Kolaje: Hotels and accommodations

Kolaje lies on the northeastern slope of Oškobrh. Oškobrh is a 94.1636-hectare Site of Community Importance.

Nature and landscape

The Oškobrh Natura 2000 site protects the habitat of the stag beetle. The area is predominantly forested and includes thermophilous oak forests. Its southwestern slopes feature xerothermic grasslands and steppe grasslands, as well as exposed marl outcrops.

Oškobrh consists of two peaks separated by a narrow depression.

History

Kolaje was founded in 1777 on the pastureland of the former settlement of Mastnice as part of the Raabisation. The settlement was named after Hofrat Jan František Hermann von Hermannsdorf. Historical names for Kolaje were Heřmanice, Heřmanovice, Hermannsdorf, and Heřmandorf.

The local name “Na kolajích” referred to the poor condition of the old cart road, with one track running alongside another. Kolaje was first mentioned in written sources in 1790.

In 1802, a fire destroyed more than half of Kolaje’s houses down to their foundations. The houses destroyed in the 1802 fire were subsequently rebuilt as masonry houses.

Trails and archaeology

The remaining section of the old Kolínská cesta toward neighboring Oškobrh has been preserved almost in its original form and was once the shortest and most direct connection between the two villages. There are no marked hiking trails through Kolaje.

The archaeological area on Oškobrh includes traces of the former medieval settlement of Oškobrhy. The historical settlement comprised 18 original farmsteads. Its houses were arranged in two rows, with nine houses in each row.

The higher peak of Oškobrh was a La Tène hillfort site in the 1st millennium BC, while the lower peak was a Slavic hillfort in the 5th and 6th centuries. Remains of a medieval church have been preserved on Oškobrh; it was later transformed into a pilgrimage site in the Baroque period.

Village life

A traditional public church service took place at the village bell tower in Kolaje on May 7, 2017. A traditional May service was announced for 11 a.m. on May 7, 2017, at the bell tower in Kolaje; refreshments were planned for participants.

Other places: Hrubý Jeseník, Vrbová Lhota, Okřínek, Úmyslovice, Jíkev, Vykáň, Stratov, Běrunice

Back to the main travel overview: Nymburk District.