Běchary – Church, Monuments and History

If you take historic architecture and local memorials into account when choosing a destination, Běchary offers some specific points of interest: the Church of St. Adalbert in the centre, the statues in the village square and the monument to those who fell in the First World War. Archaeological evidence and written records add a long history of settlement to this picture. This makes it possible to place the village in the context of different periods and themes of remembrance.

St. Adalbert: Building History and Architecture

The originally Gothic church was probably built in the 14th century. After a fire in 1692, it was remodelled in the Baroque style in 1708. The presumed origins and later remodelling therefore represent different phases in the building’s history. The church is in the centre of Běchary, on the road to Kopidlno, and is surrounded by a cemetery.

The building has a rectangular, single-nave plan. The presbytery ends in a polygonal shape, and there is also a three-storey, prismatic tower. These features provide a specific sense of the building’s form in addition to its stylistic history. When considering church architecture, you can look at the floor plan, the end of the presbytery and the tower as distinct elements.

Monuments in the Village Square and Below the Church

A statue of St. Wenceslas stands in a landscaped park in the village square. The municipality commissioned the sandstone statue in 1883; it was created by the sculptor Antoním Myslivec from Hořice. Near the statue of St. Wenceslas, a stone pillar topped with a statue of St. Francis of Assisi stands in the park. The statue of St. Francis is made of light-coloured, soft sandstone. The year 1775 is inscribed on its pedestal.

The two figures of saints have different date references: for the statue of St. Wenceslas, the relevant date is the municipality’s commission in 1883; for the pillar of St. Francis, it is the year inscribed on the pedestal. Another memorial commemorates those who fell in the First World War. It stands in a small park below the church and was ceremonially unveiled on 18 May 1922. The statues in the village square and this monument thus connect different themes: figures of saints on the one hand, and remembrance of the fallen on the other.

Settlement and Historical Records

Běchary and its surroundings have been extensively settled since the Neolithic period. A mass grave at Běchary is dated to the 9th century on the basis of bronze temple rings. The earliest surviving written mention of Běchary is associated with a register of the Diocese of Prague; a later analysis dates its creation to 1283–1284.

These dates refer to different things: settlement in the area, the dating of a grave and the creation of a written document. Taken together, the historical references therefore span the Neolithic period, the 9th century and the Middle Ages. For a stay focused on local history, this comparison across time offers a different perspective from looking at the buildings alone.

Cultural Life and Landscape

Performances by Běchary’s amateur theatre group feature historical figures from Běchary, Kopidlno and the surrounding area. Its themes therefore extend beyond the village while remaining connected to its history. The Běcharáci association also maintains the tradition of the carnival procession in Běchary. If you would like to plan your trip around a performance or the carnival procession, check the dates before making your plans.

The Stříble stream, a left-bank tributary of the Mrlina, flows through Běchary. The village lies at the boundary of three geomorphological units: Jičínská pahorkatina, Středolabská tabule and Východolabská tabule. Both a specific watercourse and its location at this boundary are therefore part of Běchary’s landscape.

There is a bus stop in Běchary served by the IREDO transport system, in fare zone 561. Include the timetable for your travel date in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Vidochov, Ohaveč, Žlunice, Doubrava, Stav, Třebnouševes, Lazne Belohrad, Liban.

For the wider travel overview: Okres Jičín.