Studená can be understood through several layers of time and landscape: its historic section represents the traditional structure of a village settlement in the region; individual buildings reveal specific construction and restoration histories, and archaeological finds date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The village is also linked to the Berounka Valley. For travellers interested in the wider natural landscape as well as local history, this offers two distinct themes, without requiring a single house to tell the whole story of the village.

Village Structure and Building History

Studená was designated a heritage zone by a 1995 decree of the Czech Ministry of Culture. As a whole, its historic section represents the traditional structure of the region’s village settlements. This brings the overall layout of the settlement alongside the specific features of individual buildings. The heritage zone identifies the area’s broader historic character, while the building history can also be seen in particular houses.

At farmstead No. 5, the south side of the timber-framed building has three rectangular entrances leading to three separate chambers. Cottage No. 19 was built at the beginning of the 19th century. Its restoration preserved the timber structures and, in part, the floor plan. The two buildings illustrate different aspects of building history: at the farmstead, the focus is on the entrances and chambers; at the cottage, on its period of construction and the timber structures and floor plan that have been preserved.

Archaeological Traces

The designated archaeological area lies in the centre of Studená. The archaeological settlement at V Jamech was dated to the 11th–12th centuries on the basis of pottery sherds. Six clearly delineated circular features, each approximately three metres in diameter, survive from this settlement. The dating based on pottery and the description of the surviving features provide different clues about the settlement. Compared with Cottage No. 19, which dates from the beginning of the 19th century, this settlement dates back many centuries earlier—a chronological contrast for anyone interested in different historical layers. The figure of around three metres refers to the diameter of each individual feature, not to the size of the archaeological area as a whole.

The Berounka Landscape in the Wider Area

The cadastral area of Studená u Chříče is part of Berounka Nature Park. The nature park protects the landscape character of the deeply incised valley of the Berounka and its tributaries, as well as its rock outcrops, adjoining woodland and agricultural land. Below Studená, on the opposite bank of the Berounka, lies Chlumská stráň National Nature Reserve. When planning your trip, it is helpful to distinguish between the different scales: the building and settlement history concerns the village itself, while the nature park and reserve form part of the wider regional landscape.

Discover more destinations: Chotíkov, Nová Jezná, Obora, Zihle, Kralovice, Ulice, Lochousice, Ledce.

For the wider travel overview: Plzeň-Sever District.