Association of Vestec Seniors, z.s.

18 Jun 2021 Trip to the National Stud Farm in Kladruby and Slatiňany Castle

A total of 28 excursionists set off on the morning of 18 August by bus from the municipal office towards Kladruby n/Labem. The local National Stud Farm together with the castle and the church form a single unit and is part of the complex, which has been a national cultural monument since 2002. It is one of the oldest large stud farms in the world. It was founded in 1579 and since 1771 it has been continuously breeding Kladruby whites. At present it breeds almost 500 horses. The stables are part of the guided tours. And this is the one the seniors chose. The 45-minute tour of the stables was extensive and the guide was excellent. Not everyone went to the castle in Slatiňany, but it was after lunch, and some took advantage of the afternoon time until departure by, for example, sitting down to a good coffee.

14 July 2021 - Konopiště Chateau and Velké Popovice Brewery

Vestec seniors (25) restarted their activities again. So far they have only gone to neighbouring districts. The first post-covid trip took place on 14th July and the destination was the popular Konopiště castle. It has gained great fame for its interior furnishings with rare art collections and technical relics. The interiors certainly captivated not only history lovers, but the exteriors with their appearance. However, the chateau park, which is one of the most valuable and beautiful landscape parks in the country, has not been seen again. Why? Because the next point of the senior expedition was the Velkopopovice brewery. Here we enriched our experience with another sensation - taste. At lunchtime we had our fill in the Brewery Restaurant and then followed by an excursion in the famous brewery.

Sightseeing route "In the footsteps of Oldy the Goat"

The history of the Velkopopovice brewery has been written since since 1874 and is associated with an important family the Ringhoffer industrialists. Our group was expected in visitor centre with shop with souvenirs. The tour started here, where we learned about the history and present of the famous brewery. We peeked into the secrets of the beer production process, moving from historical to contemporary brewhouse and looked into the cellars where fermenting and maturing a golden, bitter liquid. Here we were treated to a tasting of fresh unfiltered Kozlo. Olda the goat has been the brewery's living mascot since the 1970s. The four-year-old horned symbol of the brewery was waiting for us at the end of the tour.

As a living brand, Kozel has been in the brewery for many years. There is a story attached to its creation. When a wandering French painter visited the village one day, he appreciated the hospitality of the locals by painting them a farewell painting of the Goat. This became the symbol of the brewery. The goats in Popovice are traditionally named "Olda" after the first Popovice brewer.

29.8. - 4.9. 2021 Holiday trip in Chlum u Třeboně

This year, the Vestec seniors went to the Lesák recreation centre, which is situated in an idyllic landscape of forests and ponds, right on the banks of the Hejtman pond. Hejtman is located on the outskirts of the town of Chlum u Třeboně in the district of Jindřichův Hradec. The pond was founded in 1554 by Mikuláš Ruthard of Malešov. Its depth is six metres and its area is 82 ha. The axis of the whole pond is the Koštěnický brook, which flows from the older Staňkov pond. The surroundings of the pond are mostly meadows, only in the eastern bank of the northern arm there is a forest.

In the resort we stayed in bungalows with separate facilities, equipped with TV and refrigerator. We had half board meals in the dining room and were very happy with the cuisine, we always enjoyed the food. Some adventurous people made their stay more enjoyable with a morning swim in the pond, others explored the tourist marked area. We took trips to nearby Trebon and Jindřichův Hradec. Who has not tasted the specialty of Třeboň cuisine, namely carp fries, as if he had not visited Třeboň. We also enjoyed other delicacies while exploring the surroundings. In the town of Chlum itself, we walked through a park with a neo-Baroque castle on the dam of a pond that was built in 1710. It is currently in private hands and not accessible, but the castle park with exotic trees and statues from the 18th and 19th centuries is freely accessible. We also visited the Church of the Assumption, which was built between 1737 and 1745 by the owner of the Chlum estate, Count Franz of Funfkirchen. Inside there is a beautiful Baroque decoration.

