Chválenice: St. Martin’s Church, Rock Landscape and Memorial Tree

Chválenice brings together distinctive features of its hilly landscape and a rich architectural heritage. For travellers, two themes stand out: the Church of St. Martin with its Baroque design, and landscape landmarks such as Farská skála and the old Niklojc hruška pear tree. Cultural history and nature shape the place in different ways.

Landscape and distinctive natural sites

Chválenice lies in a hilly landscape that includes the Švihovská vrchovina and Radyňská vrchovina highlands, the Úslava Valley, the Kozelské polesí forest and the nearby Brdy. Two highland areas, a valley, a forest and the Brdy represent different features of the surroundings. This means the landscape around the village cannot be reduced to a single point of interest.

At 537 m above sea level, Farská skála is the highest point in Chválenice and is surrounded by Džbánek Hill. One of several nearby rock formations, it belongs to the Barrandian geological system. Its elevation and geological classification offer two perspectives on the same distinctive site: its position within Chválenice and its connection with the system’s rock formations.

The Church of St. Martin and local history

The Church of St. Martin was built as a new Baroque church between 1747 and 1753. Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer is considered its architect; it is also regarded as one of the outstanding examples of Bohemian rural Baroque. The building is described as a particularly noteworthy Baroque structure with an elongated, richly articulated floor plan. Its construction dates, authorship, architectural distinction and floor plan are different aspects that together give a more precise picture than simply calling it a “Baroque church”.

Another testament to local history is the timber-framed barn on the U Chmelíků farmstead, No. 27. It is one of the few surviving reminders of Chválenice’s former appearance, which was shaped by numerous timber buildings. While the church represents Baroque religious architecture, the barn recalls a rural building style that once helped define the village. Together, the two buildings offer different insights into the architectural history of the place.

Niklojc hruška between Chouzovy and V Babších

More than two hundred years old, the Niklojc hruška pear tree stands alone in the fields at Borky, above Chouzovy. Since 5 October 2016, it has been designated a protected memorial tree. Its age, solitary form and protected status each highlight a different aspect of this natural monument.

More precisely, the tree is in the Na Borkách area, between Chouzovy and the Chválenice locality of V Babších. A blue-marked hiking trail runs along the field, and the tree is about 200 metres from the road. The trail beside the field and the approximate distance from the road provide two distinct points of reference for finding the site.

When choosing what to explore during a stay, there are two ways to approach the area: the church and timber-framed barn represent architectural history, while Farská skála and the Niklojc hruška reveal the landscape through geology, elevation and a specific tree location. There are also different points of interest within the nature theme: the rock formation gives a sense of the topography, while the pear tree combines its age and protected status with a precisely described location.

Discover more destinations: Štěnovický Borek, Dýšina, Tymákov, Letkov, Kyšice, Losiná, Šťáhlavy, Bolevec.

View the broader travel guide: Okres Plzeň-Město.