Větrný mlýn (Kladníky) Windmill

Welcome to Kladník village. You are standing right in a place that has its own quiet history, which you will not hear in the rumour of grinding the grain anymore, but which you can perceive in every wind breeze that is shining here at these altitudes. Even though your eyes do not see the massive wooden structure that has dominated the surrounding landscape for many decades, try to present in spirit the tall, prismatic structure that once stood in the sky. Feel this space, feel the atmosphere of this place, which lies at an altitude of 300 feet. It was here, on this hill, that the wind was the greatest ally and the greatest adversary of the people who tried to use the forces of nature for their livelihood.

Let's go back in time together and try to reconstruct what was once here. This whole story you're living today began to be written in the year one-eighty-nine centuries of the nineteenth. That's when a man named František Skopal from Skelechlib decided. This man was not just an ordinary builder, he was a man with a vision who wanted to create a functioning and durable machine for grinding. In the year one-eighty-nine, the mill was finally created here and became a part of the local community. František Skopal didn't just build a building here, he created a heart surrounded by a field that, thanks to the movement of wings and wind power, gave people the basis for their survival.

Now pay attention to what this mill might look like if time stopped. Imagine a wooden structure in front of you, built according to the German pillar type. This is a very specific way of building, where the whole structure stands on a massive wooden column that allows the whole mill to rotate so that its wings can always face the wind. This structure had exactly five whole seven-tenth of a meter on each side, the shape of a regular square. This whole wooden structure was ten meters high. Imagine the height that stood high above the ground and that had to be very firm to carry the weight of all moving parts. Notice in the images of the four big wings, which in the rhythm of the wind revolved and changed the appearance of the whole area. It was a classicist wooden structure that seemed very dignified and firm.

If you could now look into the details through the fog of time, you would find something incredible. This mill was not only built from completely new materials. František Skopal was very handy and probably used older parts from other already extinct objects. And that's where one of the great mysteries of this place lies. This inconsistency was evident when looking at the individual parts of the construction. In various places, such as wooden beams, banners or cakes, different years were engraved. Think of it as a giant wooden puzzle, where each part carries a trail of its own history. These different years on the wood tell us that the mill in Kladník was essentially a new life for older pieces of wood that had previously served other people in other places. It was like connecting the past with the present in one single, functional whole.

This mill has served the people here for a long time and its journey has been full of work and changes. It operated until the year one-eighty-four when its operation was officially terminated. Although he no longer went to use the grain to grind, its value was still high. In one-eighty-five eight the mill was recognized by its historical significance and entered in the central list of cultural monuments of our country. People respected it and wanted to preserve it for future generations. However, this protection was not final. In one-eighty-three, the Ministry of Culture decided on something very important for its survival. The mill was not left here, in this village, but it was transferred to a skanzen in Rožnov under Radhošt. There he was protected as a rare piece of folk architecture so that he could be examined by people from all over the country and that his history would not be forgotten.

But it was a life of unexpected twists. Even where history seems safe, nature can come and change everything. In the year two thousand eight came a devastating storm known as Kyrill. This storm was so powerful and devastating that it destroyed the mill that was so carefully protected. After this event, the mill was removed from the list of monuments. All that remains is the memory and this place where you stand now.

Even though you can't see the tall walls here today, nor can you see the wings, the windmill in Kladník still lives in our imagination and in the history of this place. It's a reminder of how people were able to work with the wind and how they were able to make new things out of the old ones. Feel this space as a place where nature meets human finesse. Keep walking now and look around you, because even though the mill is no longer physically standing here, its story is still part of this landscape. Thank you for stopping by and paying attention to this memory.