Kaple Panny Marie

Kaple Panny Marie (Chapel of the Virgin Mary) is a small, polygonal chapel tucked away in a wooded valley in Moravský Krumlov, between the Rokytná district and the town's railway station. Few visitors outside the local area know about it, yet it has long served as a favorite walking destination for residents and tourists looking for a quiet spot away from the main square and the castle.

Where does the chapel come from?

The story of this place doesn't start with a church building, but with water. In 1836, the residents of Rokytná paid out of their own pocket to lay wooden pipes carrying water from a nearby Marian spring to the village fountain. The trouble was that water kept leaking right where the chapel now stands, since the original installation wasn't watertight. In 1847, the existing structure was torn down to its foundations and rebuilt from scratch, funded by the Rokytná community with financial support from Krumlov townspeople and the prince who owned the local castle. That reconstruction gave the chapel the form still visible today: a romantic, polygonal building from the mid-19th century.

The water supply kept causing problems, though. In 1880, the Rokytná community invested again, this time laying new iron pipes bringing water from springs on the Babí and Bařiny hills. This made the water supply far more reliable, and the chapel itself, known locally as Mariánská studánka (Marian's Little Well), became a place worth preserving. In 1935, the town council formally committed to keeping it in good condition "forever" and to cover repairs out of its own funds — a promise that, in practice, has held up, since the chapel still stands and still welcomes walkers today.

What will you see inside?

The interior holds one particularly interesting piece of furnishing: a late Gothic alms column, moved here from the church of St. Leopold. It's easy to miss if you don't know to look for it, but for anyone interested in sacred architecture, it's the highlight of a visit — a fragment of a much older era that found a new home inside a modest 19th-century building.

How to get there and when to visit

The chapel sits in a forested valley between the Rokytná district and the railway station in Moravský Krumlov, making it an easy short walk for anyone arriving by train or living in that part of town. It's not a destination that requires a special trip on its own — rather, it's a stop along a walk through the town's quieter, green surroundings, away from the main tourist spots in the historic center.

The best approach is to visit it as part of a longer walk around Moravský Krumlov, combining it with other sights such as the castle or the old town center. The chapel itself offers no built-up tourist infrastructure, which only underlines its low-key, authentic character.

Frequently asked questions

Is the chapel open to the public? It stands in an open forest valley accessible to walkers at all times — this is a spot for everyday local strolls, not a gated museum piece.

What's the most interesting thing inside? A late Gothic alms column originally from the church of St. Leopold, an element far older than the chapel itself.

Where does the name Mariánská studánka come from? From the Marian spring that supplied water to the nearby village of Rokytná from the 19th century onward — the chapel and the well are historically linked.

How long does a visit take? It's a small structure that can be seen in a matter of minutes — a good stop along a longer walk rather than a standalone, full-day destination.