Velké Popovice: Brewery History and Nature Park

Velké Popovice offers several clearly distinct points of interest for planning your trip: its brewery history, dating back to its founding in 1874; the Velkopopovicko Nature Park; and a circular route to chapels and bell towers. Other highlights include the historic part of the brewery’s status as a national cultural monument and a remarkable bell at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. If you are looking for a hotel in Velké Popovice, you can plan your stay around these themes: cultural history, landscape or a route through the local districts.

Brewery history and getting to the visitor center

The Velké Popovice Brewery was founded in 1874; its historic part is designated a national cultural monument. The founding year and protected status shed light on different aspects of the same local story: the brewery’s origins and the special status of its historic part.

To reach the visitor center, take the S9 train to Strančice, then transfer to bus 461 to Velké Popovice. The journey from Prague city center takes approximately 45 minutes. This approximate duration gives you a starting point for planning; check current connections before traveling.

Velkopopovicko Nature Park

Velkopopovicko Nature Park covers 22 km² and was established in 1993 to preserve the landscape’s character and its distinctive natural and aesthetic values. Its predominant land types include forests, meadows, pastures, fallow land, rubble areas, wetlands and bodies of water. The park is used for recreation and sports.

In Velké Popovice, the nature park’s northern boundary is formed by Ringhoferova Street, Pivovarská Street and then Masarykova Street. Along with the area figure, this boundary description provides a concrete reference for locating the park. The variety of land types also gives an idea of what shapes the character of the protected area.

Circular route through the local districts

The “Kapličky a zvoničky Velkopopovicka” (Chapels and Bell Towers of the Velkopopovicko Region) circular route runs through the cadastral area of Velké Popovice and mostly passes through its local districts. You can stop at a chapel or bell tower in each district. The route is 10 km long and mostly follows paved paths.

Three specific features help you identify the route: its circular layout, its course through the cadastral area and the possible stops at chapels or bell towers in the local districts. The information about its length and predominantly paved surface adds two more details to help you find your way.

Cycle route and local heritage

Cycle route 0028 crosses the outskirts of Velké Popovice. The 18 km route runs from Pyšely to Dobřejovice. Compared with the 10 km circular route, it differs in scope: here, a circular route through the cadastral area is contrasted with a cycle route with two named endpoints. You can distinguish the two routes by their length and the described course.

The Church of Our Lady of the Snows also offers a distinctive historical connection: it has a bell dating from 1498, considered the second-oldest in Central Bohemia. Its date is several centuries earlier than the brewery’s founding in 1874. The comparison brings together two distinct strands of local history—an old church bell and the history of the brewery—without combining them into a single story.

Discover more destinations: Popovičky, Panenské Břežany, Šestajovice, Zvánovice, Struhařov, Strancice, Sudovo Hlavno, Zlonín.

For the broader travel overview: Prague-East District.