Intention of prepared nature reserve

The Netolice game preserve 
A sleeping princess of south Bohemian countryside

Former Rožmberk game preserve (called as well the Netolice game preserve) is unique from the point of view of history, landscape architecture and preservation. It is situated west of the edge of the city of Netolice.

The paled preserve together with hunting-lodge Nový Leptáč were built at the same time by the Rožmberk regent Jakub Krčín z Jelčan (1535–1604) at the end of 16th century. However the ruler, Vilém of Rožmberk (1535–1592), liked the place very much. He has exchanged it with Krčín for his domain in Sedlčany and has built hunting–lodge Kratochvíle in the center of the game preserve. Kratochvíle castle was built next to the fortress of Krčín that was later pulled down. Today the castle is pronounced a national cultural monument.

Five small slavish villages have disappeared due to the game preserve construction, but the whole complex had to be truly unique at that time when Václav Březan, former archivist, chronicler and historian of the Rožmberk family, had considered it the most significant in Bohemia: “... here the lord chose to build a place for rest, decided to build here a game preserve for rabbits and also a large game preserve to which no equal exists in Bohemia, measuring at least two miles in circumference and enclosed by a wooden fence.” The ancient Czech mile has measured 11 244,77 meters so the circumference of the game preserve used to be over 22 kilometers. This corresponds with the surface area of 3000 hectares. Many different breeds of game were kept here: for the first time in south Bohemia it was the fallow deer, pheasants but also there were camels and even a buffalo. Practically everyone who has cut a fine figure in former Czech society was once a guest of the Rožmberk family on Kratochvíle castle including the emperor Rudolf II. Kratochvíle also became a one-year home of Petr Vok, brother of Vilém Vok and heir to the domain, and his Rožmberk court. This was in 1598 during the plague epidemic. Yet Petr Vok was forced to sell the Netolice domain to the emperor Rudolf II. in the year 1602 because of his debts. From that time on the glory of Kratochvíle and the game preserve started to fade away.

The enclosed game preserve probably stopped to fulfill its function right after the end of the Thirty-year war during which the fencing has been damaged and the game has been exterminated by the soldiers and also because of the post-war changes in owners. The first to own the domain after the war was the Eggenberg family and after them it was the Schwarzenberg family.

Over 30 larger and smaller ponds together with a forgotten technical monument - the artificial sewer named Krčínka - are also part of the game preserve. Krčínka has served as the water drive source of different moving attractions, devices and pictures in the castle garden. This sewer became the ground of disagreement of Jakub Krčín and the city of Netolice because it conducted away the water used for filling city ponds and driving water mills. According to a legend the sewer is being plowed every night by a devil with Krčín yoked into the plow. The inhabitants of liquidated villages (total of 44 homesteads) have obtained substitute land on the outside of the game preserve as compensation. Thanks to this step a belt of hermitages has been preserved along its circumference until these days.

The game preserve survived until present days as a unique landscape unit constituted of a mosaic of forests, meadows, parkways and ponds with a number of important archaeological and historical monuments. Apart from originally renaissance farmhouses such as Petrův Dvůr, Grejnarov and Švarcenberk there are also several prehistoric tumulus burial grounds, a fortified settlement Velký Hrádeček from the Iron Age period, a Celtic cult fortification near the village Hradiště as well as ruins of former medieval villages. The game preserve is still shielded from the impacts of agricultural mass production, construction and other intruding civilization interventions. Thanks to it the local environment remained almost untouched and represents a sample of historical landscape in its original renaissance appearance. The Netolice game preserve together with the Kratochvíle castle and the historical city of Netolice are like a sleeping princess of south Bohemian countryside, still undiscovered paradise and oasis of peace that offers new adventures not only to nature and history lovers but to all tourists, cyclists, horse lovers, mushroom pickers, fishermen and of course to families with children.
Association of municipalities – Micro-region Netolicko tries to achieve the proclamation of this area a nature reserve.