Holašovice are not a museum, they are not dying out

Jankov-Holašovice (Českobudějovicko) - The South Bohemian Holašovice is not a dead open-air museum 15 years after being inscribed on the prestigious UNESCO list; the houses are inhabited, and children are being born here. Millions of crowns flow annually into the restoration of monument-protected buildings and the development of part of the Jankov municipality in the Českobudějovicko region, but tourism does not provide a living for anyone, it is rather an additional income. According to mayor Jan Jílek, the famous rural Baroque is visited annually by 70,000 to 80,000 tourists from all over the world.
    The people from Holašovice usually commute to work in nearby České Budějovice. The official tourism supports one employee in the municipality's Information Center. However, its operations are subsidized by the municipality and the region. The main tourist season also benefits two inns and a shop.
    Vlastimil Hošek has invested millions of crowns into his homestead with the help of subsidies over the past 15 years. His Farmyard, where he lives, is open to tourists, offering 12 beds for accommodation, a small museum, horseback riding, and accommodation for riders on the equestrian trail that runs through the village. "About 4,000 people visit the Farmyard each year. Those who stay overnight prefer short-term stays. If I had to rely solely on tourism for a living, I would have to be more focused on the business," Hošek told ČTK. As a retiree, however, the extra income is sufficient for him; his daughter married elsewhere.
    According to him, the municipality also benefits little from tourism. Thanks to UNESCO, it has a prestigious brand; it is known worldwide. During the summer, several buses arrive daily. Tourists have about 15 minutes for their visit before they move on. They don't even pay for parking. They peek into the courtyard, snap photos, and are gone, stated Hošek.
    In the past five years, millions of crowns have been spent on the development of Holašovice, according to mayor Jan Jílek, including on infrastructure and the rehabilitation of monument-protected buildings. The most money was spent on the overall renovation of the Information Center building, where the community room is still to be completed upstairs. The municipality has a so-called management plan for the UNESCO site, but it has not been able to develop tourism as envisioned.
    "The promotion of Holašovice is good, we are satisfied with the provided services, we have an information center, two inns, a ceramics workshop, the Farmyard, however, Holašovice are still a stop on the way to other heritage gems such as Český Krumlov or Hluboká, or even České Budějovice, which are the final destinations. The average visit duration is half an hour to an hour," the mayor noted. Tourists do not leave any money here.
    It is complicated with the development of the municipality. About four plots are prepared for further construction for family houses. There are also two sites reserved for apartment construction, but the capacity of the water supply and sewage is insufficient. The town hall has building permission for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant, but the municipality with 140 residents cannot afford even the co-financing of a potential subsidy. It would be estimated at 45 million crowns. The mayor believes that the state should take better care of its UNESCO sites and invest more in them, as they are the biggest attractions for tourism.
    The South Bohemian Region has been providing a targeted subsidy of three million crowns to UNESCO monuments for the second year. Holašovice received 700,000 this year, while the remainder went to Český Krumlov.
    Holašovice was inscribed on the list of natural and cultural heritage for its exceptional architectural and urbanistic values. It represents a unique preserved collection of farmsteads that were architecturally and artistically modified in the 19th century into the specific form of so-called rural Baroque. As a result, these objects are now subject to heritage protection.

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Holašovice

The village square of the picturesque village, which has had several homesteads with typical gables decorated with stucco for more than 700 years, is a typologically unique preserved collection of folk architecture not only in the Czech Republic but throughout Europe. It consists of a complex of 23 monument-protected homesteads with a total of 120 buildings (barns, granaries, stables, an inn, or a chapel) built in the style of so-called South Bohemian (rural or folk) Baroque. The chances of Holašovice being inscribed among significant world heritage sites were high also because it is a "living" village with preserved authenticity, rather than an open-air museum.
    South Bohemian Holašovice, which currently has about 150 permanent residents, has been mentioned since the mid-13th century. Three centuries later, nearly the entire original Czech population died during a plague epidemic, and the village was resettled by German settlers. After World War II, the German population was then expelled.