chapel in abandoned village Lukov

The chapel in the abandoned village of Lukov, a short distance from Hojná Voda in the Novohrad Mountains (Novohradské hory), is one of those places that survive mainly because a few local history enthusiasts kept the memory alive. Of the entire village, only a single house and a rebuilt chapel remain, standing exactly where the old village green used to be.

What is this place, and why did the village disappear?

Lukov sat at roughly 776 metres above sea level, first recorded in writing in 1379. Its history wasn't a straight line: at some point the settlement was abandoned, and it took until 1456 for the local lords to have it rebuilt. For the next few centuries, Lukov followed the modest rhythm of a forest settlement — 13 families lived there in 1641, and by 1898 the village counted 15 houses and 79 residents, most of them forestry workers. The houses were scattered across the landscape with no accompanying fields or meadows, much like the neighbouring settlement of Nové Hutě, with which Lukov formed a single settlement cluster.

The end came after the Second World War. Once the German population was expelled, the village was briefly resettled by re-emigrants from Romania, but the arrangement didn't last — the settlement emptied out again and was eventually liquidated. Today Lukov is one of dozens of vanished villages in the Novohrad Mountains, alongside places like Cetviny, Pohoří na Šumavě, Jiřice, Pivonice, Rapotice, and Stříbrné Hutě — a region where roughly thirty settlements have disappeared altogether.

What's still standing today?

Out of the entire former settlement, one house and the chapel have survived. The chapel originally stood on the village green, at the heart of Lukov, and has since been reconstructed — which means that even though the rest of the village is gone, this one landmark still exists and can be visited. The chapel, rather than any house ruins, is effectively the main physical trace left of the old village.

How do you get there from Hojná Voda?

Lukov lies close to Hojná Voda, a well-known base for exploring the Novohrad Mountains, best known for its St. Anne's spring. The site of the former village is documented as part of a broader project on the region's cultural landscape (Krajina Novohradska), aimed at anyone interested in local history and the story of this former border area. This is a destination for hikers rather than organized sightseeing — there's no tourist infrastructure to speak of, and the appeal lies in the quiet and the historical layers rather than any amenities.

Frequently asked questions

Is there anything left in Lukov besides the chapel? Yes — alongside the rebuilt chapel, a single house still stands. That's everything that remains of what was once a settlement of more than a dozen houses.

When did the village of Lukov cease to exist? Its final end came after the Second World War: following the expulsion of the German population and a short, unsuccessful resettlement by re-emigrants from Romania, the village emptied out again and was liquidated.

What did the people of Lukov do for a living? Most residents were forestry workers, which explains the scattered layout of houses without surrounding farmland — typical of forest settlements in this part of the Novohrad Mountains.

Is Lukov the only abandoned village in the area? No. The Novohrad Mountains lost around thirty settlements altogether, including Cetviny, Pohoří na Šumavě, Jiřice, Pivonice, Rapotice, and Stříbrné Hutě.