Velký mlýn Water mill

Welcome to Libni. You are standing right where the history of Prague meets the calm of the green and noise of the water. In front of your eyes is Velký mlýn, a building that carries within itself a mast of many different epoch. Feel this atmosphere surrounding you. You're in Thomayer orchards, in a space where the Rokytka River is quietly flowing just outside these historic walls. Look at the building around you. Even though her face was changing over the centuries, you still feel the weight and stability that she had to have in order to survive centuries and half a century of uncertainty, wars and natural disasters.

Now let's go back deep into the past together to understand why this place is so special. The story of this place is not just the story of the house, but the story of the human struggle for development and renewal. The first clues that history has left us about this place go back to 1500. During this period, a major event took place here, which determined the direction of future use of this place. Petr Vosovský z Adleru decided to expand the mill and added a rag mill for paper production. Imagine the activity at the time, the constant movement of the water that was powered by the machines, and the specific process of paper production that was at that time absolutely crucial to the spread of knowledge.

But history has not always been about work and progress. The libertine you are in has been through difficult times. During the wars on Austrian heritage this area was filled and the mill was probably destroyed. What you see before you today is the result of a major recovery that took place in 17, 47. It is this reconstruction that has given the building its present, historical form, which you can now perceive. It is proof that even after complete destruction, the place can regain its glory and continue its mission.

Now pay attention to the architecture and how the function of this object changed depending on the needs of the time. If you look at the structure of the building now, feel its mass. Even though her appearance has transformed, you still feel the legacy of those old crafts. Over the centuries, the mill has ceased to be used for grinding grain or making paper and has started to serve other purposes. One of the most significant breakthroughs was the reconstruction in the year of the thousand eight hundred eighty-three. That's when the object became a bakery. Imagine the huge contrast - instead of the noise of water and paper production there was the ubiquitous smell of freshly baked pastries and the noise of people working at the ovens. This transformation process was performed by Jáchym Löwit. It is thanks to him that this object in people's memory has also become known as the Löwi Mill.

The names you can hear here are not just the names in the textbooks. Jáchym Löwit, Petr Vosovský z Adleru and Josef Hála are characters that are closely connected to this place. Each of these personalities has brought a piece of their lives and vision into this space. Now when you look at the walls and the facade, remember that every floor and every corner of this building have passed through the hands of the people who built their existence here.

But there is also a shadow side to this story that gives a special melancholy to the place. Notice how easy the Rokytok is now flowing. But in the year two thousand and two, this river left a trail of devastating flooding around. Velký mlýn was hit hard after this disaster and subsequently remained unused for a long time. It was a period of silence and emptiness when the building stood abandoned and waited for what would come next. This era of uselessness may have meant the end of this place, but instead it became a waiting period for a new beginning.

And it is this new beginning that is what you are experiencing today. Velký mlýn has undergone an incredible transformation. From an industrial facility, from a bakery and from a warehouse he became a modern cultural center. Since July in the year two thousand and twenty-three years life has been pulsing here again, but in a completely different rhythm than when the ground grain or bread was baking here. Today it is a place of meeting, art and culture, which once again connects people, just like the mill did centuries ago, in a different way.

In front of you, a space is opening up that is ready to invite you into its inner space. Let yourself drift through the atmosphere of this place, explore its new premises and realize that right now you are becoming part of another chapter of its long and fascinating history. Velký mlýn is no longer just a monument to the past, it is a living part of the present.

Thank you for sharing this story with us. We wish you a pleasant walk through the Thomayer orchards and many other interesting experiences in the next survey of this beautiful part of Prague. We'll say goodbye, but we believe we'll meet you in the next historic corner.