Chotiněves: Village History and the Hořidla Lookout Tower

Chotiněves combines an extensive village heritage zone with distinctive historic buildings and a walking destination in the surrounding countryside. If you are looking for a hotel in Chotiněves, this profile of the village offers clear guidance when choosing your destination: the village’s architectural history takes centre stage, while southwest of it stands the Hořidla Lookout Tower on a 371-metre-high hill.

Village Layout and Historic Farmsteads

The village heritage zone was designated on 22 September 1995 and essentially covers the entire built-up area of Chotiněves. Its boundaries draw attention to the village layout beyond individual buildings. An elongated, spindle-shaped village green defines the settlement’s form. The village also has exceptionally well-preserved examples of farmsteads dating from the 18th to the 20th century.

Large masonry farmsteads alternate with timber buildings featuring arcades and half-timbered construction. Different building styles thus stand side by side: substantial farm complexes and buildings characterised by timber, arcades and half-timbering. The focus in Chotiněves is therefore not only on individual buildings, but also on the variety of styles found throughout the village.

Chapel and Other Historic Traces

The Chapel of Saint Procopius stands in the centre of Chotiněves, on a narrow strip of land between roads. It is a rectangular, plastered building with a semicircular chancel and a triangular gable topped by a small bell turret. Inside, the chapel has a barrel vault with lunettes and is richly decorated with frescoes. The exterior form and the interior decoration offer different insights into the architecture of this building.

A tower was added to the Evangelical church in 1987. The church’s bell comes from the former church in Habřina. These two historical details refer to different things: the date marks when the tower was added in Chotiněves, while the bell’s origin points to an earlier church building in Habřina.

Part of the rubble-stone foundation and deep cellars of the castle of the Berka of Dubá have survived at house numbers 45–48. The village also has a small local history museum. Together with the churches and farmsteads, these sites represent different aspects of local history.

Landscape and the Hořidla Lookout Tower

Chotiněves lies amid fields, with views of the ridge of the České středohoří. Southwest of the village, the Hořidla Lookout Tower stands on the 371-metre-high hill of the same name. The tower destination is therefore separate from the village’s historic buildings: it is on the hill southwest of Chotiněves and can only be reached on foot.

Field and forest paths lead to the tower from, among other places, Chotiněves and Jištěrpy. Another access route branches off to the left by the cross on the Třebutičky–Encovany road. The lookout tower is freely accessible year-round; nevertheless, check access again before your visit. The main thing to bear in mind when planning is that the route is a walk. This lets you weigh up the village’s architectural history and the walk to Hořidla as two distinct highlights of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Polepy, Chodovlice, Lovosice, Vrutice, Lhotka Nad Labem, Úpohlavy, Záluží U Roudnice Nad Labem, Dlažkovice

For the broader travel overview: Okres Litoměřice.