The village of Petrovice
Memorable Events and Records
Only the recorded events could have been described. The events were sorted out according to identical cases, so I present the events as they happened in individual years.
In 1406, the Petrovská fortress was attacked and set on fire by Vok II. of Holštýn; 25 years later, in 1431, it was burnt down by the Hussites completely, i.e. Podolí and half of Petrovice along with the church. Four pieces of land were spared, since they had belonged to a knight of Holštýn, who was a Hussite.
For over one hundred years, no records were found; only in 1565, it was recorded that 1 unit of wheat (40kg) cost 1 golden (“zlatý”), and that 1 golden was worth 30 pennies (“groš”) or 210 white pfennig (“fenik”). It means that pennies had replaced talents (“hřivna”). (taken from a family chronicle)
The village of Petrovice on Drahanská vrchovina (highlands) is a small picturesque village, which is located 420 – 560 m above sea-level. Part of the village is administered by the nature reserve of Moravský kras, and Petrovice comes under the village of Sloup, which has a primary school.
In Petrovice, there is always something going on; its inhabitants always recall something, and through this recalling, they go towards the future.
As of 1 January 2005, the village had 550 inhabitants.
From 2000 to 2005, the village acquired 200 new inhabitants thanks to the new housing development.
In 2000 – there were 350 inhabitants
In 2006 – there were 550 inhabitants
Structure: the average age of the inhabitants of our village is 38.4 years (men 37.7 - women 39), while one of the inhabitants, Mrs. Jakubcová living in house no. 66, is going to celebrate her 100th birthday. In 1996, the process of stopping the resettlement was commenced, and the number of inhabitants started to increase thanks to the construction of community flats. Today, Petrovice owns 81 community flats (certainly the highest number of flats owned by a village with less then 550 inhabitants in the Czech Republic), which has increased the number of inhabitants by over 200 since 1996. Since these are young people and families expecting a baby, we can anticipate the total number of 600 inhabitants. This unique phenomenon in the Czech Republic ensures the vitality and long-term prospect of Petrovice.
Character of buildings: The original historic buildings have been managed by their owners well. The communist buildings were transformed into buildings of a rural character, e.g. the Jednota restaurant was rebuilt into a building with community flats. Recently, many family houses have been built or reconstructed and modified in the village. There are no unoccupied family houses in the village. The aesthetical appearance has changed beyond all recognition. The building standing at the main through crossroads, which had been decaying for 40 years, was purchased, and part of it has been reconstructed into a new fire station (again, no village in the Czech Republic can compete regarding the capacity); the other part was removed. A new building with 21 protected flats has been built up on the empty place.
Transport services: quite good in our village; however, though the number of cars has grown significantly, the citizens are dissatisfied with the number of bus lines, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. The village has entered into a contract with BODOS Boskovice although it knows that the surrounding villages do not contribute to the lines and still have been using them.
1.1. Planning Study and Documents
The planning study of the village was designed by Projektis Ing. Haluzová Příční Brno. The design was consulted with the citizens at the open session of the Community Council on 17 February 1995, and then adopted by the Community Council.
1.2. Village Renewal Programme
The village of Petrovice was registered in the Village Renewal Programme in 1996, when a local working group was established (see below). The separate Village Renewal Programme was designed in 1996 by Ing. arch. Jiří Hloušek from Brno on the basis of ideas and concepts of the local group. This programme was updated in April 2001.
1.3. Budget of the Village
The Community Council always adopted a balanced budget; last year, it ended with a slight surplus. From 2000 to 2005, the village made use of the state subsidies and received investment subsidies amounting to CZK 82 million and invested shares amounting to CZK 130 mil. The community budgets were thus increased by the amount that exceeded the budget level, which the village could have reached without the subsidies, several times.
Tax revenues 3,087,659 thousand.
Non-tax income 34,948,641 thousand (incl. a mortgage loan)
Subsidies received 30,240,000 thousand
…………………………………….
Total income 68,276,300 thousand
Total expenses 68,276,300 thousand
Social Life
2.1. Continuity of Social Life
It is a set of traditions and customs, both the old ones – original (Christmas, Easter, but also Shrovetide, sorceress burning, etc.), and the new ones introduced by associations and the village.
For example, a very successful Track Across a Fairy Forest, yearly reunion of fire fighters from the villages all over the Czech Republic. The social life in our village is eventful primarily thanks to local associations and the Civil Matters Board in cooperation with the cultural club.
2.2. Activities of Clubs
In our village, we have clubs as well as unincorporated associations (Relaxa, FC Malá kopaná).
The clubs: Voluntary Fire Fighters´ Association, Sokol Petrovice- table tennis, Young fire fighters, cultural club at the local authority, Civil Matters Board.
Activities of each club are specific, have their special characteristics according to the type of a club. But diversity is strength, because individual events create variety, plenitude of ideas and originality. The Voluntary Fire Fighters´ Association and Sokol, and the cultural club deserve special recognition for keeping traditions and for working with children throughout the year respectively. These activities are performed free of charge, but the same applies also to all of the other clubs.
