UNESCO World Heritage Site – Holasovice

The Czech world heritage site of Holašovice is a quaint, quiet little village in southern Bohemia. It’s just waiting to be explored.

---

As you tour around the countries that were part of the Soviet Union, you will notice that there are two types of older buildings, completely dilapidated or beautifully reconstructed and renovated. There is no in-between. Holasovice was all but deserted thanks to a plague that wiped out its population in the 13th century. Then it was re-populated with Germans, who left prior to World War I. It remained deserted throughout most of the Soviet times, and then was reclaimed and restored to the beauty it is today.

Conveniently located between two fantastic Bohemian cities, České Budějovice and Český Krumlov, we visited Holasovice on a sunny fall morning. The leaves were just starting to turn yellow, and the whole village was peaceful and welcoming.

Stunning Historic Farmhouses of Holasovice

Our first stop was one of the farmhouses. The owner had collected many farming antiques and stored them in the old cow barn, which he called a museum and charged 4 Koruna per person. Then he proceeded to give us a guided tour, in pretty good English, telling us about life on the farm.

The farmhouses sport gabled fronts. They are not timbered houses that you would find in many other parts of Europe, but purely made out of plaster. The gables, windows, and door arches are decorated with shapes or symbols and those borders or exterior moldings are painted in pastel colors.

One thing I love about these types of world heritage sites, town centers, villages, or larger areas in general, is it is mostly free. Holasovice would have been free, except for the enterprising farmer that opened his house to the public.

If you are traveling around the Czech Republic, take the time to stop by Holasovice.

What are some of your favorite parts of the Czech Republic?

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.