Kožlany can be explored through several themes: a six-kilometre nature trail, a pottery tradition that continues to this day, and a layered history of architecture and remembrance. Eduard Beneš, the second president of Czechoslovakia, was also born in Kožlany in 1884. A Jewish cemetery lies near the town. These different points of interest can help you plan your stay around the landscape, architecture and history.
Nature Trail and Landscape History
The Naučná stezka Kožlany nature trail is six kilometres long. It is marked in both directions with the standard nature trail symbol: a white square with a green diagonal stripe. Its length provides a clear guide for planning, and the described symbol makes the route markings easy to identify.
The route of the nature trail includes Hliny, a former clay extraction site for ceramic clay that has been flooded. Plant and animal communities adapted to wet habitats thrive here. At this site, the former extraction of clay and the wetland habitats of today coexist. Hliny is therefore connected not only with the extraction of ceramic raw material, but also with the communities of living things found there.
Church, Pottery Tradition and Local History
Kostel sv. Vavřince is considered the oldest building in Kožlany. The three-aisled church has a west tower and a polygonal presbytery, the choir area by the altar. The protected complex also includes a mortuary, the perimeter wall with two gates and a small entrance, a cast-iron cross, and the grounds of the site. The complex therefore comprises other structures and the associated land as well as the church.
Kožlany’s pottery tradition continues to this day and represents a focus of craftsmanship alongside its religious architecture. Together with Eduard Beneš’s birth in 1884, it illustrates two distinct connections to the town’s history: local craftsmanship and a personal biography linked to Kožlany.
Angerbach and the Jewish Cemetery
The abandoned Angerbach Castle dates to around the middle of the 13th century. Its two-part layout was protected by a rampart and a moat. A wooden bridge crossed the moat into the rear section. These details describe a clearly structured complex: a rampart and moat for defence, and a crossing to the rear part. Angerbach thus adds a medieval castle to the local history.
The Jewish cemetery near Kožlany was established no later than the end of the 17th century; the oldest documented burial dates to 1698. From the early 18th century until the 1930s, the cemetery served as a burial place for Jews from surrounding villages. It contains 175 gravestones. During restoration, the perimeter wall, entrance gate and Beit Tahara mortuary with its Tahara table were repaired.
The Jewish cemetery is freely accessible. Check local access conditions before your visit. Its long history of use sets this place of remembrance apart from the architectural and craft themes within the town itself; together with the church and Angerbach, it offers further perspectives on the history of the area around Kožlany.
Discover more destinations: Všehrdy, Velečín, Pastuchovice, Ledce, Sedlec, Újezd Nade Mží, Bezvěrov, Hromnice.
For the overview of the wider area: Plzeň-North District.