The local working team of the Village Renewal Programme consists of:
Kakáč Zdeněk
Paulík Vladimír
Hrnčířová Lenka
Dvořáčková Anna
Vintr Jaroslav
Musil Josef
In fact, some members leave and there are other who join. But that’s the way it is – it is an unincorporated association of citizens, who want to participate in any part of the life in the village. It is impossible to name all of the citizens, who bring ideas or help. All of them renew the countryside directly in practice through their examples and approach to living in the village, to the environment, and also through the public education.
Recent ideas: Fairy Forest with all parents of children; one-week summer holiday for children, rehearsal of children for Všesokolský slet in Prague. All of this means that the activities of the local Village Renewal Programme group are linked to the work of the cultural club and the Civil Matters Board.
2.3. Support of the Village
The local authority publishes the local newsletter called “Loupežník”; however, this activity has been recently strangled due to dissolution of the editorial board. The village published several sets of postcards, publicity materials, such as flags, stickers and other promotional items.
The chronicle of the village has been kept by Mr. Zdeněk Nečas, a retired chronicler. The historical view of the village was recorded in the chronicle of the Zouhar (Cafourer) family, including individual family lines that had been living in particular family houses and buildings.
Thanks to reconstruction of the community centre, the local library was extended. There is also an Internet club; you can also play chess in the quiet environment.
The village has been supporting the clubs financially and materially. For example, the costs of rehearsal for Všesokolský slet, where children from Petrovice represent the largest exercising unit in the Czech Republic (20 children), and the exercising and performance costs amount to CZK 60 thousand, which is taken from the community budget. It also supports the common holiday for children by covering the rent for the camp site in Protivanov. For exercises of women and table tennis, Sokol Petrovice uses the heated premises of the community centre free of charge.
Activities of Citizens
3.1. Voluntary Work of Citizens
One can see that, following 1989, there had been decline in this area. It seems that everything has taken a turn for the better recently; people understand that the village belongs not only to the local government but also to them. The clubs in the village assist in implementing the Village Renewal Programme in the form of free voluntary work, especially taking care of the greenery and planting of new trees in the forest, and construction of a sports field.
Local parishioners and citizens worked on reconstruction of the vicarage, which had been uninhabitable, for 1,200 hours altogether. Today, we can have a permanent priest thanks to our vicarage. In addition, the parishioners worked for over 1,000 hours in the local church. The masonry was repaired with renovation plaster, windows were replaced, new wiring was installed, new flooring was laid, the sacristy and altar were repaired and new bells installed, a new cross at the main gate to the cemetery, which had been made by local citizens, was erected.
The local fire fighters built sanitary facilities in the new firehouse voluntarily. In general, it can be said that all of this was voluntary help from people. When they realise that what they do is meaningful, they will be eager to help.
3.2. Involvement of Children and Youth in the Life of the Village
Our young people are very active, mainly thanks to leaders of the cultural club, young fire fighters. I am really happy that, in the era of video and computers, children regularly take part in cultural activities, which have culminated in a theatrical performance for citizens called “Což takhle svatba, prince”; with their singing performance, the children participate in events held by the village and outside the village. Within the renewal of countryside, our young people do the cleaning of the local forest, cleaning of the village in autumn (taking care of the greenery), or they participate in keeping traditions of the carnival parade, sorceress burning …
Within sports activities and support of collective activities, they have been actively rehearsing for Všesokolský slet; they took part in tourist marches. In the summer, one-week holiday will be organised for our children and children from surrounding villages. Young people do not avoid collective activities at all, and they enjoy taking part in various events and activities performed by the clubs. The obvious condition of attracting the youth and achieving long-term activity surely shows the quality of a club leader.
3.3. Attention Paid to Rural Solidarity
The Civil Matters Board at the local authority has been acting well. Its members regularly visit old citizens celebrating their birthday. They organise trips to theatres (Prague, Brno): Dracula, Joan of Arc, Rusalka, Csárdás Princess, Three musketeers and other cultural events.
The neighbourly relations are good thanks to gatherings of people of all generations. For example, gathering at the chapel on the village square; talking to people anytime, organising parties, and making people feel they are part of the village life, they are still relied on, and their opinion and voice is important and their life experiences are used.
The village constructed 21 protected flats, which serve for accommodating older but still self-sufficient people. This construction have ensured the lifelong stay of a citizen in the village, in which they have lived all their lives, so that they are not out of touch with their friends, neighbours and the well-know environment when old.
3.4. Cooperation Between the Village and Its Inhabitants
The local authority has boards – financial, inspection, housing and civil matters. We attempt at as broad representation of citizens in these boards as possible. We do not worry about preparation of successors of the self-government in Petrovice, since there is high interest in the administration of the village, which could be seen during the last local government election in 2002, when 9 members of the community council were elected out of 40 candidates.
Doing Business
4.1. Agriculture
In the farming industry, the village has been cooperating with Zemspol (former unified farmers´ cooperative - JZD) within the renewal of countryside at subsidies title 7 along with the village of Žďár. In 2001, complete reconstruction of dairy cow sheds was commenced under the SAPARD programme. Today, the policy of using grassed areas for sheep breeding has been promoted.
