A detailed historical model of Jemnice, which captures the appearance of the city before the great fire in the first half of the 19th century and is located in the Jemnice castle, February 1, 2023, Jemnice, Třebíčsko.
Jemnice (Třebíčsko) – Jemnice in Třebíčsko has a new city model. It captures its form before the great fire in the first half of the 19th century, which affected the city and the older settlement of Podolí. It is located in the Jemnica castle, visitors will probably see it from May, its security is being completed. The creation of the model was preceded by thorough archival work, which will be complemented by information about the then residents of individual houses, ethnologist Jana Lochmanová, who is a co-author of the model, told ČTK.
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The basis for the model, on which the once royal city still has its medieval fortifications, was the cadastre from 1824. The aim was to show Jemnica and Podolí before the fire of 1832. “That fire had two major consequences. Houses in Podolí burned to the ground, because the thatched roofs, it simply burned on its own. In the city itself, when the citizens ran outside and then ran inside to put out the fire, the wagons collided at the Great Gate, and that was actually the reason for the medieval fortifications to be demolished,” said Lochmanová.
According to Mayor Pavel Nevrkla (ODS), the city model began to be considered in Jemnica around 2015. Its creation took several months. The value of the model is about 1.5 million crowns, the city pays for it with subsidies from the Interreg program. The glass construction that will protect the model of the city will cost another few hundred thousand crowns.
The model of the city shows the appearance of Jemnica even before the castle theater was built. It also includes the Jewish quarter, the separation wall that was supposed to block the view from the Jewish quarter to the Christian church, and the synagogue, which no longer exists. operated, will form a separate exhibit – a map placed next to the model. “Everyone will be able to see where they would go for a glover, a hatter, where they would have their shoes repaired, where there is a nailer, a nailer, a blacksmith,” said Lochmanová. 129 different master craftsmen worked in Jemnica before the fire.
Podolí is an original, perhaps peasant, settlement. According to Lochmanová, the local rotunda, the remains of which have been preserved in the belfry of St. James's Church, stood as early as the 11th century. It was only in the 13th century that today's Jemnica was founded on the headland above the river. Podolí and Jemnice were separate municipalities until the beginning of the 20th century, today Podolí is a local part of a city of about 4,000 people.
Rumor has it that the fire was started by a local unlucky drunkard. He wanted to set fire to the pub when the innkeeper refused to pour him a drink. But he only found straw for kindling in the attic of the neighboring house on the square. Due to the strong wind, the fire spread quickly and reached Podolí. “Two children and two old men burned to death in Podolí. Some houses there fell to the ground. The water there was also contaminated and there was a dysentery epidemic, from which about 20 people died,” said Lochmanová. At first people blamed the fire on the local baker. The real arsonist is said to have confessed to his crime before his death.
The model is located on the ground floor of the Jemnice castle, which housed the army in the second half of the 20th century. It has been owned by the city since the 1990s, which is gradually repairing it with the help of subsidies. This year, the roof repairs will be completely completed, in total they cost more than 20 million crowns. Only some areas in the castle are accessible during the summer season, the main part of it is still awaiting repair. The city model installed in the former soldiers' canteen will become the main tourist attraction.
In addition to Lochmanová, artist Petr Szyroki also participated in the nine-meter long model. “I did the background, drawing and reality, and Petr Szyroki then gave it the final shape,” said Lochmanová.
