Kněždub combines a landscape shaped by orchards, fields and vineyards with a remarkable history of art and architecture. The village lies at the foot of Šumárník. This makes it easy to plan your trip around a clear choice of themes: religious architecture, the legacy of the Úprka brothers and distinctive natural features each offer a different focus. If you want to plan your stay around a particular festival or encounter, check the relevant dates and access conditions in advance.
Church and art in the village
The Church of St John the Baptist dates from 1898 and was built in the Romanesque Revival style. Its interior was painted in an unusually modern style by the academic painter Vojmír Vokolek. Two distinctly different design elements therefore stand side by side: the historicist architecture and the modern artistic decoration. For those interested in culture, this combination offers a particularly striking way into the village’s history. The year of construction and style tell the story of when the building was created; the paintings add a distinctive artistic perspective.
The birthplace of the Úprka brothers
The birthplace of the brothers Joža and Franta Úprka is a state-protected cultural monument. It houses a permanent exhibition of their works and also displays the period furnishings and fittings of the rooms where the brothers lived and worked. Art and the history of the space meet here directly: the exhibition focuses on their works, while the furnished rooms evoke the context of their lives and work. The restored house reopened to the public on 9 July 2005. Check the current access conditions before your visit.
The building itself also makes the birthplace special: it is considered a typical example of a building of its time constructed from clay, and is one of the few surviving typical examples of this building tradition. Those interested in historic architecture can therefore look not only at the artists and their works, but also at the house’s construction. This makes the site more than just an exhibition visit, bringing together artistic heritage and regional architectural history.
A place of remembrance
Kněždub’s cultural heritage extends beyond the birthplace. The painters Joža Úprka and Antoš Frolka, as well as the sculptor Franta Úprka, are buried in the local cemetery, “Slovácký slavín”. Together with the exhibition in the birthplace, this offers another perspective on the artists associated with Kněždub. The two sites represent different aspects: one focuses on works and living spaces, the other on remembering the artists.
Landscape and nature in the Čertoryje area
The landscape at the foot of Šumárník is shaped by orchards, fields and vineyards. The protected area of Čertoryje is also part of the natural landscape, extending across the cadastral areas of Hrubá Vrbka, Kněždub and Tvarožná Lhota. The lady’s slipper (Cypripedium calceolus), the saw-wort (Serratula lycopifolia) and the marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) occur there.
The information about these plants highlights the distinctive nature of their occurrences: the lady’s slipper is found at three sites in the White Carpathians and is represented in Čertoryje at two microsites, with two clumps. The saw-wort is found at four sites in the White Carpathians. It forms extensive stands in the Vojšické louky area; there are also two microsites of just a few square metres below the summit of Čertoryje. Čertoryje is the only site for the marsh gladiolus in the White Carpathians. There, it occurs as a few specimens at a single microsite. Thus, Kněždub and its surroundings are notable not only for cultural sites, but also for highly specific plant occurrences.
Events and encounters
A cultural highlight in October is the costumed “krojované hody s právem” feast, which is considered a traditional event. The exact dates may vary; if you want to plan your stay around the celebration, check the latest dates in advance. This offers a different reason to visit from the enduring themes of architecture and art.
At the Selský domek, children can pet and feed Cameroon goats and other domestic goats, a pot-bellied pig, as well as rabbits and chickens. If this encounter is important to your plans, check the current opening conditions and availability before your visit. Alongside its cultural attractions, Kněždub also offers a specific place to meet animals; you can match your travel group’s interests to the village’s range of offerings.
Discover more destinations: Lužice, Hovorany, Dubňany, Nechvalín, Tasov, Josefov U Hodonína, Sudomerice Nad Moravou, Petrov
Return to the broader travel overview: Hodonín District.
