Do You Know, That? The Ponds Of Bohemia

The first named personality gave Třeboň area an unforgettable character - i.e. countless number of water areas and projects, first of all along flow of Lužnice-river. So, Svět Pond (1571) and Rožmberk Pond (1584-1590) belong to his most famous works. Nearly 800 workers worked on its building. They were able, during such works, to remove  more than 750 000 cubic metres of the earth. As a main reason of this construction, there was water stopping, provided the inundation danger menaced. Within 1890 and 2002. the pier stopped even 70 millions of cubic metres of the water, whereas the original water area of 489 ha increased up to 2000 ha!

The pond is placed on popular cycling route, in distance of 6 kms from the town of Třeboň, and all paths are, similarly as cycling in this plain region, very comfortable. The imposing pier is 2430 metres long and, at some places, even 55 metres wide. You can, during carefully watching of water area horizon, to estimate the earth curving. The highest depth reaches approx. 6,2 metres. And so, for weighty reasons, this pond takes his title as the biggest, as far as the greatness of water surface is concerned.

What is the use, all things have their exceptions. Rožmberk Pond would be the greatest but regarding water quantity, it is the other pond - so called Staňkov Pond. The pond is situated not far from the community Chlum u Třeboně, at state border of Czech Republic with Austria. Staňkov Pond is the seventh greatest one, creaded by boarding of Koštěnický brook at the village of Staňkov. The pond was created in 1550 by pond constructor Nicolas Ruthard of Malešov. This man built, in the middle of 16th century, on Krajíř of Krajek dominion, a remarkable system of ponds, The pond has a ground strewed pier, 25 metres high and 160 metres long. In backwards, you can find water reservoir, containing 6,6 million of cubic metres of water, the surface of which has the extent of 241 ha. The shortest air-distance makes 6 kilometres and its axis is 7,5 kilometres long. The depth of water in a pond reaches in some places, at the pier, nearly 14 metres! The pond is six kilometres long, its periphery makes 21 kilometres. The pond drains 124 square kilometres of collecting area. The pond takes, regarding its extent, the 7th place but, as far as its volume is concerned, it is the greatest pond of Bohemia and the Czech Republic at the same time!

Text/photo: Jan Chaloupka

Translation. ing. Jan Jonáš