Many artists have had a relationship with this region. One of the most important ones is the poet František Hrubín. He had a cottage in Chlum and dedicated many of his poems to the region. Among the most eloquent is the poem "Pond Hejtman". Many of us remember the verses mentioned in reading books for older youth. He compares the surface of a pond to human life. "So sunny, vast a life to have before thee as thy surface, On which thou spreadest the calm of a sky solemnly raised, full of blanquette! Pond Heyman, park the centuries-old mound. The leafy logging, the fertile depth given to you by man, who never sleeps through your peacock mornings... " The lyrical social drama August Sunday is also set in Chlum near Trebon.

An integral part of the fishing bastion is a sightseeing cruise on the World Pond, which is called "Around the World in Fifty Minutes". The "Třeboňáček" excursion train also offers a sightseeing tour of Třeboň. It consists of an engine and three carriages.

After a week's stay, enriched by the attractions and knowledge of magical places in South Bohemia, we returned to our homes. The trip was supported by the municipality of Vestec, so its representatives deserve thanks.

The Sun Kings exhibition at the National Museum Prague

Unique exhibition about ancient Egypt Sun Kings at the National Museum Prague has been extended until 30 September 2021. Tickets are available online. To enter the museum not required negative test for Covid-19. SVS will not be ordering tickets in bulk. However, those interested from our club can visit the exhibition individually and give the confirmation to Jitka Drahošová, who will pay part of the ticket price.

21 Sep 2021 Seniors on a trip in Poděbrady

The last days of summer did not promise us sunshine, it was cloudy. But the plan of the trip was already definitely set, and so on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, after eight o'clock, we set off in the direction of Poděbrady.

What can the town of 14,000 on the Elbe River offer to seniors? For example, a healing spa package. Poděbrady's carbonic baths cure ailing hearts, aching joints and even the soul. We didn't plan a healing programme, we would need more time for that. We settled for a walk through the extensive spa parkthat starts at station buildings from 1932 (the first functionalist railway station in Bohemia) and ends at Jiřího z Poděbrad Square. In the very centre Libeň Colonnade we couldn't miss the famous floral clock. A number of architecturally interesting spa buildings lining the park did not escape our attention.

The town of Poděbrady offers many interesting places such as the castle, the Polabské Museum and the lesser known brewery. Our destination this time was the glassworks Bohemia Crystal a.s. We witnessed how beautiful patterns are created on glass thanks to the skill of local glassmakers. At the beginning of the excursion there was an informative video, then we walked through the plant where black craftsmanship reigned supreme. Everything was real, nothing staged. We ended the tour in the hall that belonged to the cutters. It was half empty. They say there are fewer and fewer experienced grinders and skilled workers. And they are the ones who give pressed and blown glass its final form - the luxurious cut decor that we love to admire and that represents us at home and in the world.

Every spa town has a colonnade, cafés, cake shops and spa wafers. We didn't forget anything and brought the wafers all the way home.

Theatrical performance "The Cat in the Oregano" - 30 September 2021

Punder the direction of director Lída Engelová, four well-known actors performed a series of humorous situations (Hrzánová, Holub, K. Cibulková and Velen) in the play "The Cat in the Oregano" on the stage of the Kalich Theatre.

The comedy "Cat in the Oregano", doesn't have what we expect in a comedy. It has a somewhat bitter taste. Some of our audience members even felt that the first half of the play could have gone differently. Fortunately, in the second part of the show, the well-known and proven duo Hrzánová - Holub brought the necessary humorous momentum to the plot. Even though the play ends with a dance number, the finale was again given a hopelessly bitter and acrid taste. It was thus up to the viewer and his nature how to cope with this ending.

23.10. 2021 Podolská waterworks

Recently, the seniors visited the National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem: the first stud farm in the world to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A month later, they had a direct insight into the operation of the Bohemia Crystal glassworks in Poděbrady and appreciated the work of our glassmakers and cutters. Prague was not left out of the interest. The last destination for the time being was the Podolská waterworks, which until recently served as a reserve source of drinking water for the capital. To this day, this facility is one of Prague's most interesting buildings and, above all, a technical monument. Its reconstruction was completed in June 2021, the water treatment plant was put into operation in the middle of the month and on Wednesday 23 October, less than a dozen members of our club went to the Museum of Prague Water Industry in Prague 4. The whole exhibition, which depicts the development of the Prague water industry, was guided by Mr. Kolář. He pointed out, among other things, the original pumping machine from 1830, water pipes from the ancient period or highlighted the value of the unique collection of water meters and part of the castle water pipe from the time of Rudolf II.

