Chotiněves is a place whose cultural and historical character does not rest on a single building: alongside the chapel and Protestant church, farmsteads, wooden buildings and a long village green shape the townscape. Hořidla, a lookout tower southwest of the village, is another attraction. This means village history and a walk to a viewpoint can be considered as distinct highlights.
Village layout, farmsteads and historic traces
The Chotiněves Village Heritage Zone was designated on September 22, 1995. It encompasses essentially the entire built-up area of the village, and is therefore not limited to a single building. Chotiněves has exceptionally well-preserved examples of farmsteads dating from the 18th to the 20th century. Large masonry farmsteads alternate with wooden buildings featuring arcades and half-timbered structures. The long, spindle-shaped village green adds a distinctive shape to the village layout.
The remains of the castle of the Berka of Dubá are also precisely located: a section of the rubble-stone foundation and deep cellars have been preserved at house numbers 45–48. A small local history museum offers another focus on the village’s past. Together, these different sites and building styles show that Chotiněves need not be reduced to a single historic attraction.
Chapel and Protestant church
The Chapel of St. Procopius stands in the center of Chotiněves, on a narrow island between roads. Its rectangular, plastered building has a semicircular sanctuary. A small bell turret sits above the triangular gable. The interior is also architecturally distinctive: it has a barrel vault with lunettes and is richly decorated with frescoes. The chapel thus provides its own example of the architectural details that, alongside the farmsteads, contribute to the village’s historic character.
A tower was added to the Protestant church in 1987. Its bell comes from the former church in Habřina. These two details relate to different aspects of the church’s history: the structural addition to the church in Chotiněves and the origin of its bell.
Walk to the Hořidla lookout tower
The Hořidla lookout tower stands on the hill of the same name, 371 meters high, southwest of Chotiněves. It can only be reached on foot via field and forest paths. Routes lead up from Chotiněves or Jištěrpy, among other places. Another path starts at the Třebutičky–Encovany road: at the cross, it branches off to the left. These starting points and walking routes are the key details to plan for a visit. The tower is freely accessible year-round; nevertheless, check its opening status again before your trip.
Chotiněves is surrounded by fields, with views of the ridge of the České středohoří. The lookout tower on Hořidla and the historic village setting appeal to different interests: here, the focus is on the settlement layout, churches and farmsteads; there, it is on a destination reached exclusively by footpaths. You can decide which aspect to prioritize based on the themes of your trip, without treating the two highlights as one and the same.
Discover more destinations: Záluží U Roudnice Nad Labem, Kleneč, Kyškovice, Úpohlavy, Kresin, Sulejovice, Újezd, Michalovice U Velkých Žernosek.
For the broader travel overview: Okres Litoměřice.
