The preserved folk architecture quarter of Betlém gives Hlinsko V Cechách a clear cultural and historical focus. Paths to ponds and landscape information boards offer a different perspective. When planning your trip, you can decide whether to focus on the town’s history, nature or leisure activities.
Getting there and finding your way
The Pardubice–Havlíčkův Brod railway line, which has been in operation since 1871, runs through Hlinsko. Hlinsko is also on state road 1/34, which connects Polička and Havlíčkův Brod and links to the D1 motorway. If you are travelling by train, check the timetable for your travel date; for road travel, these connections provide an initial point of reference.
Betlém: folk architecture and crafts
Betlém Hlinsko is a preserved folk architecture quarter in the centre of Hlinsko, on the right bank of the Chrudimka River. The heritage conservation area comprises 24 buildings, 16 of which are cultural monuments. On a guided tour, you can enter several buildings and visit exhibitions about the lives of small-scale artisans. The focus is therefore not only on the buildings themselves, but also on the crafts of the past.
Betlém also has craft workshops. A weaving workshop preserves the production of textiles, especially the tradition of Hlinecké žinylky. The history of weaving can also be seen at Ježdíkův dům, also known as Dům u tvrze: its façade frescoes depict pottery and weaving, crafts typical of Hlinsko. This neo-Gothic building thus offers another connection between architecture and local craft traditions.
Museum, buildings and living traditions
The Městské muzeum is housed in a former Jewish synagogue and was founded in 1874 as the fourth rural museum. Its permanent exhibition covers the history of Hlinsko, education, associations, clothing, textiles and traditional crafts. It also includes a fully functioning orchestrion. The Baroque Church of Narození Panny Marie was built between 1730 and 1745; its bell dates from 1520 and its baptismal font from 1628. The building period and furnishings thus span different centuries.
The Tvrz is considered the oldest building in Hlinsko. It stands next to Ježdíkův dům in the lower left part of Poděbradovo náměstí. Another form of cultural heritage is the village Masopust processions and masks in the Hlinecko area, which were added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. During the processions, four dancers, known as turci, perform a ceremonial dance in front of each house. Blatno, a district of Hlinsko, is one of the places where this tradition takes place.
The Židovský hřbitov also offers a distinct historical connection: established in 1904, it covers just 380 m² and is among the smallest Jewish cemeteries in the Czech Republic by area. Visitors can borrow the key from the Turistické informační centrum Hlinsko.
Paths and countryside around Hlinsko
Hlinsko and its region lie at the transition between the Žďárské vrchy and Železné hory protected landscape areas. The Pohádková stezka leads to the Ratajské rybníky, a natural monument protected since 1990, comprising three ponds with wetlands and marsh meadows. The trail starts at the cross-country skiing area in Rataje. It is 2 km long in total and takes 45 minutes on foot for the complete round trip. The route is also suitable for children, families with strollers, people with disabilities and seniors.
The Lázeňská stezka leads from the centre of Hlinsko towards Studnice and returns via Svatojánské Lázně. Beside the road from Hlinsko to Svatojánské Lázně, a small-leaved lime tree along the route is protected as a memorial tree. The Kavánova stezka has six information boards featuring pictures by Kaván. Each is located at a spot with a good view of the landscape depicted in the respective picture.
Near Hlinsko, Veselý Kopec is home to a collection of relocated folk buildings from Hlinecko, Poličsko, Litomyšlsko and parts of Chrudimsko. The buildings stand in the settlement’s original landscape. Together with Betlém, this site offers another perspective on the region’s folk architecture, though the two sites are not part of the same collection.
Leisure activities with specific conditions
The Skiareál Hlinsko has three ski runs: a 250 m blue run, a 450 m red run with a road overpass and a 250 m black run. As the configuration may change, check the latest operating information before visiting. The Koupací biotop was created by converting an old swimming pool and comprises a bathing area and a water-treatment area, beaches and a large lawn. Access may vary by season.
The Vzdělávací centrum Planeta Hlinsko offers visitors an entertaining introduction to processes and phenomena that take place on Earth. Alongside architectural and craft history, visitors can therefore choose an educational attraction as well as seasonal activities.
Discover more destinations: Heřmanův Městec, České Lhotice, Prachovice, Miřetice U Nasavrk, Hojesin, Leštinka, Všeradov, Mrákotín.
For the broader travel overview: Okres Chrudim.
