Resort Čapí hnízdo

After walking our socks off in Prague, Mister Handmade in Israel and I treated ourselves to a couple of days' rest before our explorations in South Bohemia began. I had reserved a room at Resort Čapí hnízdo, a hotel and leisure complex near Olbramovice, a village in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, about an hour south-east of Prague. It was beautiful, but it is the history of the place that makes it so interesting, and I thought it was worth sharing here.

Čapí hnízdo sits on land originally occupied by a medieval village called Kačerova Lhota. The name appears in medieval records as Lhota Kačerova or Kaczerowa Lhota, and medieval records mention property there in the late 14th century. The word Lhota is quite common in Czech place names. It refers to a type of settlement founded under medieval conditions in which settlers were given temporary relief from certain obligations, essentially an incentive to clear and cultivate new land. The second part, Kačerova, is associated with the personal name Kačer.

The village was completely destroyed and abandoned during the Thirty Years' War, a brutal 17th-century conflict fought in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648. In the second half of the 17th century, local authorities decreed the establishment of a manorial agricultural estate over the ruins, naming it Nový Dvůr Semtín. The estate eventually expanded to encompass roughly 136 hectares of farmland, pastures, and ponds, and the original agricultural activities were supplemented by a distillery established in 1875. The distillery processed local crops into alcohol, bringing strong economic growth to the immediate region during the late 19th century. However, the locals did not enjoy this prosperity for long. The geopolitical disruptions of the 20th century - including World War II and the subsequent communist nationalization of agricultural property - were highly unfavourable to the upkeep of the estate. By the late 1980s, the complex had fallen into disuse, and by the turn of the millennium it had been abandoned altogether.

The only regular occupants left on the property were the white storks, which nested on the tall brick chimney of the former distillery. They first arrived in 1926 and returned every spring, eventually becoming a familiar part of the farmstead. The chimney remained their nesting site for decades and inspired the name Čapí hnízdo, which means "Stork's Nest". Today, the historic chimney still stands near the Restaurace Lihovar (distillery restaurant) and remains one of the most recognisable features of the property. It is one of the surviving traces of the site's former life as a manorial agricultural estate and distillery, before the area was transformed into today's modern resort.

Development of the resort began in 2006, with the aim of preserving elements of the historic farmstead while incorporating modern architecture. Major reconstruction took place between September 2008 and April 2010. The distinctive circular riding arena, designed to resemble a stork's nest as a tribute to the storks that still nest on the historic chimney, was built as part of the redevelopment. It is constructed from thousands of interwoven oak logs and thick branches. Today, the historic elements of the former farmstead are incorporated into a much larger, modern resort complex.

Mister Handmade in Israel and I made good use of the pool – actually, one of three on the site – and, though we were visiting without small children, we still enjoyed walking around the Eco-Centre (Ekocentrum), which has been open to the public since 2011. The centre provides a permanent, secure habitat for injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals that cannot be released back into nature due to permanent disabilities. It houses a diverse mix of native European mammals and birds, including otters, wild boars and various birds of prey, while in separate designated zones, it also displays selected exotic species. In addition, a 2-kilometre nature trail loops around the resort's pastures, trout brooks, and wetlands to teach visitors about local biodiversity and habitat protection. Our room was lovely, with a little balcony and a terrific view, and the whole place was a wonderful spot to relax for a couple of days before continuing our journey through South Bohemia.

Disclaimer: Resort Čapí hnízdo has been the subject of a long-running legal case concerning allegations of the improper use of an EU subsidy. I visited the resort simply as a foreign tourist and have no involvement in, or personal knowledge of, the legal matters surrounding it. My post is solely about my experience as a visitor and is not intended to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.

* This post has been shared on A Pinch of Joy, Monday Morning Blog Club, Weekly Wonders