Chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk

The Chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk is a Baroque ruin standing on a wooded hill near the hamlet of Loreta, part of the municipality of Týnec in the Klatovy district, Plzeň Region, Czech Republic. Only the perimeter walls of the once-imposing building survive today, yet the site still draws visitors with the atmosphere of an abandoned forest sanctuary and the views from its modest hilltop.

How to get there?

The ruins sit on raised ground roughly one kilometer west of Loreta, which is reached via local roads from the direction of Týnec in the Klatovy district. The final stretch has to be covered on foot — a path leads from the buildings of Loreta through the forest, uphill, to the clearing where the chapel stands. Since the approach runs through woodland, sturdy footwear is worth packing, especially after rain.

What is the history behind it?

The building was erected in 1730 at the initiative of Maximilian Norbert Krakovský, then owner of the nearby château in Týnec. The chapel was designed on a four-sided plan as a multi-story structure, and its axis was deliberately aligned with the château — a detail that shows how prominent a role the chapel was meant to play within the wider estate. According to some historical findings, a chapel on this spot was actually consecrated as early as 1704, at a time when John of Nepomuk had been neither beatified nor canonized — veneration of the saint only spread widely in the following decades of the 18th century.

The building's prominence, however, was short-lived. The chapel was closed in 1783, and from 1790 onward it was left unmaintained, which quickly led to its decline. Before World War II, the ruins were briefly put to a practical use — the surviving walls served for a time as a kind of lookout tower. Today only fragments of the perimeter walls remain, yet even in this reduced state the site has been listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

What can you see on site today?

Inside the ruins, on the floor of the former chapel, a contemporary art installation titled "Kapka aneb Hladina hloubky" ("A Drop, or the Surface of Depth") by artist Kristýna Kužvartová has stood since November 8, 2013. The young artist drew her inspiration directly from the space of the abandoned building deep in the forest, creating a piece that puts historical ruin and contemporary art into dialogue. It's an unusual combination — nearly three-hundred-year-old Baroque walls paired with a work of recent art, tucked away far from the region's main tourist routes.

When to visit?

Because the site is outdoors and the approach runs through forest, the best time to visit is from spring through early autumn, when the paths are dry and the days long enough to head back before dark with no rush. In summer, it's worth timing the walk for cooler parts of the day, since the wooded trail — and the clearing around the chapel itself — offers relatively little shade.

Frequently asked questions

Who built the Chapel of Saint John of Nepomuk in Týnec, and when? It was built in 1730 on the initiative of Maximilian Norbert Krakovský, owner of the château in Týnec, though some sources indicate a chapel on the site was already consecrated in 1704.

Why is the chapel a ruin today? It was closed in 1783 and left unmaintained from 1790 onward, which led to its gradual decay — only fragments of the perimeter walls have survived to the present day.

What can visitors see at the site? Besides the Baroque ruins themselves, the chapel has housed a contemporary art installation by Kristýna Kužvartová, titled "Kapka aneb Hladina hloubky," since 2013.

How do you reach the chapel? You need to reach the hamlet of Loreta in the municipality of Týnec, then continue on foot through the forest up the hill where the chapel stands — the final stretch is a walking path with no direct car access.