🏞️ Ponds are magical eyes of the Czech landscape, full of romance and settings for legends and fairy tales.
📜 Explore the rich, centuries-old tradition of Czech pond building, its historical significance, and environmental benefits.
💧 Discover the ingenious systems created by master pond builders across the Czech Republic.
🎣 Learn about fish farming, its historical importance, and modern aquaculture practices.
🚶♀️ Enjoy popular destinations for walks, bike rides, and unique autumn fish harvests.
🦢 Observe diverse fauna and flora, as ponds provide refuge for hundreds of species.
🗓️ The golden era of pond building occurred from the mid-15th to the end of the 16th century, with an estimated 500 new ponds created annually.
🌊 Beyond fish farming, medieval masters recognized ponds' role in flood prevention by retaining and gradually releasing water.
🌍 Ponds improve local microclimate, water purity, and are used for swimming, fire reservoirs, and local irrigation.
🐟 Fish meat was a permitted Lenten food, crucial for the medieval diet, with about a third of the calendar dedicated to fasting days.
🏞️ Třeboň Pond System: A unique network in the Třeboň Basin, connected by artificial canals (Zlatá stoka, Nová řeka). A UNESCO potential heritage site.
🎣 Naděje Pond System: Founded by the legendary pond builder Jakub Krčín, including ponds like Potěšil, Krajina, Klec.
🐟 Blatná Pond System: Known for the 'špíglák' (mirror carp) breed, once boasting 228 ponds.
🦆 Holany Pond System: 23 ponds in the Liberec Region, a nesting ground for many birds, near Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area.
🏰 Hluboká Pond System: Features Bezdrev (second-largest pond) and Munický rybník with views of Hluboká Castle.
🌿 Lednice Pond System: Five ponds, a natural reserve, part of the UNESCO-listed Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape, known for rare bird species.
⚙️ Pardubice Pond System: Built by the Pernštejnové family, includes Bohdanečský rybník and the Opatovický Canal (a functional technical monument).
🚶♀️ Bolevec Pond System: Ten ponds in Plzeň, a popular recreational spot for residents.
🗺️ Vodňany System: More than half of its original thirty-plus ponds are preserved.
👻 Slavkov Pond System: Once the largest in South Moravia, only traces of dikes and roads remain.
🍂 Experience autumn fish harvests, a traditional event (calendar available on Kudy z nudy).
⛸️ Enjoy winter ice skating on frozen ponds.
🚶♀️ Explore pond areas through walks and bike rides.
🚫 This article provides general information about pond traditions and systems, not specific details like contact info, operating hours, or pricing for individual ponds.
⚠️ Some historical pond systems have been converted to agricultural land, with only remnants visible today.