Discover Chotěboř: City History, Culture and Nature

Chotěboř combines a distinctive urban layout with layers from different periods of architectural and cultural history. When looking for a hotel, it helps to choose the focus of your stay: the city museum, churches and chapels offer insights into the town’s history, while the Fantazie festival adds a pop culture dimension. The Údolí řeky Doubravy nature reserve is also nearby. Consider whether your stay will be shaped mainly by historic buildings, a festival date or the landscape.

City History and Heritage Zone

Chotěboř was elevated to the status of a royal town in 1331, after being granted the Jihlava town rights. The urban heritage zone highlights the spatial layout of the town: in particular, a long street widens in the middle to form a regular rectangular square. The street and square are distinct parts of the same urban layout described here. The area also includes a cemetery and the Church of St James.

The Baroque chateau also tells the story of Chotěboř’s architectural history. It was built in 1701–1702 and is not open to the public. As access status may change, check locally before planning a visit. This allows you to appreciate the chateau as a historic landmark without assuming that it is open to visitors.

Museum, Churches and Chapels

The Chotěboř City Museum has a permanent exhibition about the Doubrava Valley, geology and the town’s history. A visit takes 45 minutes. If you plan to include the museum in your itinerary, check the current arrangements for visiting before you go. The three exhibition themes bring together landscape, the history of the Earth and local history in one museum visit.

A Romanesque chapel once stood on the site of today’s Church of St James the Greater. Its origins date back to the founding of the town. Another architectural landmark is the Chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Václav Fiala Park: it is designed in the Pseudo-Romanesque and Pseudo-Gothic styles and was built in 1863 to plans by František Schmoranz.

St Anne’s Chapel is located on the eastern edge of the town. It was built in 1902 on the site of an earlier small chapel, to a design by František Kruml and in a romanticising style. The examples differ both in their dates of construction and in their design. The Jewish cemetery is also notable for its unusual spatial relationship: it is surrounded by a Catholic cemetery.

Festival and Landscape

The traditional Fantazie pop culture festival has been held since 1996. Its programme includes science fiction, fantasy and horror, as well as games, film screenings, competitions, workshops, talks, exhibitions and concerts. Alongside the historic sights, it offers a cultural focus with a wide range of events. If you want to plan your trip around the festival, check the specific dates for your chosen travel year.

The Údolí řeky Doubravy nature reserve is near Chotěboř. It includes a canyon-like wooded valley, a riverbed dotted with boulders and rapids. It offers a distinct landscape experience alongside the town’s architectural and historical attractions. Two specific timing considerations can help with planning: a visit to the museum is listed as taking 45 minutes, while the dates for the Fantazie festival depend on the travel year.

Discover more destinations: Borek, Skuhrov, Modlíkov, Horní Krupá, Stříbrné Hory, Věž, Golčův Jeníkov, Skryje

For the broader travel overview: Okres Havlíčkův Brod.