The fragrance of fresh bread, “mazanec” Easter cake or small “koláčky” is no longer confined to home kitchens in many Czech villages and towns. Increasingly, the delightful aroma can be detected wafting from bread ovens owned by the municipality, or located in community centers. In Židlochovice in South Moravia, for example, residents are baking cakes together for local festivities, in Brázdim near Prague people are using their municipal oven to bake sourdough bread from local flour, and in Bílá Voda in the Jeseníky mountain region, people are looking forward to baking mazanec Easter bread together for the first time this year. Thanks to support from Via Foundation, communities across the country are showing that baking is often a highly enjoyable and effective way to bring people together and experience the joy of neighborliness.
Židlochovice: "We bake together, just like our grandmothers did."
When residents of the picturesque South Moravian village of Židlochovice wanted to order cookies for a community event a few years ago and realized how expensive it would be, they thought, “Why don’t we bake them ourselves, together?” Iva Šebestová from the Kanava community association explains how it happened: “We remembered a time when women from the broader family or neighbors would get together to prepare for a celebration, each bringing her own recipe and ingredients, and baking whatever was needed together. It wasn’t just work, it was also a joyful gathering. We wanted to revive this atmosphere—to return to how our grandmothers did it. To create a space where people can meet, talk, share experiences, and prepare something good for others together,” she says. Thanks to a grant from Via Foundation, two years ago the Židlochovice association was able to purchase two ovens, as well as enough baking sheets, built-in cabinets, and basic ingredients to get started.
Today, baking is creating even more connections than the project’s initiators had expected. “Children, young people, parents, grandparents, and even people who might otherwise never have met come together at one table. Working together naturally erases differences. Suddenly, people who would otherwise just pass each other by are talking to each other,” says Iva Šebestová.
In Židlochovice, baking takes place on various occasions: before Christmas, Shrovetide, Easter, at neighborhood gatherings, and community celebrations. Traditional cakes, gingerbread, Easter pastries, savory treats, Christmas cookies, and sometimes even homemade bread, rolls, and roasted meat are made. “Every occasion has its own aroma and atmosphere,” concludes Iva Šebestová.
Brázdim: "An oven just belongs in a village."
Brázdim, a small village near Prague, has retained its rural character despite its proximity to the capital city. It’s a vibrant place: in addition to traditional events such as the spring Burning of the Witches, Old Bohemian May, Farewell to Summer Holidays, carnival, and firefighting competitions, there is also a competition in kettle goulash cooking. The idea to have a village oven came from residents who recently started producing their own organic flour on their mini farm. “Then, after various discussions over grilled sausages and beer, we came to the conclusion that an oven simply belongs in the village. Since we have such great local ingredients, it would be nice to be able to bake bread in an oven… in the traditional way, from grain to bread,” explains project initiator Josef Krotký. Thanks to support from Via Foundation, the village was able to purchase high-quality materials and pay for the professional work required to construct the oven. “We wouldn’t have been able to build the oven without the grant,” notes Josef Krotký.
The Brázdim oven was first fired up in November 2025. “We were pleasantly surprised by the curiosity that the first baking aroused. Completely unplanned, we ended up with lots of different types of baked goods—different kinds of bread, pizza, focaccia, flatbread, and buns. We were a bit nervous until we pulled the first loaves of bread out of the oven. But as soon as the children started clamoring for the freshly baked buns, it was clear that it had all been worth it,” continues Josef Krotký with a laugh.
The oven has been fired up numerous times since then in Brázdim. “The young firefighters get fresh pizza as a reward after training, and the girls baked Brázdim bread for a get-together with elderly residents. Sometimes we agree to roast some meat—the meat from the oven is fantastic,” says Josef Krotký, adding that many people ask about the project and are interested in it. “I can definitely say that a new community of people is gradually forming around baking,” adds Josef Krotký.
Bílá Voda: "Food is the best way to bring people together."
A community oven was built in Bílá Voda in the Jeseníky region six years ago, thanks to the initiative of Mayor Miroslav Kocián. “I had a long-term goal, or rather a dream, to build an oven and a fruit dryer. It’s common in the Wallachia region that I come from, so I wanted to try it here too,” explained the mayor. Bílá Voda managed to secure funding and built the oven and dryer, but still needed to improve the open space around them to make it suitable for community events. The municipality got a grant from Via Foundation to engage residents in improving the garden around the municipal office, which surrounds the newly built bread oven and fruit dryer.
Thanks to communal baking, according to the mayor, the village community began to take shape. “I was surprised at how it could bring people together. It turned out that the best way to connect people is through food,” says Miroslav Kocián. Six years later, baking continues in Bílá Voda. “Birthday parties are also held here, mainly for children. For two years in a row, there was a gathering here after the Hubertus Mass. And this year, for the first time, we are planning to bake mazance Easter cakes on Holy Saturday,” says the mayor. He considers the purchase of the oven to be a good move that has paid off for the village. “What makes me happiest is that people get together and are still able to talk to each other,” emphasizes Miroslav Kocián.
