Vodní mlýn (Petrovice u Sušice) Water mill

Welcome to Petrovice at Susice. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the calm of this place. Right now, you're standing in front of the Tamir Water Mill, which is the real jewel of the local landscape. Take a look at this building over the waters of the Kepelsky creek. It's a place where the craft, the power of water, and the history of several generations of people have come together. The first impression of this construction is certainly a sense of harmony and stability, which the mill radiates at first sight. It is a typical storey brick building that tells its appearance the story of wealth, destruction and a new beginning.

Now let's go back in time together to understand how people got to this place and why today is so special. The history of this place dates back to the seventeenth century. The first mill building was built here around 1650, but it was not just standing by itself. The mill was built in the place where the land farm used to exist. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the dark times after the Battle of White Mountain, when the landscape was going through great unrest and many changes. It was from the ruins of the old aristocratic estate that this mill emerged, which gradually became the center of local farming. Imagine how the noise of the mill sounded here centuries ago, and how the water from the stream was powered by huge wheels to make flour from the grain for the whole area.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself, because the Tamíř mill is a wonderful representative of the Baroque style. Please look up on the roof and pay attention to those picturesque wave shields. These curves are typical of the Baroque period and give the building lightness and elegance, which contrasts with its robust wall structure. It is a detail that immediately attracts the eye and shows that the owners wanted their construction to be not only functional but also aesthetically beautiful.

If you look around the main building, you'll see the baroque barn. She's very interesting, too, and if you look at her design, you'll notice something unusual. Its steps are dealt with by a special cleft system. It is a technical solution that we hardly see anymore, but at the time it was a masterpiece of the carpenter's craft which ensured the stability and resilience of the whole building. The whole complex thus forms a whole, which is now rightly protected as a real cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

The history of the mill, however, is made up not only of stones and wood, but mainly of people. Let's remember those who lived and worked here. An interesting trade took place here in 1782. The owner, a man named Vilém Mýdlo, sold the whole mill with the surrounding fields to Jakub Blahnik. The price was considerable at the time, the mill was sold for five hundred and fifty Rhine gold. Try to imagine the value of this sum at the time and how much investment it was for Jakub Blahnik.

However, life at the mill was not just about prosperity. The fate of the mill Tamíř was tested in the nineteenth century. In 1823, a disaster came that almost erased everything that was built. The building burned down. The fire was at that time one of the biggest threats to any building, especially one where it was used with crop dust and wooden structures. But this is where George Luhan's character enters into action. Jiří Luhan did not give up and in 1825 built the mill again. What you see today is precisely the result of his perseverance and work. The Luhan family identified with the mill so much that their names remained connected to this place for many years.

When we talk about the Luhan family, we must also mention Václav Luhan. He had a deep relationship with art and history. In 1922 he donated a very rare ornament from the chalice, which came from this mill. The chalice was a symbol of the deep faith and religious currents of that time, and this gift helped preserve a piece of the history of the mill for future generations in the safety of museum space.

And now I'm going to lead you to one sad, but fascinating thing that ties to the very top of this building. If you look at the roof edges, you might imagine what the mill looked like earlier. Once there was a vase that supplemented the Baroque look of the building and gave it the last tip of elegance. Unfortunately, this vase has not been preserved. In 1945, in the chaos of the end of World War II, the last vase on the roof was destroyed by gunfire. It's a little but painful detail that reminds us how violent events can affect even the most beautiful pieces of architecture. He's a silent witness to history who tells us that even in places of peace and work, tragedy can suddenly be present.

It's fascinating to realize the way this mill went. From the earthly estate, through the baroque blossom, a devastating fire, a restoration in the hands of the Luhan family, to today's status as a protected monument. The Tamíř Water Mill is not just a building, it is a living organism that breathes through the history of Petrovic and the entire region near Susice.

Now that you know the stories of the people who lived here and you know what to focus on when looking at the building, I suggest you just walk around the mill slowly. Feel the noise of the Kepel creek, which still flows in the same direction as hundreds of years ago. Try to imagine the noise of the mill wheels and the smell of freshly ground grain that once mixed with the fresh air of this landscape. Take another look at the curved shields and imagine how the sun reflected them in 1825 when Jiří Luhan proudly completed them.

Thank you for joining me on this short journey in time. I hope that this trip to the history of the Water Mill Tamíř has brought you new knowledge and that you will carry a feeling of admiration for human work and endurance. Now the mill is in your hands. Explore its surroundings, perceive the atmosphere of this quiet corner of the world and be inspired by the story of the place that refused to die. I wish you a pleasant rest of the day and a wonderful continuation in your discovery of our beautiful monuments. Goodbye.