Mnich: The Story of an Abandoned Village

Abstract

Czech students from a South Bohemian upper-secondary school revealed the contested history of an abandoned village on the boarder with Austria which once constituted a part of the Iron Curtain. The project was based on co-operation with the department of archaeology at the regional museum.

Key words: abandoned villages, expulsion of German inhabitants from Czechoslovakia after the WW II, Iron Curtain, tolerance, cross-curricular approach.

Summary

The history of abandoned villages on the Czech-Austrian boarder reflects the history of the region as well as that of the country and of the whole Central Europe. These villages were founded in the Middle Ages, particularly at the end of 12th century when a German speaking population colonized the area. Although there were a number of changes in the ownership of the villages as well as huge migration due to the boarder location, the villages survived for centuries. In 1945, however, the inhabitants of German origin were expelled to Austria as a result of the WW II. The villages were then settled by Czechs for a short period of time. However, due to the building of the Iron Curtain, even the new settlement was transferred to inner parts of Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. The villages were abandoned and some of them were destroyed by the army. After the end of the Cold War the boarder area – ‘left by people and changed by nature’ – was open to public again.

In order to explore efficient methods of heritage education, an upper-secondary school in Jindřichův Hradec established a partnership with the regional museum. They developed a heritage education project that aimed to reveal the contested history of an abandoned village called Mnich. In autumn 2007, a group of 29 students (aged 13 – 14 years) investigated historical resources in the regional archive and recorded memories of former villagers. On the site, they sought for archaeological evidence and also explored the changes of landscape and ecosystems. Using their findings they prepared a special display at the regional museum and a short publication comprising results of their project work. The pre-view of the display became a community event at which the students introduced witnesses of the story of abandoned village Mnich to their friends and relatives.

Project Partners: Gymnázium J. Nováka v Jindřichově Hradci, Muzeum Jindřichohradecka

Authors: PhDr. Jana Burianová, PhDr. Ivana Pečtová, Mgr. Vladislav Burian