Běšiny

Běšiny, originally called Bessin, later Bieschiny or Biessiny, is located in a valley near Drnové potok. Běšiny is of ancient origin, the first written mentions date from 1379, when the village was the property of the feudal family of the lords of Běšin from Běšin, who lived here until the 17th century. After them, Běšiny belonged to the Lamingens from Albenreuth, and after the Kocs from Dobrš, they were owned by the Krakow family from Kolowrat from 1678 and joined it to the Týnec estate. One of the last owners of the estate was Mr. Jindřich Kolowrat - Krakovský. During his reign, the village had a public water supply and a falconry with extensive training grounds.

Between the ponds and the church, which was originally a castle chapel, there is an area of ​​manor houses. It is part of the still recognizable Běšin castle, the so-called "New Fortress". Originally, there was a feudal fortress in Běšine, which was rebuilt in the first half of the 17th century into a Renaissance castle, from which the building of the manor's granary has been preserved to this day. Above the entrance to the first floor are the signs of Koc from Dobrš and Nebílovský from Drahobuz. A distillery was established in these premises in the middle of the 19th century. In addition to grain spirits of rye and wheat, the famous Běšinská fruit distillery was brewed here from local fruits - apples, pears and plums.

From the very foundation of the village, services were held in the Gothic church of St. Bartholomew, which was built on the hill of the same name between Běšina and Podolí. In 1579, the church burned down, and in 1788 it was abolished, abandoned and fell into disrepair over time. Today it is a frequently visited ruin. After the church was closed, the main altar was moved to the castle chapel in Běšine, now the parish church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. The altar still stands by the church door. In 1995, after a thirty-year break, the church was renovated.
In the local cemetery there is a memorial to 42 victims of the death march from World War II. They were prisoners of various nationalities from concentration camps aged between 20 and 40. A number of cottages were built in Běšine in the distinctive style of folk architecture. Two old historic village cottages with thatched roofs were dismantled and taken to the open-air museum of Šumava folk architecture, which is now located in the basement of the state castle Velhartice.

Source: Information leaflet of the municipality of Běšiny 

 


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