Protivanov offers you a range of starting points for a stay: a parish church with a distinctive architectural history, historic small monuments, and several landscape attractions, each with its own setting. This lets you focus on culture and nature without treating all the sights as one single walking tour. Particularly helpful for finding your way are the clear differences between the valley of the Protivanovský potok, a sloping meadow in the Drahanská vrchovina, and a circular route that leads back to Protivanov.
The church and its historic details
The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built in 1772, after the previous church burned down in 1771. The two dates tell a brief but specific story of the town: the fire was followed by construction of the present church the very next year. Visits are possible by prior arrangement. If you plan to visit the church, make arrangements in advance.
Inside the church is a stone baptismal font preserved as a historic memento. It adds a specific furnishing detail to the church’s architectural history and provides another connection to the religious history of the town. The year of construction and the baptismal font represent different aspects: one dates the church’s origins, while the other draws attention to a surviving piece of its furnishings.
You will also encounter historic landmarks outside the church. In Protivanov, on the road to Boskovice, there is a cast-iron cross on a stone base painted in several colours. The Baroque base dates from 1798; the cross itself was probably made later, and its creator is unknown. The date therefore does not apply equally to both parts. A brick-built, plastered niche chapel from the 19th century also stands in a field beside the road from Protivanov towards Niva. The cross and chapel differ both in form and in their stated locations.
Landscape and natural attractions
The Protivanov Natural Monument is also a Natura 2000 site. It lies in the valley of the Protivanovský potok, about 0.5 kilometres northwest of Protivanov. This setting differs clearly from U žlíbku, which is a sloping meadow in the Drahanská vrchovina, southwest of Protivanov and at an elevation of 630 metres. This gives you two distinct landscape settings to choose from: a valley to the northwest and a higher-elevation meadow to the southwest. The Skály area is another notable landscape feature: it is the highest point in the Drahanská vrchovina.
The Protivanovský okruh offers a separate way to explore the surroundings. It follows the edge of the forest to the Louky pod Skalkami Natural Monument and then returns to Protivanov. The circular route description thus combines a stretch along the forest edge with a protected natural attraction and a return to the town. Louky pod Skalkami is a different named natural monument from the Protivanov Natural Monument in the valley of the Protivanovský potok. Pay attention to the different names when planning your destinations.
Plan your stay around your interests
If you are mainly interested in architectural history and religious heritage, the parish church, stone baptismal font, cross, and niche chapel make a suitable thematic focus. The church must be visited by prior arrangement; the other cultural monuments mentioned are described by their respective locations. If you would rather focus on the landscape, you can distinguish between the Protivanov valley area, the U žlíbku meadow, the highest point at Skály, and the Protivanovský okruh. This selection helps you shape your stay around the attractions actually named, rather than inferring a single route from the different location descriptions.
Discover more destinations: Víceměřice, Myslejovice, Pěnčín, Mořice, Suchdol, Kostelec Na Hané, Přemyslovice, Výšovice.
For the broader travel overview: Prostějov District.
