Šestajovice U Jaroměře – River Landscape and Local History

Šestajovice U Jaroměře lies on the left bank of the Metuje River. Three aspects are especially useful when choosing a hotel and planning your stay: the former course of the Stará Metuje, the municipality’s natural features, and its local cultural heritage.

River Landscape and Nature

The Stará Metuje Natural Monument covers 21.9187 hectares and is located, among other places, in the cadastral area of Šestajovice u Jaroměře. Until the beginning of the 20th century, this river course was the main channel of the Metuje. A population of the rare dragonfly species green snaketail (Ophiogomphus cecilia) has also been present in the Stará Metuje for a long time.

The Šestajovická stráň adds a different natural feature. It comprises an oak-hornbeam woodland ecosystem with typical forest flora and habitats for protected plant species, including Cypripedium calceolus, Platanthera bifolia, Trollius altissimus and Lilium martagon. At the Šestajovická stráň, visitors should stay on the paths and avoid entering the undergrowth.

The two natural sites have distinct features: the Stará Metuje is notable for its river history and dragonfly population, while the Šestajovická stráň is known for its woodland ecosystem and habitats for protected plants.

Village Character and Cycling Routes

Šestajovice is characterized by a Slavic village green settlement with a horseshoe-shaped layout and fields arranged radially. This describes two different scales: the layout of the settlement and the arrangement of the fields. For travelers, this offers a different kind of orientation than looking for a single destination: the settlement’s form shapes the character of the village as a whole.

For finding your way by bike, two routes can be distinguished. Cycling Route 4034 passes through Šestajovice; Cycling Route 4058 connects the village with Veselice and Velká Jesenice. Check the current signs before setting out, as the routes may change.

Cultural History

Motogalerie Šestajovice z. s. operates a museum of motorcycles and toys that is open to the public. Housed in a 19th-century granary, it displays more than 100 machines and toys from the 20th century. The building and collection thus bring two distinct periods into relation. The specific exhibits may change. Unlike a single monument, the focus here is on a collection; the granary also provides a historical architectural context.

A former watermill dating from 1495 is located in Šestajovice. There is also a small hydroelectric power station with a Francis turbine dating from 1904. The granite monument commemorating the victims of the First World War was erected in 1928. These dates trace a path from a historic mill through a technical facility to a memorial to the war victims.

A statue of the Virgin Mary stands at house no. 37 in Šestajovice; behind Šestajovice there are a chapel and a cemetery. Together with the granite monument, these sites add religious imagery and further places of remembrance to the local history of commemoration.

Discover more destinations: Mezilečí, Bohuslavice Nad Metují, Studnice U Náchoda, Šonov, Jaroměř, Hermanice, Mezilesí, Zlícko.

For the wider travel overview: Okres Náchod.