Bánov – Nature, Culture and Hotels

The Tři kříže loop trail passes the Baroque parish church of St. Martin. It has a late Gothic bell dating from 1498 and was created between 1692 and 1699 through the thorough Baroque reconstruction of a medieval church. Its main altar dates from 1744, while the altarpiece of St. Martin was created in 1864 by the academic painter Josef Zelený. The route also includes a valuable Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk from the second half of the 18th century.

Bánov is also home to the preserved Empire-style Komora barn from the early 19th century, an important architectural monument. Several examples of folk architecture have been preserved, including two farmsteads and a chamber with an upper floor. Bánov Castle stood on Hrad Hill above the church; its original site was damaged by a quarry. To this day, Bánov maintains the folk tradition of masked processions during Carnival, known as Babkovníci.

The Hrádek natural monument lies 120 meters north of the Church of St. Martin in the center of Bánov. It preserves the largest and most characteristic expression of Tertiary volcanic activity in this area. Volcanic breccia with fragments of amphibole basaltic andesite is exposed on its quarry wall. Rare butterfly species such as the scarce swallowtail and the poplar admiral occur at Hrádek. An archaeological site at Hrádek also revealed a Paleolithic layer with a worked stone-tool industry, probably dating from the Aurignacian.

Skalky is a unique example of young volcanism in the Flysch Carpathians of Moravia. At Skalky, profiles of contact-metamorphosed porcelainite sediment are exposed; it formed near volcanic intrusions. Skalka is a protected natural monument with a small forest quarry whose quarry face preserves an interesting geological stratification. Protected butterfly species occur there, including the red purple emperor, the purple emperor and the poplar white admiral.

The quarry pond near Na Skaličkách has neither an inflow nor an outflow and is inhabited by crayfish, newts and rare frog species. In the wider area around Bánov lies the Údolí Bánovského potoka region, an old cultural landscape with woodland edges, open forests and groves, as well as a significant population of yellow-bellied toads.

The routes around Studený vrch are suitable for hikers and cyclists, but are physically very demanding. The “Ke Skalkám” route from Bánov is about 7 kilometers long and is also suitable for hikers and cyclists. Another route is called “Za přírodními krásami okolí”: it leads from Bánov via the Ordějov Reservoir to the ridge of Studený vrch; returning along the same route makes a trail of about 11 kilometers.

The Ordějov Reservoir was originally built for irrigation and recreation, but today it is mainly used for fishing.

The Bánov Treasure is on display in the publicly accessible permanent exhibition “Prehistory of the Uherské Hradiště Region” at the Velká Morava Memorial of the Slovácké Museum in Staré Město. It is the most extensive prehistoric amber find from the territory of the Czech Republic to date and is therefore a unique discovery. The permanent exhibition offers texts in Czech, English, German and Russian and has been adapted for blind and visually impaired visitors.

Other places: Suchá Loz, Zlámanec, Velehrad, Stary Hrozenkov, Pašovice, Osvetimany, Ostrožská Nová Ves, Traplice.

To the higher-level travel overview: Uherské Hradiště District.