Popovice was also given to the Benedictines by Bretislav I in 1048 after the Rajhrad monastery was established. The village is an
evidence of the first Slavic settlement in Moravia. The word "pop" (which is a base of the name of the village - „the one belonging to
pop") was adopted by Slavs from Greek. It is like if the haze of history has just revealed the figures of the Greek scholars –
Constantin and Metodius... However, the area was inhabited much earlier. Flint tools, stone axes or even skeletal remains with jewels of pearls made of burnt soil with blue painted eyes dating to 4,500–2,000 BC which were found in the areas „Nivky" and „U Chebzu" can prove this.
From the early Middle Ages the village belonged to the nearby monastery in Rajhrad. The first written mention on Popovice appears in 1406 when a manor had already been built here. In 1683, the inhabitants of Popovice were constantly scared by rattling of weapons and neighing of ten thousand horses coming from the nearby army camp in which the Poles were resting before leaving to protect Vienna from the Turks. In 1914, a railway stop was established here which has been used mainly by locals and tourists who then continue through Popovice and Rajhrad pheasantry to the Benedictine monastery. You might find it interesting that locals wore their traditional costumes as late as in the 1920s. Now these are used mainly during celebrations and traditional balls.
With its 250 inhabitants and 647 acres Popovice is the smallest of the microregion’s villages. However, it beats all the other villages with its picturesqueness. What is even more agreeable, the road ends here so there is very little traffic. The social life is very rich – children’s days, masquarades, fishing competitions and folk costume balls are held here. The Popovice Sports Club organizes tennis, table tennis or darts tournaments. Popovice is a village with a long history and a modern present.
