Devět křížů

Devět křížů (Nine Crosses) is a small roadside site wrapped in a dark legend, standing along road II/602 near the village of Lesní Hluboké, in the Bíteš Highlands within the Brno-venkov district. Nine wooden crosses next to exit 168 of the D1 motorway mark, according to local tradition, the site of a brutal attack on a wedding party said to have happened in the 16th century.

Where is it and how do you get there?

Devět křížů sits directly on road II/602, right next to exit 168 of the D1 motorway, making it an easy stop for drivers traveling between Brno and Jihlava. Next to the crosses stands Hotel Annahof, housed in a building that once operated as a roadside motel under the very name Devět křížů. Thanks to its motorway-adjacent position, the spot has served as a landmark for travelers on this route for decades, even though few of them know the full story behind its name.

Where does the name come from, and what is the legend?

The name comes from nine crosses that, according to local tradition, were erected on the spot where a wedding procession was attacked and massacred in 1540, allegedly leaving nine victims. The story tells of a wealthy local farmer who, a year earlier, found a beaten Hungarian horse trader on the road and took him in, letting his own daughter nurse him back to health. When the merchant learned that the woman he had fallen for was to marry another man, he sought revenge. He paid a local hunter his entire fortune to arrange an ambush on the wedding procession. During the attack, the hunter accidentally killed the bride herself, and when the merchant saw his beloved dead, he shot the hunter and then turned the gun on himself.

Does the legend hold up to the facts?

In 2012, archaeologists from the Archaia company, together with researchers from Masaryk University in Brno, examined the site but found no human remains to support the massacre story. According to the recollections of the then-mayor of Lesní Hluboké, remains had reportedly been exhumed in the 1960s while the crosses were being repaired, then reburied under the middle cross — but they were likely destroyed by repeated excavations for utility pipes carried out at the site over the following decades. Devět křížů therefore remains, first and foremost, a legend — a vivid story kept alive by local tradition rather than a historically confirmed event.

What can you see on site?

The site itself is modest: nine crosses standing by the roadside, surrounded by greenery, forming a quiet, slightly eerie spot that contrasts with the traffic on the nearby motorway. It's a typical example of a Czech roadside memorial woven into the landscape — with no elaborate tourist infrastructure, but carrying real weight as a piece of local storytelling. It's worth a brief stop while driving the D1, especially for travelers heading between Brno and Jihlava who want to encounter one of the more striking Czech roadside legends.

When is the best time to visit?

The site can be visited year-round, since it functions as a roadside stop rather than a seasonally restricted attraction. That said, spring and summer are the most pleasant times to pause here, when the greenery around the crosses is at its fullest and the longer daylight hours allow for an unhurried stop. Given the proximity to a busy road, visitors should take care when parking and approaching the crosses on foot.

Frequently asked questions

What do the crosses at Devět křížů commemorate? According to legend, the crosses were erected on the site where nine members of an ambushed wedding procession were killed in 1540.

Did the massacre actually happen? There is no hard evidence for it — a 2012 archaeological survey found no human remains matching the story, although local tradition holds that remains were found and reburied there in the 1960s.

Where exactly is the site located? On road II/602, next to exit 168 of the D1 motorway, near the village of Lesní Hluboké in the Brno-venkov district.

Is there somewhere to stay nearby? Yes, Hotel Annahof stands right next to the crosses, in a building that previously operated as a roadside motel called Devět křížů.