Hlavice: Baroque pilgrimage history and landscape

Hlavice offers two clear ways to choose where to stay: Baroque pilgrimage history and a landscape of valleys, high plateaus, and open spaces. There is also a marked hiking trail and a cycling route that pass through the town. If you’re looking for a hotel in Hlavice, you can first decide whether cultural history, landscape, or outdoor activities should shape your stay. The town’s features provide a starting point; each theme can be considered separately.

Baroque pilgrimage history

The Baroque pilgrimage complex in Hlavice comprises the Church of St. Linhart, a rectory, a granary, and a statue of St. Linhart. The site is therefore more than a single church building: it also includes other architectural and sculptural features. The present large church was built between 1748 and 1759 at the highest point in Hlavice.

The processions following the livestock epidemic of 1747 laid the foundations for pilgrimages to Hlavice. For cultural and historical context, it is helpful to distinguish between the two: the origin of the pilgrimage is linked to an event, while the present church has a precisely dated construction period.

Sculptures and pilgrimage traditions

Hlavice is also home to a Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk near a church. The Kristiánka pilgrimage site in Lesnovek is home to a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus dating from 1845. A report from 2014 describes how processions were held there every year until the 1920s. The water from the Kristiánka spring near Lesnovek was also once considered to have healing properties.

Landscape and views

Hlavice is bordered to the southeast and west by the deep, picturesque valleys of the Malá Mohelka and Zábrdka rivers. In the center of the area are treeless high plateaus with meadows and fields, crisscrossed by smaller valleys. The contrast between the valleys and open uplands shapes the landscape: the river valleys lie to the sides, while meadows and fields define the central plateaus. In clear conditions, Hlavice offers wide-ranging views of the Ještěd Ridge, Český ráj, and Bezděz. The landscape can therefore be experienced in two ways: through its terrain of valleys and high plateaus, and through distant views that depend on visibility.

Hiking trail and cycling route

A blue-marked hiking trail passes through Hlavice between Hrubý Lesnov and Vrtky and forms part of the Liberec–Čertova zeď–Mnichovo Hradiště route. Cycling route T 3048 passes through Hlavice between Vrtky and Cetenov, continuing toward Na Pince, where it connects to route T 25. The routes are described using different reference points: for hiking, the blue markings and named route are useful; for cycling, the route number, named places, and connection are helpful. Markings and cycling routes may change; check the current route before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Chrastava, Dolni Rasnice, Krásný Les, Křižany, Svijanský Újezd, Osecna, Bílý Potok, Hrádek Nad Nisou.

For the broader travel overview: Liberec District.