across the surrounding area take centre stage. Holčovice thus offers a clearly defined viewpoint as well as cultural monuments.
Explore on Foot and by Bike
A yellow-marked hiking route passes through the municipality of Holčovice. Another, blue-marked hiking route is 3.5 kilometres long and runs via the settlement of Horní Holčovice to the Na Skalce Observation Tower. Both a specific destination and the distance are given for this route. A cycle route also passes through Holčovice. Hiking and cycling complement the cultural attractions with ways to explore the surrounding area along different routes; the routes mentioned do not indicate journey times or a connection between them.
Choose What to Explore in Holčovice
If you are particularly interested in architectural history, the protected church and its predecessor are a distinctive focus. The museum and zoo park offer animal displays and live animals, while the observation tower opens up views of the surrounding mountain regions. The strip fields add a testament to centuries of landscape cultivation. These different themes can help you decide what you would like to focus on during a stay in Holčovice: historic buildings, animals, landscape or views.
Discover more destinations: Liptaň, Moravskoslezský Kočov, Horní Město, Brauntal, Bílčice, Úvalno, Oborná, Rudná Pod Pradědem.
Return to the main travel guide: Bruntál District.
