Historical forge - museum of blacksmithing in Holešov / Historická kovárna - muzeum kovářství v Holešově

Today we will leave the religious monuments of Holešov and look at a very interesting place. It is the Museum of Blacksmith's Craft, which is also located in Holešov.

The blacksmith was a very respected person in the past centuries. Without him, for example, the farmers of that time could not exist, without shod livestock they could not cultivate their fields, there would be no one to repair their tools and also, the blacksmith used to be a rancher, veterinary and pulled teeth. His wife was mostly an herbalist and folk healer.

The history of the forge next to the castle dates back to 1550, when it was owned by the local nobility. Later it came into the hands of the Rottal family and then the Erdödy family. In 1847 it was bought by Jakub Zeman and flourished most during the reign of the Bruntálský of Vrbno. The tradition of blacksmithing ended here in 1953 with Emil Zeman.

In the residential part we can find equipment and furnishings of common people from the 18th and 19th centuries. It is interesting that, for example, the cutlery is made of one piece of iron. There are tiled stoves, paintings and even cute little ornaments on the wall.

From 1953 the forge fell into disrepair. It was not until 1968 that the local tourist association took it over and repaired it on their own. The equipment dates mostly from the 19th century. There is a furnace, a forging bellows, a drill, a hand press and a number of tools - an anvil, a bellows, a set of pliers, etc. The forge is fully functional.

The last blacksmith to practice his trade in the forge was local native Pavel Ševeček, who won many national and international awards for his luxury knives made from Damascene steel.

Examples of products, tools and a blacksmith's bellows that is no longer in use. Nowadays, a modern air compressor is used to keep the fire in the furnace, but it is hidden from the visitor

The wooden log on which the anvil is fixed is 200 years old. The anvil is embedded 1.5 metres into the ground, dampening vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted to the blacksmith's hands.

It is interesting that the Empress Maria Theresa already issued security measures around the construction of the forge during her reign. For example, a well had to be part of the forge, and there had to be no wooden buildings within a certain radius around the building, and there had to be deciduous trees.

Well, then we've taken a look at the historic forge. I hope you learned something interesting and that you enjoyed the post. I look forward to your comments.

Translated by DeepL Translate