The village enabled to set right all legal relations to lands as proprietary rights to the lands, e.g. buildings on a third-party lands, etc.
Within tourism, Zemspol and the village organise horse riding in Moravský kras, and try to cooperate in the field of tourism as much as possible.
4.2. Development of Crafts
In the village, there are 7 small entrepreneurs – cabinet makers. The village is known for a great number of traders: in the field of trucking, plumbing, tailoring, cabinet-making. The advantage of these traders is that they created about 50 jobs in the village. The traders significantly participate in the programme by creating new jobs and mainly by preserving the traditions of crafts. It is not a historic tradition; it preserves a certain skill, expertise and tradition of production in a family.
4.3. Rural Tourism
In the village, there are very positive conditions for development of tourism. The former old pub has been transformed into modern board house “U hraběnky”. Other families in the village offer accommodation services as well. For leisure time, there is a new public sports field with a tennis court with artificial surface, reinforced multi-purpose area, and children’s corner. The village is an integral part of cycle paths in Moravský kras.
4.4. Direct Business of the Village
The village does not perform any business activities.
5. Care of the Housing Stock and the Image of the Village
5.1. Care of Historic Buildings
In the village, there are three listed historic buildings – the St. Peter and Paul’s Church, the chapel on the village square, and the Column of Crucifixion at the access road to the village. The church and chapel are part of the village square. The church is owned by the Roman Catholic Church, but the village contributes to the maintenance and repair of the property of the Church within its resources. The windows, rain pipes, entrance gate were replaced, the façade spray painting was renovated, and another extensive help was provided by the village (CZK 650,000 for reconstruction of the vicarage – constructional expertise, supplies and voluntary work performed by parishioners, as described above). In 1994, enlargement of the cemetery commenced, graves in the old part of the cemetery having been modified. Despite the initial reluctance of the inhabitants, 80% the old part was moved, and the new part was added. It was a long-term process and very sensitive issue. Today, the situation is much better; people understand the good and meaningful intention, so they try to cooperate and bring the process of regeneration and arrangement of graves and the cemetery to its end.
5.2 Harmony in Development
During evaluation of the 2001 Village of the Year, the village failed to remove building defects, which were identified as one of the main defects for evaluation. When the village received a subsidy, which had not been provided to any other village of this size in the South Moravian region, this negative problem was removed. The 40-years old decaying building, which had been purchased and partially reconstructed and renewed by development, was removed from the main through crossroads. The building of the Jednota restaurant was another defect identified during the 2001 evaluation. This negative phenomenon was solved in the form of transformation into new tenements.
5.3. New Buildings
The extensive construction of new buildings in the rural style and character in Petrovice is unique not only by the Czech standards; I believe the village would do well also in the evaluation by the European standards. From 2003 to 2005, the village built up 81 tenements, 21 of them being protected. The character of the appearance of the village has not changed as a result of the development.
6. Amenities, Buried Services, Transport, Energy Saving
6.1. Amenities
The village constructed new buildings thanks to subsidies it had received. New community flats were built, which ensure permanent occupancy of the village, and future resources for further development. The extent of development, and mainly completion and putting into operation is another criterion for comparison with villages in the Czech Republic.
Buildings owned by individuals have been maintained very well; there is only one case that has been being solved for a decade. Within the overall housing stock, this phenomenon is unique, and negligible with respect to the overall evaluation of the village.
6.2. Buried Services
The village carried out installation of gas all over the village, telephone cable laying, and repaired all of the local roads. In addition, a footpath from Petrovice to Žďár was created, including new lighting.
6.3. Waste Management
The village liquidated and reclaimed waste dumps. Household waste is regularly collected by a professional company. Waste dumps, which had been created without permission and freely, were reclaimed and protected against any restoration and enlargement.
6.4. Energy Saving
Within its constructional activities and investments, the village try to install thermal technology (insulation) in new and older buildings, which leads to energy saving.
Care of Open Space, Natural Elements and Greenery in the Village.
Maintenance and Cleanness of Open Space
The village keeps the open space clean and tidy through a community worker, who takes care of the greenery using small instruments several times a year according to the growing season and as necessary.
Every owner of a family house takes care of the greenery and cleanness around their houses; three times a year, the village organises cleaning and arranges for large-volume containers.
7.2. New Treatment of the Greenery
The village removed ill and old wood. Tree stumps were milled out, and new trees were planted. New grass and greenery were planted.
7.4. Water Courses
The village owns three water courses - ponds. They are maintained within the resources of the village. The village is planning to remove mud from one of the ponds. Everything depends on subsidies.
8 Care of the Landscape
8.1. Agricultural Lands and Forests.
In 2001, the Forest Management Plan was adopted, which brought significant financial means to the village. Thanks to the plan, the forest stand was perfectly regenerated and the community forest was renewed. The village will thus regenerate 70% of the forest stand.
8.2-8.3 Other Measures
The village has project documents for the application for a planning permission procedure with respect to construction of sewerage and sewage water treatment plant Petrovice-Žďár.
Petrovice, 28 March 2006
Vladimír Paulík
Mayor
of the beautiful and picturesque village
