The water hammer in Dobřív, Rokycany region, will become a national monument

Dobřív (Rokycansko) - The first technical monument in the Plzeň Region that will become a national cultural monument (NKP) will be the water hammer in the village of Dobřív in Rokycansko, starting in January. The site maps the history of Podbrdské ironworking from the 14th century. It will be included among the significant technical monuments of the Czech Republic, similar to the Vítkovice ironworks. This was stated by Anna Matoušková, head of the conservation department at the Ministry of Culture. There are currently 17 NKPs in the region, almost exclusively castles, chateaus, and monasteries.
There is also on the list, which the government is set to approve in December, the riding hall in Tachov in Světce, the castle in Červené Poříčí in Klatovy, and the Chotěšov Monastery near Plzeň is also under consideration.
"The higher prestige of the monument will help the municipality, which, in addition to an increase in tourists, also expects greater influx of state funds for the beautification of the region's attractions," said the mayor of Dobřív and chairman of the micro-region, Milan Kozlík.
"The hammer was proposed by the region, not the National Heritage Institute, but the expert body has no problem with it. It is a unique reminder of more than a five-hundred-year tradition of Podbrdské ironworking. There is a collection of original tools and technical equipment preserved there," Matoušková added.
Currently, there are 236 NKPs in the Czech Republic. There is no regular rhythm for their proclamation; it is triggered by ongoing assessments of the heritage fund. The last proclamations were in 2008, totaling 28. In the Plzeň Region, this included the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Přeštice and a farmstead in Plzeň-Bolevec.
This year, the ministry has also requested tips from the region and regional national heritage institutes, and 103 suggestions have been submitted. "We expect 30 to 35 proposals," Matoušková said. By the end of October, the final selection will be discussed by the ministry's leadership; after external consultation, it will go to the government, which will approve the list by the end of the year. The monuments will be declared starting in January 2010.
Dobřív and Chotěšov were proposed by the region, and their proclamation is supported by the National Heritage Institute in Plzeň. "The elevated status will certainly contribute to the prestige and undoubtedly to the interest of visitors in the monument as well as in the region," said its director Ludmila Drncová. The chateau in Červené Poříčí is, according to her, a unique example of Saxon Renaissance, while Chotěšov represents Baroque monastery architecture, which is also unique for its incorporation into the landscape. The riding hall in Světce, which belongs to the city of Tachov, is the second largest riding hall in Central Europe. Although the hammer is owned by the region, the Plzeň institute will help in its presentation.
The water hammer is the largest and most significant monument of its kind in the Czech Republic. The current stone building was constructed at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of wooden hammers from 1658 and 1701. The equipment also dates from the 19th century. Originally, rods were forged there, and after technology was expanded in the 1860s, heavy tools were produced. Iron was created there from the 14th century until 1956.