Brief History of Slatina

The Founding of the Village of Slatina

The village of Slatina near Horažďovice, formerly referred to as being near Lnáře, was founded in the mid-12th century, around 1150. Together with several other villages, it is among the oldest in the area — for example, the village of Hradiště (formerly Na Gradišti), the village of Pole (formerly Na Poli), and the villages of Záboří, Bratronice, Slivonice, Pačejov and others. The surrounding area was heavily forested and sparsely populated. These were former scattered Slavic settlements, whose centres were the Slavic fortified hillforts of 'Na Hradišti' near Kasejovice and 'Na Práchni'. Their origins date back to the period of Slavic settlement in this region.

The original Slavic settlement developed into an early medieval village. The oldest inhabited sites are in the area of house numbers 7, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31, 33 and 48. Through gradual colonisation, further families arrived and settled in areas still on this inhabited side — house numbers 21, 28, 30 and 45 — and in the next wave of colonisation, areas around house numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and others.

Given the village's name, which indicates that it was situated on boggy and marshy ground, the settlers made use of higher, rockier and drier terrain. The oldest land acquired by slash-and-burn clearance lies beyond these oldest settled areas. These long-established residents gradually became freeholders. The oldest acquired fields lie in the direction from Liští, through Trávníky, Stružka, Na dolích, towards Nové, Náramek and Hořice. Everywhere else in the surrounding area there were dense primeval forests and unspoilt wilderness. By around 1170, more than 100 korce of land had already been acquired, i.e. approximately 30 hectares.

The Founding of the Church Estate in Slatina

A major intervention in the development of the early medieval village of Slatina was the founding and construction of a church manor (estate) around 1220 and the building of a church dedicated to St. Wenceslas by the Convent of St. George at Prague Castle. This convent founded and owned 7 manors (church estates) in this area.

The Convent of St. George, one of the oldest in Bohemia (founded in 973), played a significant role in the colonisation of this area. Alongside the church estate, the aforementioned wooden church dedicated to St. Wenceslas was also built — it was the first church in the area. The next church was not built until 1283 in Velký Bor, by the Knights Hospitaller from Strakonice, followed by a church in Chanovice in 1357 and a church in Kadov in 1384.

The Convent of St. George owned the estate in Slatina and Pole for a total of 56 years until 1284, when Bishop Tobias sold it for 170 marks of silver to Lord Bohuslav, castellan of Zvíkov Castle (formulary of Prague Bishop Tobias of Bechyně, chapter 233, page 177). The text of the deed of sale of Bishop Tobias of Bechyně can be read here.

Slatina Becomes a High Medieval Village

Through the founding and development of the church estate and further colonisation, the number of families in Slatina grew to 30, with a total of 160 inhabitants. The still-traditional division of the village into ve vsi (in the village) and v chalupách (in the cottages) dates from this period of colonisation and development of the medieval village.

The Burning and Destruction of the Church in Slatina

The church in Slatina, along with other churches in the surrounding area, was burned down during the Hussite Wars. This occurred in the summer of 1421, when the owner of the Slatina estate was Střízek of Nebřehovice near Písek. Jan Žižka was marching with his army against Rábí Castle for the second time. He burned and demolished the church in Kadov and also damaged the manor of Přibík, who had taken refuge in Rábí Castle. He then burned the church in Slatina. From there he sent part of his army to Chanovice, but it became lost in the dense forests after turning towards Bezděkov. The church in Chanovice was therefore spared. The army then marched towards Velký Bor, where it demolished the castle and church of the Knights Hospitaller. From there they continued to Horažďovice and Rábí. During this second siege of Rábí Castle, Žižka captured it but lost an eye, reportedly shot out by Přibík of Kadov.

The Construction of a Stone Chapel in Slatina

On the site of the burned church, a stone chapel dedicated to St. Wenceslas was built. It was built by the lords of Nebřehovice, who owned the Slatina estate for a total of 203 years. In 1765, when a new church was built in Kadov and consecrated to St. Wenceslas with great ceremony, Ferdinand Kunaš of Machovice donated a silver chalice and vestments from the Slatina chapel to the Kadov church. The chapel was subsequently demolished on the orders of Count Kristián of Lnáře during the construction of a granary, and only a small bell tower (wayside chapel) was built in its place.

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List of Owners of the Village of Slatina from 1220

1220–1284 Convent of St. George in Prague
1284–1303 Castellan of Zvíkov Castle (Bohuslav)
1303–1426 Lords of Nebřehovice near Písek (Petr, Zdeněk, Jetřich, Střízek)
1426–1436 Oldřich Kočka of Družetice (purchased Nebřehovice including Slatina)
1436–1517 Jan of Nebřehovice
1517–1583 Lords of Oselce (Jindřich and Petr Oselecký)
1583–1680 Lords Kokorovec of Kokorovo near Nepomuk (Petr and Václav Záborský of Brloho)
1680–1691 Lords of Horažďovice (Adam Opl and Václav Vojtěch)
1691–1765 Kunaš family of Machovice near Hluboká (Václav Lev Jindřich, Aleš Ferdinand, Jan Josef and Jan Arnošt)
1765–1810 Lords of Lnáře (Count František Kristián and František Linker)
1810–1948 Lords of Chanovice (František Becher, Dr. Eduard Doubek, Isidor Schmiedl and Baron Pavel Goldegg)
1948–1952 Parcelling of the Slatina manor among small farmers

Tenants of the Lords of Chanovice in Slatina

1895–1907 František Polánka
1907–1922 Vojtěch Doubravský
1922–1924 Foreman Fárek
1924–1948 Sýkora

Compiled using materials by Ing. Vladimír Klečka, CSc.