At the foot of the Slepičí hory, Bessenitz (Besednice) lies in a shallow depression that forms the watershed between the Malše and Stropnice rivers. The village offers a striking landscape setting and a well-defined destination for an excursion: Slabošovka and its observation tower. In Besednice, the listed Church of St. Prokop, a niche chapel and museum exhibitions add cultural interest to a trip into nature.
Hike to Slabošovka
A green hiking trail marker leads from the village square in Besednice to Slabošovka; from there, the route continues along an unpaved field track. When planning your hike, bear in mind that the unpaved field track begins after the marked section. Trail conditions can change, so check them before setting out. Slabošovka is a 36-metre-high telecommunications tower that serves as an observation tower and was built in 2002. Its viewing platform is 24 metres above the ground. From there, you can see Kohout, the highest peak of the Slepičí hory, as well as Kleť in the Blanský les, the peaks of the Novohradské hory and Poluška. The platform is twelve metres below the top of the 36-metre-high tower.
Church, Chapel and Museum
The listed Baroque Church of St. Prokop dates from 1738. It stands on elevated ground in the northern part of Besednice, where it is a prominent feature of the townscape and landscape. The church complex includes statues of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. John of Nepomuk, gravestones, a mortuary chapel and the walls of the historic cemetery.
The niche chapel of St. John of Nepomuk stands in the centre of Besednice, a few metres southwest of the municipal office building. It can be reached by a seven-step stone staircase; a polychrome statue of the saint stands in its niche. The Besednice Municipal Museum has a permanent exhibition on civil defence. The Besednice Market Town Museum has a permanent exhibition dedicated to Vojtěch Smolík DFC, a Czechoslovak RAF pilot. The exhibitions have different focuses: civil defence on the one hand and the biography of an RAF pilot on the other.
Events and Getting There
The nationwide accordion gathering Setkání heligonkářů is held annually in Besednice and commemorates the victims of the Poříčská disaster. Dates may vary; check the date before planning your trip around the event. Services are held regularly in the Betlémská Chapel: on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. Check the details before travelling.
Besednice is accessible by bus; the nearest railway station is in Kaplice. Timetables may change, so check current connections. When choosing how to travel, consider taking the bus to Besednice or using the nearest railway station in Kaplice.
Discover more destinations: Theresiendorf, Hohenfurth, Unterbreitenstein, Deutsch Beneschau, Kaplitz, Vyšný, Kienberg, Malsching.
Return to the regional travel overview: Okres Český Krumlov.