Drinking water and water in general has always been crucial and very important for human life. Bringing it to places where it was lacking was always paramount. They knew this in antiquity, when they built aqueducts, and they knew it in the Middle Ages, when waterworks were booming. Today is no different.

Engel's Waterworks or Cathedral is a neo-classical building from the early 1920s designed by Antonín Engel. The entire technological complex also includes a machine room with pumps, an administrative building for employees and the filtration station building itself. The southern building in the centre has a 45-metre high water tower, the facade of which is decorated with sandstone sculptures representing an allegory of the Vltava River and its ten major tributaries in a row below. It was the largest reinforced concrete structure in Czechoslovakia at the time.

The General Meeting of the SVS is scheduled for Friday, December 10, 2021. We will meet at the U Klimešů Restaurant at 5 pm.

The spring covid season forced the elderly to stay at home. The summer was more favourable, so they made up for it. They made several trips not only to Prague, but also to other regions.

8.7. 2020 castle Blatná, Rožmitál pod Třemšínem

Roughly halfway southwest between Prague and České Budějovice is the town on the Lomnica River Blatná with the castle of the same name. The chateau with a large game preserve is set in the gently undulating South Bohemian landscape and surrounded by beautiful ponds. This is why filmmakers love to visit this location. Blatná itself once boasted the nickname of the town of roses. It has not yet been possible to restore the former glory of more than a century of tradition. We haven't seen roses anywhere. There is a 42-hectare park adjacent to the castle, where we admired a large herd of spotted fallow deer. They were very tame, as was the flock of peacocks. In the 15th and early 16th century, Blatná was the main seat of the Lords of Rožmital.

Our next destination was the Podbrdské town Rožmitál pod Třemšínem. We devoted a shorter time to the town under the Třemšín hill, some of the visitors visited the Podbrdské Museum with a monument to Jakub Jan Ryba, the author of the Czech Christmas Mass, a gallery, products of folk creativity and an exhibition of historic cars.

12.8. 2020 - Roudnice nad Labem, Litoměřice

What do these cities have in common? A distance of less than thirty kilometres separates them. They boast a fertile agricultural landscape through which the Elbe River winds like a blue ribbon. The soil is also suitable for growing vines, traditional autumn festivals are celebrated here vintageThe Garden of Bohemia welcomes gardeners and fruit growers every year.

Castle Roudnice nad Labem - After the war it was nationalized, today it is in the private hands of the Lobkowicz family and is open to the public. The previously rather neglected building, which was on the periphery of tourist interest, offered us an interesting guided tour. We saw the remains of the Romanesque castle, walked around the courtyard, looked into the castle chapel and other interiors. The castle is also home to the Lobkovice Chateau Winery, so it was a pleasant surprise for everyone that the tour included a wine tasting from the vineyards of Roudnice. In the afternoon we ran to the historical centre, to the square. Some went to the Gallery of Modern Art in the former castle riding hall to see an exhibition of paintings, others tried to climb the towering Kratochvíl tower. In the end, everyone gathered in the square - in a pastry shop for coffee.

Shorter stop in Litoměřice, tour of the square, K. H. Mácha, ended the day trip, which we dedicated to the Bohemian Central Highlands

26.8. 2020 - Sea World - Exhibition Grounds, Marold's panorama of the Battle of Lipan

The seniors' trip to Prague on 26 August 2020 was aimed at visiting the Sea World Zoo at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. The permanent exhibition has been open since 2002 and offered us a world of marine, but also freshwater fish, as well as other animal species. Since 2006, the exposition has had the status of a zoo. Although this facility requires much less square metres of space than one would expect, it requires many more litres of water to operate and the price of admission corresponds to this. The unique water zoo offers small and large aquariums, a grotto, as well as an active floor projection that reacts to movement.

Since the Panorama of the Battle of Lipan by Luděk Marold is located in the exhibition area, its tour before lunch was another diversification of the program.

The nearest planned events for seniors

8. 10. Theater Kalich:" The Cat in the Oregano" from 19.00, departure 17.30 from OÚ
9. 10. State Opera: "La Traviata" (Verdi) from 19.00, departure 17.30 from OÚ
10. 11. Broadway Theater, musical "A Snowy Romance"