Bystročice: Local History and Cycling

Bystročice offers several distinct points of interest for planning a trip: early settlement history, church architecture, historical food traditions, and cycling. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in Bystročice, you can decide in advance whether local history or cycling is the main focus of your trip.

Early traces of settlement and written history

The earliest surviving written mention of Bystročice dates from 1131. Archaeological finds date the beginnings of settlement in the cadastral areas of the present-day municipalities of Bystročice and Žerůvky to the Neolithic period. The two pieces of information mark different time horizons: archaeological evidence places the beginnings of settlement much further back than the earliest surviving written mention. The finds relate to the cadastral areas of both present-day municipalities.

Church, architectural form, and monuments

The Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius was built in 1858 after a chapel was destroyed in a fire in 1856. The fire and the construction of the church are therefore part of a closely linked building history.

The church is a rectangular, single-nave building with a tower on the south façade and a recessed, segmental-arched termination on the north side. “Single-nave” describes a building with one main nave; “segmental-arched” describes the shape of the arch at the termination. This distinguishes the basic plan, the side with the tower, and the northern termination.

The other dates also form a chronological sequence: the statue of Saint John of Nepomuk dates from 1820, and the statue of Saint Francis de Sales from 1858. A clock was added to the church tower in 1887. Together with the construction of the church, these dates mark different moments in the local history of buildings and monuments.

Historical food traditions

Homemade farm production of Tvarůžky continued in Bystročice despite strong competition from the surrounding municipalities until the period of the First Czechoslovak Republic. It is therefore a specific, historically limited production tradition of the locality.

Fruit growing increased in the municipalities during the 19th century, and much of the fruit was subsequently dried. A particular farm product thus stands alongside a broader development in fruit growing. The history of Tvarůžky and the drying of fruit offer two different insights into the region’s food traditions.

Cycle path and recurring event

The cycle path between Bystročice and Nedvězí is 1.8 kilometres long. It forms part of regional cycle route No. 5 and the EuroVelo 9 Baltic–Adriatic route, known as the Jantarová stezka (Amber Route). The distance describes the connection between the two places; the route designations also place it within a wider regional network.

The Bystročický Poutníček is a recurring cycling event that traditionally starts in Bystročice. The path and the event offer different points of reference for a cycling trip: the path focuses on the connection and its length, while the event focuses on its date. If you would like to plan your stay around the Poutníček, check the event dates before making your travel plans.

Local history can be understood through its dates and architectural forms; for a cycling trip, the specific connection to Nedvězí and, where relevant, the event date provide other points to consider when planning.

Discover more destinations: Kožušany-Tážaly, Moravský Beroun, Mladeč, Velká Bystřice, Charváty, Tovéř, Šternberk, Daskabát

For the broader travel overview: Okres Olomouc.