Vodní mlýn (Dašice) Water mill

Welcome to Dashice. Please stop for a moment and take a deep look at the atmosphere of this place. You are standing in front of one of the most important technical monuments of the entire region, which is the water mill area. Look around you. You are on the corner of the streets of Komenský and Štenclové, where there is a building in front of you that combines practical function with aesthetic beauty. The first impression of the building is a sense of stability and pride. It is a place where the power of nature meets in the form of flowing water with human wit and craftsmanship. Imagine, for centuries, this place has been the center of social and economic events around here, where cereals became bread and where the noise of machines and the noise of water was constantly sounding.

Let us now return together in time to understand how the mill came to be. The first mention of the mill in Dashic takes us back to the 15th century. This is the time when most of the buildings were made of wood and stone and when the mill was an absolutely essential element of every larger village. There was probably a much more modest construction at the time, but its importance was enormous. The water was the only available energy source at the time that could drive heavy grinding. Over the centuries the mill developed, grew and adapted to the new needs of the time. From a simple place for grinding grain gradually became a complex enterprise that required ever more modern equipment and more capacity.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself, which you see right in front of you. Look at the front of the main building. He's a beautiful representative of the Neo-Renaissance style. Note the carefully decorated surface of the walls. What you see here is a so-called sgraffito. This is a very interesting technique where patterns are drawn into layers of plaster, creating contrast between light and dark colour. This ornamental element gives the building a noble look and reminds us of a time when even industrial buildings should have been beautiful. Look up now, to the very top. You'll see the Mansard roof, which is typical of its characteristic broken slope. This roof not only looked elegant, but also provided more space in the attic, which was very practical in the mill buildings.

But if you look at the whole area, you'll notice other, much more massive parts. It's a four-story mill that was built in the year one thousand nine hundred and eleven. Stop by his place and think about what a jump in tech was like. The mill meant the end of the era of grinding between the big rocks. Instead, steel cylinders came, which were much more efficient and allow for finer grinding of flour. This building is a symbol of the industrial boom of the early 20th century. This whole complex is not just a set of buildings, but a connected organism. Notice the surroundings and look for a drive, a water channel. It was through this drive that the mill was connected to the hydroelectric plant. The water thus did not only fulfil the function of the mill wheel drive, but later became a source of electricity, which was the peak of modernity at that time.

Such a boom would not have been possible without the people who put their energy and vision into this place. The names Jan Prokeš and Ladislav Prokeš are closely linked to the history of the Dashice Mill. Imagine these men as guides to the mill through the change of times. They were people who understood not only the craft of the mill, but also business and technical progress. It was thanks to their leadership that the mill could prosper and modernize, which is what we see in the construction of the mill in the year one thousand nine hundred eleven. Their story is a story of family tradition, workmanship and courage to invest in new technologies to keep the mill competitive in the new century.

Now I want to invite you to find one very beautiful and quiet detail that you can easily overlook. Look around for the Baroque statue of St. John Nepomuk. This statue was installed here in a thousand nine hundred. Saint Jan Nepomucký is the traditional protector of bridges and watercourses in our landscapes. It is very symbolic that it stands right here, at the water mill, where water was a source of life and prosperity, but at the same time it could also be dangerous in spring rebirth. The statue has been standing here for more than a hundred years as a silent guardian of the complex and reminds us that even at the time of technical progress, people have been looking for support and protection in the spiritual.

An interesting break in the history of this place was also the period of the feed mixer. The mill has adapted over the years to the needs of the surrounding agriculture. The feed mill was an important part of the operation up to a year of a thousand nine hundred eighty-six, when its operation was definitively terminated. This year meant the end of the purely production era of the mill in its original sense and the beginning of its perception as a valuable technical monument to be protected for future generations.

Now that you know the story of this place, I suggest you go through the entire area quietly and slowly. Try to imagine the noise that must have been here when all the machines were running full speed, how freshly ground flour smelled and how the water in the drive shouted. Feel the contrast between the fineness of graffiti decoration and the raw force of the four-storey cylindrical mill. It's a fascinating meeting of two worlds that met here in harmony.

Thank you for accompanying me on this short journey through the history of the water mill in Dashice. I hope you are interested in this view of the past and that you will take away a sense of respect for human work and the technical genius of our ancestors. I wish you the pleasant rest of your stay in Dasice and many other beautiful experiences while discovering the secrets of this region. Goodbye.