Koštice offers different perspectives on village history and nature: the parish church stands in the middle of the village square, Ortův Mlýn tells the story of milling, and the Koštice–Křesín nature trail follows the Ohře through Želevice and the wetlands near Koštice. This makes it possible to explore sacred architecture, the history of technology and botanical themes as distinct areas of interest.
Sacred Buildings and Places of Remembrance
The parish church of Saint Anthony of Padua is a late Baroque religious building dating from 1752 and stands in the middle of the village square. It is listed as an immovable cultural monument and classified as Baroque from the 18th century. The specific year of construction places this particular building in time; its classification as 18th-century Baroque identifies its broader art-historical period.
The Baroque statue of Saint John of Nepomuk, dating from 1729, stands on the lower village square. It is therefore older than the church, built in 1752. Another building with its own history is the Neo-Gothic-Baroque chapel Kaplička u přívozu: the Zinke family of house no. 14 had it built in 1846.
The Zvonička u přívozu was erected in January 2014 in memory of the mass tragedy of 1764. At that time, people drowned while crossing the river on their way back from a church service. The memorial connects a specific place of remembrance with a tragedy that occurred several centuries earlier.
A more recent work is the modern abstract sculpture Život – Letnice. Woodcarver Jan Švadlenka created it in 2013 from a dead tree. Its date of creation and material clearly distinguish it from the Baroque buildings and the older history of the mill.
Ortův Mlýn and Its History
Ortův Mlýn is considered the first automatic mill in Bohemia and is now a hydroelectric power station. A written reference dating from 1574 confirms its present location on the Ohře. The mill’s former power plant is also significant to local history: it supplied electricity to the mill itself, street lighting throughout Koštice and households. The mill therefore represents not only a technical landmark, but also the village’s historic electricity supply.
Nature Trail and Nature
The short Koštice–Křesín nature trail was established in 2012. It starts at the church in Koštice, passes through the lower village square and follows the Ohře through Želevice and the wetlands near Koštice; its endpoint is in Křesín. The route thus leads from a central building through village and river landscapes to another settlement.
The largest population by number of individual plants of black-spiked sedge (Carex melanostachya) in Bohemia is found in the Přírodní památka Koštice. Subhalophilous plant communities also occur there, on waterlogged and loosened sites in flooded meadows. This makes the area’s natural features more specific from a botanical perspective: the focus is on a particular sedge species and plant communities in the described meadow habitats.
Bridge and Bicycle Rental
Lávka svobody is a simple bridge for pedestrians and cyclists over the small mill race. Cyclists can rent bicycles and tourist equipment at Karfíkův dvůr, including child seats and child trailers. The bicycle rental service is open by prior arrangement only.
Discover more destinations: Peruc, Dobroměřice, Libořice, Výškov, Kostice Nad Ohrí, Nová Ves, Hříškov, Chlumčany U Loun.
Return to the wider travel overview: Okres Louny.
