Kovářov between nature trails, folklore and nature

Kovářovsko offers a pleasantly hilly landscape with numerous elevations, forests, and many ponds and small pools that contribute to a diverse range of plant and animal life. The area around Kovářov features remarkable rock formations and erratic boulders in a variety of shapes. The three routes, their stations and the total distance provide different points of reference for planning your own walks.

In the centre of Kovářov, at the north-western corner of the village square, stands the single-nave Gothic Church of All Saints. It is an important urban feature, is considered the oldest monument in Kovářov and was already a parish church in 1220. The old Baroque vicarage in Kovářov dates from 1739 and has a mansard roof typical of buildings on the Orlík estate.

The Calvary sculptural group is one of the most important historical monuments in Kovářov. Kovářov is also home to a statue of Saint John of Nepomuk from the workshop of the sculptor Brokoff. Kovářovsko belongs to the Kozácko ethnographic region, also known as Táborsko-Milevsko.

Kovářovskétradice.cz preserves and presents folk songs, dances, customs, costumes, theatrical activities and selected traditional crafts. The South Bohemian Folklore Festival Kovářov was founded in 1996. The Jihočeský Folklórní Festival takes place in Kovářov every year around the turn of May and June. South Bohemian folklore ensembles, as well as guests from other ethnographic regions of the Czech Republic and from abroad, perform at the festival. The visitor programme includes a folk market, craft workshops and tastings of old Bohemian cuisine.

Additional local references lead to Zebrakov, Podolí I, Putim, Zběšičky, Lety, Jestrebice, Branice as well as Záhoří and Písek.

The geolocation game “Objevte Kovářovsko” takes players through 56 interesting locations using an interactive mobile application. The application provides information, photos, illustrations, maps and tasks. After downloading, the game can be played offline. You can start at any selected location; the individual stages can be played in any order, interrupted at any time and continued later.

The Zeměráj adventure park covers 9 hectares and features an open-air museum with an early medieval village, a one-kilometre barefoot trail, a bird trail, archaeological and palaeontological sites, a large labyrinth, a children’s play village, a water playground, an interactive games world and an archery range. The adventure park also offers more than 100 games, entertaining, educational and adventurous tasks, as well as puzzles, including the treasure hunt “Cesta za pokladem”, the orienteering game “Hlaholam” and the search games “Kamene času” and “Klenoty přírody”.

The Zeměráj adventure park can be reached on foot from Kovářov via a yellow-marked trail 2 kilometres long. The “Kde domov můj” cycle route passes through Kovářov and runs there, among other places, along roads 1154 and 1156; the Zeměráj adventure park can be reached via a detour.

During an open day at the House of Regional and Children’s Folklore Traditions in Kovářov, the rooms of the Baroque vicarage were open to visitors, featuring exhibitions on children’s costumes, children’s customs and processions, as well as blacksmithing, a video kiosk with a mobile application, a photo gallery, informational materials and a children’s corner.

To the main travel overview: Písek District.