Košťálov
The village of Košťálov, situated in the valley of the little Oleška River, marks the intersection of routes to the Giant Mountains and the Bohemian Paradise. It is first recorded as Soběhrdova Olešnice in 1361, back when the Church of St. James used to stand in the village. The village rose up below the castle of Košťál and during its history bore the names Olešnice, Oleška and Košťálovská Olešnice; it has been known as Košťálov since 1886.
The local inhabitants made their living through farming and weaving. The village boomed at the end of the 19th century after textile factories were built. Košťálov also became famous for mining melaphyre and combustible shale, and there were three mills there.
Neighbouring Čikvásky became part of Košťálov in 1960, followed by Kundratice in 1976. The village now covers an area of 2 002 hectares and is home to more than 1,600 inhabitants. In 2002, Košťálov was declared the winner of the Liberec Region Village of the Year.
The most important heritage site in Košťálov is the 14th-century Church of St. James, which has one of the oldest bells in the Pojizeří region (1528). The commemorative portal of the local mill from 1815 is now in the museum in Semily.
The village has a newly renovated swimming pool, originally built in 1942, as well as a summer camp, a children’s traffic park and a pump track. The local forest park is a lovely place for a walk, and includes an interactive nature trail.
Cycle route 4174 leads through the village, as does the yellow hiking trail to Lomnice nad Popelkou.
What to visit in Košťálov
St. James Church
The principal landmark in Košťálov is the originally Gothic Church of St. James the Elder from the 14th century. The church was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1717.
Košťálov Leisure Centre
The Centre is situated in the middle of Košťálov and has a pump track, a children’s playground and traffic park, climbing frames, a children’s cable car, exercise machines for adults, a sports pitch with an artificial surface, a football pitch (by arrangement), refreshments, a car park and a WC.
Forest park
The forest park, a 25-minute walk from the outdoor swimming pool, offers an interactive nature trail on local flora and fauna, 5 km of well-maintained forest trails, a summer house to relax in, a picnic area and, by arrangement, a place for camp fires.
Kundratice children’s playground
The playground in Kundratice, 10–15 minutes away by car, has children’s climbing frames, a cable car, benches, and a football pitch (by arrangement).
Košťálov Swimming Pool
Newly renovated swimming pool from 1942 and summer camp. Reconstruction in 2023, operating from May to mid-September. Pool, slide, refreshments, accommodation in cabins, personal caravans, and tents.
Čikvásky
A half-hour walk will take you to the local fire-fighting museum with its hand-operated extinguisher from 1897, and after a visit there you can admire the beautiful view of the surrounding scenery from under the pergola.
Ruins of Košťál castle
The ruins of this castle, dating from the second half of the 14th century, are situated on the hill of the same name, above the valley of the Želechovský stream near the outdoor swimming pool.
Košťálov - Church of St. James and other monuments
The principal landmark in Košťálov is the originally Gothic Church of St. James the Elder from the 14th century. The church was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1717. The flat-ceilinged single-nave building has a rectangular ground plan, complemented by a projecting prismatic tower on the western facade. The oldest parts of the church are the vaulted sacristy and southern portal. The tower was built in 1722 and houses two bells. The older bell was cast in 1378 and is one of the oldest bells in the Czech Republic. The pulpit is adorned with paintings of the evangelists from the late 17th century.
There is a group of sculptures depicting the Calvary by the cemetery wall. The sides of the voluted cornice bear statues of the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist and a central cross with the crucified Christ. They were carved in 1820 by local sculptor Jan Culík.
Jan Culík also carved the portal to Košťálov mill in 1815. When the mill was demolished in 1980, the portal was moved to the Museum and Pojizerská Gallery in Semily, where it still forms part of the interior.
Košťálov can also boast of having been a noble residence in the past. In the second half of the 14th century the House of Valdštejn built Košťál castle above the valley of the Želechovský stream, although records show that it was abandoned from 1514. All that remains are the overgrown foundation walls, shallow depressions where the cellars used to be, and deeper ones left over from the castle well. The remnants of ramparts and walls can still be seen on the wooded hill opposite the outdoor swimming pool.
One famous person born in the village was RAF aviator Lt. František Vancl, holder of the British Air Force Cross, the French Military Cross and five Czechoslovak War Crosses. The memorial in the little park by the football pitch commemorates the place where Vancl’s birthplace used to stand.
Kundratice
The village of Košťálov, situated in the valley of the little Oleška River, marks the intersection of routes to the Giant Mountains and the Bohemian Paradise. It is first recorded as Soběhrdova Olešnice in 1361, back when the Church of St. James used to stand in the village. The village rose up below the castle of Košťál and during its history bore the names Olešnice, Oleška and Košťálovská Olešnice; it has been known as Košťálov since 1886.
The local inhabitants made their living through farming and weaving. The village then boomed at the end of the 19th century after textile factories were built there. Košťálov also became famous for mining melaphyre and combustible shale, and there were three mills there.
Neighbouring Čikvásky became part of Košťálov in 1960, followed by Kundratice in 1976. The village now covers an area of 2 002 hectares and is home to more than 1,600 inhabitants. In 2002, Košťálov was declared the winner of the Liberec Region Village of the Year.
The most important heritage site in Košťálov is the 14th-century Church of St. James, which has one of the oldest bells in the Pojizeří region (1528). The commemorative portal of the local mill from 1815 is now in the museum in Semily.
The village has a newly renovated swimming pool, originally built in 1942, as well as a summer camp, a children’s traffic park and a pump track. The local forest park is a lovely place for a walk, and includes an interactive nature trail.
Cycle route 4174 leads through the village, as does the yellow hiking trail to Lomnice nad Popelkou.
