Holašovice is a typical example of Central European village architecture in the Czech Republic. In the 18th and 19th centuries, numerous buildings in the Baroque style were built on the medieval floor plan with a pond, village green and farmsteads
Historical village Holašovice: facts
| Official title: | Historical village of Holašovice |
| Cultural monument: | Village architecture in the style of the South Bohemian peasant baroque of the 18th and 19th centuries with picturesque houses and farmsteads with geometric and floral stucco on the front gables |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Country: | Czech Republic, South Bohemia |
| Location: | Holašovice (Hollschowitz), west of České Budějovice |
| Appointment: | 1998 |
| Meaning: | Example of a well-preserved traditional Central European village on a medieval floor plan |
Lively gables in South Bohemia
Following the order of the day, there should actually be a sign in this area of South Bohemia that reads: “Get rid of stress and time pressure at the gates of our town.” to really find the way to a baroque village that has fallen asleep for decades on the basis of such a hint? Who knows. However, one looks in vain for such a reference on the outskirts. Those who have arrived are greeted in the information center there. The small town has thus prepared itself as far as possible against the swelling wave of visitors from near and far. “There has to be a limit somewhere,” says the mayor of neighboring Jankov, to which the 130-strong town is administratively assigned. He smiles after all, »his village«, one of the Czech world cultural monuments, stepped out of the shadow of the province into the public spotlight overnight. And what does this village offer? Folklore? Nostalgia? No, “pure peasant baroque” makes many a pilgrimage to Holašovice in search of lost time.
The big story never happened directly here, but it often reached the place in a roundabout way. She struck at least twice: first of all, South Bohemia was hit by a plague epidemic between 1510 and 1520 and the entire Czech village population was wiped out, and then in 1946 all ethnically German villagers were expelled. The first time the resettlement was carried out by settlers from Bavaria and Austria, the other time it was the other way round, and in between people lived here peacefully side by side.
The historical structure of the place has been preserved to this day. And the buildings built in the rural baroque style mainly date from the second half of the 19th century, the chapel is from 1755. Due to the use of the traditions of the baroque architecture, but also the rococo and classicist architecture, which were adapted to the rural ambience, arose with a little delay also in Holašovice typical South Bohemian farms. Since that time, the front gables of the houses and the associated granaries, which are richly decorated with geometric or floral stucco, have been the proud calling card of the villagers. A total of 22 farmsteads stand together around the village square, which is proven to have been laid out in the Middle Ages, spanning 210 m in length and 70 m in width.
The question arises: How do you live in a village that at first glance looks almost like an open-air museum, even without the neatly cut lawn? There is plenty of first and second hand information available in the village shop and – how could it be otherwise – the restaurant »U Blabola«, »Zum Schwätzer«, which has been prepared according to old plans. The Holasovicers coped with the break-in of the outside world right up to their windows, and often also into their houses, unlike the fact that one is in the public eye. Nobody is allowed to tinker with their own house on their own and at will, or even decide on the color of the facade without the approval of the experts from the responsible offices. Some locals find it difficult to come to terms with this. But the fame is pleasant, and you also appreciate it, especially after you have talked about the burning problems of everyday life with brisk brass music and a well-chilled glass of beer in the village pub. Holašovice obviously lives a normal life – and yet lives another one again: because history is writing a new chapter on this small piece of earth.
