Supported projects

Česká Čermná - A Spring Day in Česká Čermná

Mayor of Česká Čermná, Eva Smažíková, introduced herself and proudly explained that the children in the town’s elementary school had been working on these drawings for the past few days. As she invited us to get a closer look at the drawings, another town official excused himself past us saying “Prosim” to get more chairs for the quickly filling room. The three of us from Via couldn’t help but notice the energy and enthusiasm among the attendees at this town hall meeting: this was not just another day at the office.

In March 2006, Katka Bláhová (Project Manager), Jana Kudělová (Project Coordinator), and I (Brad Hoar, Development Manager) traveled to Česká Čermná, a small town of about 250 families in the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains on the border with Poland. Although wind and snow limited visibility at nearby Sněžka, spring seemed to be gaining the upper hand in Česká Čermná with flowers hinting at blooming. Instead of taking part in necessary spring activities of planting gardens, making “witches” in preparation for Čarodějnice, and hunting for the perfect pomlázka with which to torment girls on Easter, over 40 of Česká Čermná’s residents gathered at the town hall. The reason? To talk with landscape architect Jana Vaďurová to determine how to make those children’s’ drawings become a reality.

The community of Česká Čermná is a recipient of 210,000 CZK grant to build a public park through the Via Foundation’s Helping People to Improve their Communities Program. This program is funded by Česká Spořitelna Bank and is to encourage and support public participation in the betterment of communities throughout the Czech Republic. One legacy of 50 years of totalitariansm is that this type of town meeting, even now, is not common. That day’s participants weren’t focusing on history: they were there to discuss what features the park would include.

As all of the attendees settled into their seats, each was invited to suggest features they would like to see in the park. After more than 40 different suggestions (including everything from playground equipment and restrooms to a rock-climbing wall and a České pivo stand), attendees were asked to vote on five things that they felt most important to include. The priorities were set: a playground, a notice board displaying area information, and a small pond will be built. To the disappointment of a few, a beer garden will not be constructed at the park, but instead, Česká Čermná will commission a local artist to carve life-sized wooden sculptures of Czech folktales characters to place throughout the park and to excite the imagination for years to come.

Three groups then formed to sketch out possible layouts for the park incorporating the agreed-upon features. Plates of koláčky and mugs of thick coffee were passed around as attendees huddled around charts drawing their ideas, talking over the details, and finally, drafting plans. Each group presented its layout, ate some more of the home-made food, eagerly imagining the ground-breaking ceremony when the ground would thaw.

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