hráz rybníka Kunžvartu Water structure

Welcome to the beautiful landscape of Sumava. You're standing right here in a place that is quiet, quiet and at first glance can act as a simple part of nature, but in fact, it is a place where a huge human ambition has come together with the relentless laws of nature. Before your eyes, this sprinkled hráz rybníka Kunžvartu. Even if you see only her remains today, try to imagine the length and strength that this building once imagined. This structure stretches over 500 metres, and even in today's condition, it carries the trail of that magnificent water work that once dominated the whole area. Feel the atmosphere of this place, feel the calm of the surrounding waters and forests, but at the same time remember that beneath your feet lies evidence of a failed but fascinating attempt to control the water.

Let us now return together to the past, to the sixteenth century when this unusual chapter began to be written here. It was a period when the Shimava landscape began to change rapidly and people were looking for new ways to exploit the wealth of the country. Five hundred and forty-three years ago, a building began to be built here to change the face of the area. Petr Malovec from Chýnov was the main mover of the whole project. His intention was extremely ambitious. He didn't just want a small tank, but a huge pond that was supposed to have an area of approximately 150 hectares. Imagine the incredible width of the water surface that was wobbling in this landscape. The pond was intended to be used for fish farming, which at that time was a very lucrative business and a key source of livelihood and wealth for the monarchs and nobles at the time.

Now take a closer look at what's right in front of you. Even though this dam is only the rest of it today, its essence is still evident. Note that these are not solid walls made of stone, such as those you may see on the castles. This dam is sprinkled. This means that it was built by the gradual storage and consolidation of various types of materials that people found right in the vicinity. It consisted of layers of clay, sand and gravel. This method was common at the time, but it also carried a huge risk. Feel the length that's still in the field. Even though the construction is in ruins today, we still feel the effort to create a solid barrier to keep a huge amount of water in the pond. It's a work that was directly part of the earth, made from its own body.

But the history of this place was not only a story of building, but also a story of power changes and political upheavals. The fate of this water work was closely linked to the fate of powerful generations and kings. After construction began, there was a fundamental change in who had power over this landscape. In the year five hundred forty-seven, King Ferdinand's first Habsburg seized the Vimper manor, and thus this pond and its future fate came into his hands. There are other important figures in this history, such as Petr z Rožmberka, which was at that time one of the most influential figures in the country. All these figures were connected with power over water and over this Šumava landscape. King Ferdinand's reign brought new rules and new faces that had to deal with this vast water project.

And it is here that the greatest mystery and the greatest lesson from this place comes to mind. Why did this great work end up failing? Why did this huge water surface collapse? The answer lies in the very foundation that the builders may not have been fully aware of at the time. The dam was built on very inappropriate ground. Instead of being built on a solid and stable basis, it was laid on unstable soil which consisted of clay, sand and, above all, very soft saltwater soil. This error in the initial phase was fatal. Nature took its power back very quickly. It was ruptured shortly after the construction was completed. The final disintegration and demise of the pond took place in the year five hundred and eighty-seven. This event was a great shock to the company at the time and meant the end of a great dream of wealth from the pond in this particular location.

But there is one more interesting thing that can remind you how easy it is in history to mistake the truth for a myth. For many years this building has been mistaken for much older work. Some historians and people around them thought it was the remains of medieval construction from the 14th century, which would be directly linked to the glorious era of Charles the Fourth. Imagine the confusion about how wrong people were at the time this work was made. This error of perception took a long time to find out from new knowledge that it was a work much younger, from the time of the Renaissance, and that its fall was not the result of an ancient decay, but a specific technical error in construction.

Today, when you're standing here, all you see is silence and the remnants of a sprinkled dam. But in this silence, you can hear the story of human courage, ambition that exceeded the possibilities of the then techniques, and the relentless powers of a country that cannot be easily controlled. This dam is an important example of how in the 16th century people tried to change the landscape according to their needs. It is a reminder that even the biggest plans can fail if the strength of the subsoil on which they stand underestimates.

Thank you for joining us on this short journey through time. We hope that this story about the Kunžvart pond has intrigued you and helped you better understand the history of this place. Continue to explore this beautiful Šumava landscape, observe the surrounding nature and let yourself be carried away by the atmosphere that this place offers. We'll let you know you were with us.