Vítanov: Nature, Trails and Local History

Vítanov lies within the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area, and the Chrudimka River flows through the village. Attractions range from marked trails and information boards to chapels, a bridge, a mill and historic sites.

The hiking and cycling trails through Vítanov provide access to the nearby Veselý Kopec Open-Air Museum. The green-marked Vlastivědná stezka Krajem Chrudimky leads from Čachnov via Vítanov and Stan to Bojanov; 37 information boards stand along the route. The Stezka Po Martinových stopách is five kilometres long, marked in blue, and leads from Studnice to Stanský mlýn. Five boards explain the nature around Hlinsko and points of interest along the route.

The Jewish Cemetery in Vítanov is surrounded by a stone wall and contains Jewish gravestones, including one dating from 1688. The Chapel of Saint Anne was consecrated on 19 October 1873, after residents had built a new stone-vaulted chapel. As a roadside chapel, it has an apse, semicircular windows, a small turret and a relief of the Virgin Mary.

In the Vítanov district of Stan, the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist stands near the main road by a railway crossing. It was consecrated on 18 October 1874 after a procession from Hlinsko. A steel bridge over the Chrudimka in Vítanov dates from 1881. The historic Stanský water mill, Znamenáčkův mlýn, in Stan has been documented in writing since the 17th century. The mill contains a small hydroelectric plant with a Francis turbine that generates electricity; the facility is accessible by prior arrangement.

The painter František Kaván bought house no. 55 in Vítanov in 1904 and lived and worked there until 1922. His landscape paintings of the area around Vítanov can be seen, among other places, in the National Gallery and in private collections.

Hradiště is a protected historic monument. An old trade route from eastern Bohemia to Moravia ran over Hradiště Hill; a Slavic hillfort stood on the hill. The Shrovetide processions and masks in the villages of the Hlinecko region were added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. Local organizations in Vítanov support the traditional Masopustní maškara.

Vítanov railway station is located on line 238 between Pardubice and Havlíčkův Brod. All platforms are step-free; the station building and passenger shelter are not accessible for people with reduced mobility.

The Kaván Trail is intended to follow the existing green hiking trail via Kouty, Vítanov and Stan to Veselý Kopec. Information boards featuring Kaván’s paintings are to be installed at viewpoints. The boards are intended to allow visitors to compare the landscapes depicted more than a hundred years ago with the view today.

More places to help plan your trip: Třibřichy, Nabočany, Rvacov, Horní Bradlo, Lipovec, Skuteč-Borek, Svídnice, Studnice.

For the higher-level travel overview: Chrudim District.