Among many Via grantees, springtime is about rejuvenating the landscape and transforming neglected corners of the Czech Republic into places where people feel good again. In Nová Dědina na Hané, neighbors are planting an allee of fruit trees along a restored 18th century field road, in Prague-Radlice residents are building terraces in the spirit of the “Masaryk Forest”, and in Budyň nad Ohří people are turning a soccer field into a flower park with a small zoo. Even the most forgotten places can come back to life if there is a group of people who believe they can be restore. “Thanks to Via Foundation, we know that there is someone out there who believes in what we are doing,” say some of our grantees.
Nová Dědina: Planting fruit trees along a centuries-old field road
In the small village of Nová Dědina in the Haná region of Moravia, a group of neighbors is restoring part of the local landscape. Their goal is to restore a mid-18th century field road to how it originally appeared in the era of Maria Theresa. This centuries-old link between the village and the surrounding area disappeared in the 1950s during collectivization. “As children, we used to play in this meadow. It was these memories that stirred us to try to restore this space, which is currently overgrown and impassable, and plant an avenue of trees,” explained Stanislav Vrba from Nová Dědina.
With a Via Foundation grant, local residents were able to purchase 15 fruit trees, support posts, nets to prevent animals from getting in, tying material, fertilizer and soil. Today, the new avenue connects the local playground with the cultural center in exactly the same location where people have walked for centuries. In addition to creating a link to local history, the trees will help retain water in the landscape and in winter block snow that makes the road difficult to navigate.
But the main benefit is how it is bringing the local community together. “What delighted us most of all was that residents got together to improve the community and share time together,” concluded Stanislav.
Radlice: Renovating terrace gardens with a nature trail and children's park
The story of Brabenec Terraces in Prague Radlice began where you probably wouldn’t expect it: in Israel. It was there, thousands of kilometers away, that Jiří Šmucler found inspiration for the project in Radlice. During a trip to Israel in 2019, he helped restore the “Masaryk Forest”, founded by Czech emigrants in the 1920s. “It was then that it occurred to me that we could similarly restore an old orchard here in Radlice on Kesnerka Hill,” explained Jiří Šmucler.
In the 6 years that followed, he and other members of the association planted around 30 fruit trees and many shrubs at Brabenec Terraces, created a children’s park, a community garden, a nature trail and a botanical garden, and built a clubhouse, a shed, and a rainwater collection system.
Thanks to a Via Foundation grant, the Radlice association will be able to enlarge the community garden, partially restore the lower terraces, complete the nature trail and repair the wooden structures including the fence of the children’s park.
“The Brabenec Terraces seem to bring people together. Family gatherings are held here, people offer to help or bring anything that would be useful. And that is probably the greatest reward for us. Simply participating in the creation of a civil society that is about making the world a better place,” added Jiří Šmucler..
Budyně nad Ohří: Turning a soccer field into an open space for children
In Budyň nad Ohří, residents decided to dispel the myth that a soccer field is just a place where you kick a ball around twice a month. Jiří Politeo, chairman of the TJ Viktorie association, has played soccer here for 40 years and the place has grown close to his heart. Last year, he and his friends decided to fix it up and add a playground and a small zoo, where they now keep goats, sheep, geese and a mini pig.
Thanks to a Via Foundation grant, the area around the playground and zoo will now be transformed into a green park. “The parents of the children who play sports here came up with the idea of improving the grounds a bit. We want to build a kind of park where families can spend their free time, too,” said Jiří Politeo. The goal is not only to increase the number of soccer games, but also to create a place where parents can enjoy the shade during children’s soccer practice. “We hope that the area will become a meeting place for parents and fans and will also bring together the community of people in the city,” concluded Jiří.
