Mezná combines a landscape surrounded by forests and numerous ponds with a history that can be traced through the former inn, the fortified site, the chapel and the former school. A described cycling tour also passes through the village. When planning your trip, you can consider the landscape, history and cycling as distinct highlights.
Ponds and Surroundings
There are sixteen ponds in total in the cadastral area of Mezná. Three of them cover more than ten hectares: Starosta measures 12.2 hectares, Nový mezenský 11.9 hectares and Těšín 10.7 hectares. At 12.2 hectares, Starosta is the largest of these three, while Těšín, at 10.7 hectares, is the smallest. The difference between them is 1.5 hectares; at 11.9 hectares, Nový mezenský lies between the two.
The figure sixteen refers to the total number of ponds in the cadastral area, while the three area figures allow a size comparison of the named bodies of water. Mezná is also surrounded by forests and numerous ponds. The landscape therefore extends beyond the three individually quantified bodies of water and offers a clear contrast to the village’s historic buildings.
Village History at Specific Places
The former manorial inn No. 6 stands on Mezná’s village green, is locally known as the “old inn,” and is documented as dating from the Thirty Years’ War. Martin Zámečník (1691–1697) is considered the earliest innkeeper identified by name in the records. This place thus connects a specific spot in the village with a long history of innkeeping.
The fortified site of Tvrziště Mezná has a circular ground plan and dates from the 14th century. It lies about 300 metres southwest of the centre of Mezná. Its shape, approximate location and date give this historic landmark a different context from the inn on the village green.
The Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary was built shortly after 1828, replacing an earlier masonry chapel or bell tower on the same site. Following repairs to the chapel, the first pilgrimage in Mezná took place in July 1934. Taken together, the dates span the 14th-century fortification, the chapel built shortly after 1828 and the 1934 pilgrimage; the inn’s documentation from the time of the Thirty Years’ War adds to this sequence.
The School and the Village’s Present-Day Functions
The school in Mezná operated for a total of 68 years. This gives the former educational institution its own place in the village’s history alongside the historic buildings. The former school building now houses the Mezná municipal office; since 2009, it has also been home to Hospůdka Ve Škole.
A Cycling Tour Through Mezná
The description of the “Planá nad Lužnicí” cycling tour, published in 2020, lists the following sequence: Chotěmice, Nová Ves, Mezná and Kvasejovice. The route then continues towards Zvěrotice along a better-maintained farm track. Mezná therefore lies between Nová Ves and Kvasejovice in the listed sequence, with Zvěrotice as the next direction.
The route title names Planá nad Lužnicí, but the described route also explicitly passes through Mezná. When planning your trip, you can therefore explore the village both for its pond landscape and history and as part of a named cycling tour.
Discover more destinations: Skopytce, Jedlany, Budislav, Becice, Zálší, Sedlečko U Soběslavě, Radimovice U Želče, Zhoř U Tábora
For the broader travel overview: Okres Tábor.
