Krajinná památková zóna Orlicko Landscape heritage zone

Welcome to the place where nature meets deep history and where every mountain, every field and every tree line tells its own story. You are standing in the Orlicko Landscape Monument Zone, in the Kožlí area, and right now you have a unique opportunity to perceive this space not only through the eyes but also through the spirit. Look around you and pay attention to what you see. In front of you is a fascinating mixture of dense forest complexes and open agricultural areas. Notice how the view gradually opens up into the valley where Vltava and Otava wave flows in the distance. This landscape is not just a random set of natural elements, but it is a living image that people have drawn and modified for many centuries. Feel the harmony between the wild animals in the woods and the order of the fields surrounding you.

To understand why this country looks just like this, we need to go back deep into the past together. This whole landscape-forming process that you're looking at today has begun in about a thousand and two hundred years. That was when people began to settle in this area and started to cultivate this wild ground with the first steps. Something's been going on here ever since. The landscape changed with every new generation and every new ruler. A significant turning point was the year of a thousand eight hundred and two when the administration of this territory came into the hands of the mighty Schwarzenberg family. This has fundamentally affected how we see the distribution of roads, forests and villages such as Kožlí, Flying or Orlik over Vltava today.

Now think about what you see in the distance when your view moves to the Orlík Castle. Even if you don't have to look directly at the buildings themselves right now, pay attention to how this whole area is arranged. In the middle of the nineteenth century, around the year a thousand and eight hundred fifty, this landscape reached its highest point. The creators then decided to make everything look absolutely perfect and to use the shapes baroque and classicist. So notice these lines, these deliberately created paths and alleys that lead to important points in the landscape. This architecture concerns not only buildings, but mainly the whole area around them. Feel the long, straight paths and thoughtful views of the valley that have been designed to feel beauty and order. Even the small sacral structures that may be hidden in the trees are part of this magnificent plan.

Looking at this vast landscape, it is impossible to recognize the names of those who formed it. This country witnessed the power and wealth of great generations. In its forests and fields, Švambergové and Eggenbergové moved before the territory became part of the extensive property of Schwarzenberg. Each of these families left an invisible clue in the landscape, how the woods are divided, how the roads are guided and how they are adjacent to the water. They're stories of ownership, hunting, and trying to control and at the same time to shape nature beautifully around them.

Let us now look at one of the greatest changes that this region has experienced in modern times. Imagine the year one thousand nine hundred sixty. At that time there was a fundamental transformation of the valley due to the construction of the water tank Orlík. Parts of the landscape that have been here for hundreds of years have been flooded with water. This event changed the appearance of the Vltava Valley and created a new dimension that you see today. Yet, despite these great changes, the value of this place was recognised, and in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-six this entire territory was officially declared a landscape monument zone. This means that what you are currently circumventing is a protected heritage to be preserved for future generations.

If you're looking for something that really surprises you and that's not visible at first glance, think about what's underneath the surface of the earth. In the vicinity of Bohou pond, there are remains of mound graves. These ancient graves are a silent proof that people lived here and inhabited this landscape in ancient, prehistoric times, much before the first locks were built here or the great forestry economy was built. It's a fascinating idea that history could be thousands of years old under your footsteps.

Another interesting thing is how big the local industry was in the nineteenth century. It had an area of 200 hectares and was part of that vast hunting landscape that you can perceive right now. These spaces were designed for the noblewoman, for the joy of hunting and for the demonstration of power, but at the same time they created a unique ecosystem, which also affected today's appearance of forests and alleys.

Now I ask you to move on. Let yourself be guided by those paths that have been prepared here for generations before you. Explore the quiet corners of the watercourses, perceive the smell of the forest and watch the light change in the valley. Every step can lead you to a new detail, a new perspective that will reveal another layer of this rich place. Enjoy your journey through this beautiful landscape and let its history and beauty consume you completely. Thank you for choosing to visit this memory. Goodbye.