Ponds
The Blatná region is one of the sough-after destinations of Czech and foreign tourists and holidaymakers. The picturesque hills around Blatná, not yet spoiled by industry or construction, will attract visitors, among other things, by large number of ponds. Some of them are rather small, others are surprisingly large. All of them are charming and invite you to spend your holiday there.
History
Most local ponds were built in the so-called “Golden age of Czech ponds“, i.e. in the 15th – 16th centuries. The largest pond in the Blatná region, which is the Labuť in Myštice, was built between 1492 and 1503. The history of many other local ponds is definitely even older. What may have helped was the contact with nearby Bavaria because that is where the very first ponds were built in the 8th century. Slavonic tribes had their own experience with building roads and dams in swampy landscape which prevailed in the Blatná region at that time and gave the town its name. Other skills were acquired during construction of numerous water forts and mills. In the local undulating landscape with many creeks, construction of dams was an obvious choice. The oldest data and evidence is still missing but it is confirmed that very early, during the reign of Charles IV, the Blatná region belonged among regions with the largest number of ponds. If Jakub Krčín, the famous pond architect, contributed to the construction of the perfect systems and high-quality dams, he would have come to a region with many ponds already built.
At that time, there were three times more ponds in Bohemia than there is now and also the knowledge of their management was on the highest level in Europe. That was the reason why then already the famous Czech carp was exported as a delicacy. If you come to Blatná from Plzeň or České Budějovice, you will be going along the old imperial road (now E 49) which has always been a lively arterial road for fish trade. Transportation of fish was so frequent here that the road was called „Fischerstrasse“ (i.e. fish road). After a 20-hour journey, the fish arrived to fishmongers in Cheb and after a rest in fish tanks, they continued to Germany.
Fish harvesting
There is a great interest of the public in the annual autumn harvests. Information on dates for individual ponds harvests
is available from mid-September each year at the relevant fisheries and on the Internet. Drawing up plans of fish harvests
is not easy; therefore, the dates cannot be known earlier. The exception is usually the most important ponds whose harvest
dates are set in advance. It is recommended to discuss the visit of fish harvest (especially if collective) beforehand. Of
course, it is possible to visit fish harvest individually without prior agreement but is is not possible to exclude a change
in the term. Fish and nature simply take precedence…
Refreshments, sale of fish and fish specialities are offered on selected ponds, as well as professional explanation with
a presentation of fish on demand. On some ponds, the Blatná Fish Company organizes special events for visitors with music,
accolade, sometimes with competitions for children and adults. The state holiday on the 28th October is the traditional date
for the ceremonial harvest. The Lnáře Fishery provides a visit to the harvest together with a popular visit to the Lnáře
Castle where you can see a fishing exhibition and you have the possibility to visit a local restaurant. The main attraction
for visitors of the harvests is the special atmosphere of catching the fish, this hard but perfectly coordinated work, carried
out for centuries in similar ways in beautiful autumn nature.
Tourism
Although ponds are artificially built, they seem so natural as if they have always been there. You can visit them on foot, by bike or by car. Well-marked hiking trails lead through unspoiled landscape, through forests and on pond dams to villages with many monuments. Somewhere there are views far to the countryside of the Šumava mountains or the Brdy Highlands. Several nature trails are also worth a visit.
Leisure
The ponds Milava at Velká Turná, Ostrý velký at Blatenka and Hadí at Vrbno are reserved for recreation. There are sufficient accommodation facilities and the ponds are suitable for swimming. The other ponds are used mainly for fish breeding but they are mostly still suitable for swimming. Water transparency is usually acceptable and also the occurrence of the dreaded cyanobacteria is not frequent (moreover, their harmfulness is often exaggerated). The green colour of the water caused by algae is a sign of rich life and in many ponds is inevitable. Very transparent water is found only in poor sandy or forest ponds. Of course, if you do not trust the green water, you can look for another possibility for swimming. Others, on the other hand, might enjoy the peace and privacy.
Sport fishing
The local organization of the Czech Anglers Union allows holders of the fishing licence to fish in the well-fished fishing grounds Lomnice 2 and Lomnice 3. You can arrange purchase of the licence on +420 383 423 849. Those who do not own a fishing licence can engage in sport fishing with professional fishermen on selected ponds managed by the Blatno fishermen and the Lnáře fishermen.
Culture and ponds
The abundance of ponds and fish in the Blatná region naturally reflects in many works of art of local artists. The motifs of fish can be found for example in the work of Mikoláš Aleš whose mother was born in the gamekeeper‘s lodge at the dam of the Pálenec pond (today a hydrobiological station with a nature trail). Aleš was a classmate and a friend of the director of the Blatná estate and many fish from the Blatná pond ended up on his table. The later famous academic painter Stanislav Lolek also started as a forest helper at the estate in Lnáře. He was enchanted by the local landscape and captured it in many of his paintings and drawings. Also, our contemporary, the naive painter Josef Synek, often finds inspiration in fish and ponds. For many years, he worked as a car mechanic at the Blatná Fishery and he was in touch with fishing daily. Motifs of fish, fishermen and water structures are often found in the work of the academic painter Jiří Karmazín from Laciná who closely cooperates with fishermen. We can also find similar motifs in the work of Jindřich Krátký and Mgr. Jan Olejník. Ladislav Stehlík unforgettably celebrated the local landscape full of ponds with his poetic language. His trilogy „Země zamyšlená“ is full of admiration and love for the region. If we read it, we will be irresistibly tempted to follow in his footsteps… A photographic publication by the local historian Jiří Sekera and photographer Jan Kurz: "Ponds in the Blatná region " will guide you through the ponds.
The most interesting ponds
Labuť (The Swan pond)
The Labuť pond is the largest pond in the Lnáře-Blatná pond area. It is located about 5 km to the northeast of Blatná,
in close proximity to the village Myštice. The village of Chobot is located on the northwest bank. The water area has 108.5
ha, a length of 2,600 m and a width of about 450 m. It lies at an altitude of 450 m. (source: text – Wikipedie, photo: Chmee2)
Show the Labuť pond on map
Velká kuš (The Big Crossbow pond)
Probably the most famous, most photogenic and most visited pond is the Velká Kuš pond which has an area of 52.39 ha. The
pond was built in the 16th century by Václav Zmrzlík of Svojšín. The dam is dominated by huge oaks and pines and, last
but not least, there is an island which makes The Velká Kuš an exceptional pond. (source: text – the Kadov municipality, photo
– Wikimedia Commons)
Show the Velká kuš pond on map
Hadí rybník (The Snake pond)
Its area is 12.56 ha. The pond is mostly covered by forest. It lies at the foot of a forest Hora. It is widely used during
the summer months. There is a an accommodation facility below the dam. Water flows there from the Velký Pálenec pond. (source:
text – the Kadov municipality, photo: www.cestujeme.name)
Show the Hadí pond on map