Osek’s cultural and historical character ranges from a listed chapel and a Jewish cemetery to the castle complex with its landscaped park. These sites offer different points of interest: sacred architecture, preserved gravestones and a history of construction spanning from the 15th century to the castle built in 1911.
Chapel and Jewish Cemetery
The Chapel of St John of Nepomuk stands on the main road in the southern part of the village. It is a listed building, constructed with Baroque elements in the second half of the 18th century. Its floor plan is rectangular, with a three-sided apse. The construction period and stylistic elements place the chapel in its historical and art-historical context; its floor plan adds a specific architectural detail to this picture.
The Jewish cemetery offers a different historical focus. Around 50 gravestones dating from the first half of the 19th century survive on its 250-square-metre grounds. Unlike the chapel, the focus here is not the design of a single building, but the collection of gravestones and their dates. The cemetery is freely accessible; check the current access conditions before your visit.
Castle History and Cultural Landscape
A fortress built by the Osecký of Brloh stood on the site of today’s pseudo-Baroque Osek Castle in the 15th century. The present castle was built in 1911 as a four-winged building; JUDr. Eduard Daubek commissioned its reconstruction. This sequence links a medieval past with a castle construction dated precisely to 1911. The fortress, reconstruction and present pseudo-Baroque appearance belong to different periods in the village’s history.
The extensive castle complex with its landscaped park lies on the southern edge of Osek. The grounds therefore include more than the castle building: the park is also part of the historic ensemble. Here, the history of the buildings and the landscape complement each other as two distinct aspects of the place.
About one kilometre south of Osek, the St Tekla wayside shrine stands along the main road towards Kbelnice. Built of masonry, it is considered a valuable landscape feature and a testament to popular piety. This structure brings together its physical form, religious significance and place in the landscape.
Hiking with Different Planning Horizons
The spring hike “Okolo Oseka” is listed in the municipal calendar for 2024, 2025 and 2026. If you would like to combine your stay with an event, check the municipality’s calendar for your planned travel dates before setting off.
The “Pochod okolo Oseka” was scheduled for 7 June 2026. The start was to be at the village inn, with the route leading mainly into the woods behind Malá Turná.
The 35-kilometre excursion “Za památkami Radomyšle” also passes through Osek. This distance refers to the entire tour, offering a different planning perspective from visiting individual sights in the village. If you plan to take this tour, check the current route conditions.
Discover more destinations: Lažánky, Cerneves, Uzenice, Hornosín, Krajníčko, Strunkovice Nad Volyňkou, Skočice, Vodnany
For the regional travel overview: Okres Strakonice.
