The municipality Čenkovice is situated at the foothill of Buková hora (Beech mountain), having its top at 949 metres above sea level. If the summer sky is clear, a wonderful view on the landscape of Moravia and far-situated mountains Jeseníky opens in front of us. The village is spread on both banks of the brook Čenkovička, its spring can be found on hill Buková hora. The houses of the village Čenkovice are scattered from hill Buková hora towards a wood neighbouring to village Bystřec in western direction. Now, the village has 190 inhabitants. It will take you one and half hour of walking to cross the entire village spread along the brook Čenkovický potůček.
Brief history: The municipality Čenkovice – its name is derived from a male name Čeněk and shows Czech origin – was founded during the reign of last Přemyslovci (Premysliden), i.e. Přemysl Otakar II and Václav II between 1270 and 1300. Originally, the village was purely Czech. However, the German name of the village – Czenkendorf (Čenkendorf) – appears in archives later. Even during the reign of king Maxmilian (around 1568) the archive shows typically Czech names (Kvapil, Kučera, Vondra, Nožka, etc.) and a few German names can be found in the period of reign of the king Ferdinand III (after 1650). During and after Hussite wars – in 15th century – the population was entirely of Czech nationality.
Detailed information (adapted from the source "Vlastivěda Lanškrounska"): The municipality Čenkovice is situated at the foothill of Buková hora (958 m AMSL), 13 km in north of the town Lanškroun. The name of the village was derived from the name of the village locator – founder of the village. The village is referred in written for the first time under the name Czunkendorf in the deed (dated back to 1304) of the king Václav II by which he donated entire Lanškroun region to the Zbraslav monastery. In 1358 the properties of Cistercian monks Eastern Bohemia were offered to the Litomyšl bishopric in exchange for more suitable grounds elsewhere. The Litomyšl bishopric kept Čenkovice until 1409, when the bishop Jan Železný separated the area surrounding Jablonné nad Orlicí and pledged the area in favour of squire Jan Strýček ze Střížkova. The list of pledged villages included the village Čenkovice, however this village is marked, as well as another village Orličky, abandoned. The village Čenkovice remained pledged until mid-15th century. In 1453 Zdeněk Kostka s Postupic – owner of Lanšperk and Landškroun regions – acquired the area surrounding Jablonné nad Orlicí from Anna ze Zásady – the wife of Václav Preger, Lanšperk hetman. Until 1540 the history of the village Čenkovice identical to the history of other villages in the Lanškroun region: Jan z Pernštejna pledged the town Lanškroun and the surrounding area in favour of Václav Černohorský z Boskovic, the area surrounding Jablonné nad Orlicí remained part of the Lanšperk domain and it was sold by Jan z Pernštejna to Petr Bohdanecký. Both parties were reintegrated (having administrative centre in the town Lanškroun) by Vratislav z Pernštejna in 1564. The harsh climate in this sub-mountain village (also, the highest situated village in the region) used to be the greatest enemy of local inhabitants. As it was pointed out, the village was abandoned and desolated around at turn of the 14th and 15th century. The population density was rather low in the following century. Moreover, the village was surrounded by deep woods. In spite of the sub-mountain climate, the village was more populated in 1560’s and 1570’s when its owner was Vratislav z Pernštejna. Many inhabitants of lower situated villages – hinds, datallers working on farmlands of their fathers and brother’s farm lands – came here to found their own farm. In autumn 1568, the Lanškroun hetman Adam Bukovský z Hustířan had the grounds in Čenkovice measured and he rented grounds to eight new farmers, five other farmers came in June of the following year. Many people were interested by this re-population. Therefore, the hetman decided to inform Vratislav z Pernštejna, the hetman wrote: “I permit myself to announce Your Lordship that Your Lordship is owner of a village – its name is Čenkovice. That village is newly built and only 13 properties are charged to pay taxes. In this village there are now others that beg for a permission to build more houses and dwell here. I have already assigned grounds to 15 of such persons who are willing to pay taxes. If the Your Lordship agrees (I permit myself to remind Your Lordship that forestry brings low profits there), I beg Your Lordship to kindly announce his will in this matter to me." Vratislav z Pernštejna accepted the initiative of Adam Bukovský favourably, as there were 17 newly build farm-houses in June 1569 and five others were built in 1575. Yet, the life in sub-mountain village was not easy at all. A detailed description of difficult life is given in a document established upon order of the manor in order to find out whether the Berní rula (Tax roll) could be changed. The Berní rula was drawn up after the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) it was a list of tax duties of farmers in the entire kingdom. This document reveals that there were 13 cottagers, 24 other villains (they were called gardeners – according to their small grounds) and around twenty persons who did not own any grounds or houses in Čenkovice in 1669. Nevertheless, the grounds owned by cottagers were rather small – today, they would have from 3 to 6 hectares of grounds, half of them lied fallow. Gardeners had up to 3 hectares of grounds; however, they worked only on part of these grounds. Main source of income of local inhabitants were handicrafts. Half of them were spinning linen