If you consider culture and landscape together when planning a trip, Horní Kounice offers two distinct focuses: its architectural history and Rokytná Nature Park. The Guláš Festival adds a specific culinary event. This gives you a way to weigh which aspect of the place matters most for your stay.
Architectural history between the commandery and the Renaissance
The Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Horní Kounice is a Late Baroque building dating from 1785 to 1790; its Romanesque core dates back to the mid-13th century. Two very different building periods thus meet in one structure. Horní Kounice’s square is also home to the rectory, built in 1780 and considered architecturally significant.
The Knights Hospitaller commandery is considered the best-preserved example of a rural commandery in Moravia. Together with the church, it forms a prominent historical landmark in the municipality. Its architectural history reflects several uses: the former commandery was converted into a Gothic fortress and later turned into a granary. In the cellar of the south wing of the opposite farmyard, the lower part of an early Gothic residential building belonging to the Knights Hospitaller commandery has been preserved. The cellar, measuring 17.7 × 5 metres, has an early Gothic pointed-arch portal that can be reached by a staircase leading from the farmyard.
Another architectural landmark is the Alinkov farmyard, a Late Renaissance complex built around 1600, with the remains of a mill. It lies on the right bank of the Rokytná, north of Čermákovice, but is already within the cadastral area of Horní Kounice. Its location connects a clearly identified stretch of river with the farmyard’s historical context.
River landscape and Rokytná Nature Park
The landscape is another focus: Rokytná Nature Park includes Horní Kounice, and the protected landscape around the Rokytná is part of the European Natura 2000 network. The area combines winding stretches of river and rocky outcrops with floodplain meadows and scree habitats. It also features different forest types, including spruce, oak-hornbeam and pine forests. Meanders are loops in a river; floodplain meadows and scree habitats add further landscape types to the wooded areas.
Kingfishers, crayfish, otters and eagle-owls can be spotted in the nature park. For those interested in wildlife watching, these possible sightings offer another way to choose a focus, alongside the different landscape features.
Planning for the Guláš Festival and your journey
The Guláš Festival is a traditional competition in Horní Kounice to find the best goulash cooked in a cauldron. The fourth edition took place on 23 May 2026; tasting and judging the cauldron goulash were part of the programme. If you would like to include the festival in your trip plans, check the dates for the relevant edition.
Horní Kounice can be reached by car or bus. It lies on the Moravský Krumlov–Tavíkovice route and is part of the IDS JMK transport system. If travelling by bus, it is a good idea to check the latest connections before finalising your trip.
For planning your time, it helps to distinguish between the different themes: architectural history and the nature park define the place, while the Guláš Festival takes place on specific dates. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can first consider whether you want your stay to focus more on culture, landscape or a culinary event.
Discover more destinations: Jamolice, Lubnice, Slup, Sumna, Znojmo, Hrádek, Vranovská Ves, Damnice.
For the overview of the wider region: Znojmo District.