and weaving, others were woodworkers (around ten spoon-makers, a carpenter, a shingle-maker and a coffin-maker or they worked as datallers, old people were forced to mendicancy. In spite of difficult life conditions and weaving as the main source of income, the number of inhabitants reached the highest number in the entire region. Having 1,500 inhabitants, the village Čenkovice at turn of 1860’s and 1870’s occupied fourth place in the region (in terms of population) after the villages Čemná, having twice more inhabitants, Výprachtice, having more than 2,000 inhabitants, and Bystřec, having slightly less inhabitants than Výprachtice. However, the mechanisation of linen spinning and weaving and the abolition of serfdom caused a strong wave of emigration in the second half of 19th century. Their destination was not only America, but also large cities in Northern Germany – Bremen, Braunschweig or Harburg. Although several associations were founded in order to rehabilitate the local economy, e.g. Agricultural association (Landwirtschaftliche Verein), Linen Cooperative (Flachsbaugenossenschaft, 1904) and Civic savings bank (Bürgerliche Vorschußverein), the village lost in six decades (until 1930) half of its inhabitants. Naturally, the inhabitants of village were affected by the Great Depression of 1930’s, however the village Čenkovice could finally profit from its sub-mountain location. The inhabitants of the village Čenkovice bet on tourism. An association for promotion of tourism (Fremdenverkehrsverein) was founded, in 1930 was built a 50 meter swimming pool and, above all, the Association of Germans in (Bund der Deutschen) Brno became patron of the village. The targeted advertising and promotion activities of Association of Germans brought to the village many guests (most of them were arriving from Brno) in both summer and winter seasons. In 1930’s the village changed into a tourist and holiday resort that is now well known not only in this region, but also in Eastern Bohemia. Now, there is a wide range of properties offering accommodation. During winter seasons, two big ski lifts and ski slopes as well as tens of kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks are available. The nationalities in the village Čenkovice had been always mixed, Germans had prevailed. In 1930’s the Czech minority represented one fifth of the total population. After World War II, German inhabitants were expulsed and “replaced” by Czechs coming from upcountry. The village has always been, as far as pastorate services are concerned, administrated from the town Jablonné nad Orlicí. In the period after the Bílá hora (White Mountain) battle, the village Čenkovice was administrated from deanery in the town Ústí nad Orlicí. However, the parish in the town Jablonné nad Orlicí was re-established in 1663 and the village was included in its parish district. The first written reference to the local filial St. Lawrence’s church dates back to 1667. A hundred years later (1767), the inhabitants of the village managed to have a local chaplaincy established. The local chaplaincy included villages Orličky and Valteřice. In 1782 the local chaplaincy was promoted to an independent parish, having in its district Valteřice. In this period the old church was pulled down and between 1780 and 1782 Prince Alois Josef z Lichtenštejna had on his own costs a new church in Baroque style built. A year lager, a vicarage was built. After the Edict of Tolerance (1781) came into effect, the strong movement of secret non-Catholicism existing in the village was revealed. Inhabitants belonging to evangelic church who then represented one third of total population build their own chapel in 1781 and the tower was added in 1881. Now, the chapel is not used anymore. The chapel was administrated by a pastor from a near village (Horní) Čermná. Since 1882 the village had its own pastor. Also, the Orchanov Unity of Brethen was represented in Čenkovice and it was administrated by a preacher from Potštejn and later from the town Ústí nad Orlicí. The first reference to the school education dates back to the last quarter of the 17th century. The name of the teacher was recorded in 1686 for the first time. It was Franz Peter and he taught here full four decades until 1726. The Prince Jan Josef z Lichtenštejna had the school building constructed on his own costs. Today subjects of national curriculum of the first four grades are being taught in local grammar school that is shared by children from villages Čenkovice and Orličky (two grades in one classroom) and nursery school. The oldest civic association in the village Čenkovice was the Brigade of voluntary firemen (Verein der freiwilligen Feuerwehr) that was founded in 1877. Since 1950 there has been also the Gymnastic club Sokol. Apart from the Baroque St. Lawrence’s Church – its altar painting featuring the martyr St. Lawrence was painted by Jan Dallinger in the first half of 18th century, the village Čenkovice is proud of the Baroque statue of St. John of Nepomuk near to the house no. 79. It was mounted on costs of Pavel and Zuzana Feltzmann on 5th May 1736. The statue of Holy Trinity situated in front of the church near to the house no. 108 was made by an unknown sculptor in 1841. The sand-stone cross having its socle decorated by a relief of Holy Mary of Sorrows could have been made around 1697. Apart from people who are providing tourism services, there are two small businesses – company Fygr producing tents (employing 15 persons), local metalworking company Proko employs 12 persons. The current population of the village Čenkovice is 190, there are 61 houses. Further, there are 65 houses and 165 cottages used for recreational purposes.
German name: Tschenkowitz
