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Activities of the Czech Rozmberk Society

Heritage Preservation and Regional Development

 

One of the main reason for establishing the Friends of the Rozmberk Society is to support the Czech Rozmberk Society, a registered Czech non-profit for heritage conservation and regional development.

 

Since 2000, the Society operates a small museum in the protected village of Kojakovice and since 2004 also, in collaboration with blacksmith Daniel Cerny, the historic blacksmith workshop in Nove Hrady. In addition, the Society is a long-term partner of the Greenways Prague - Vienna and is developing the loop Greenways Rozmberk Heritage.

 

The Rozmberk Society tries to combine heritage conservation with regional development by creating new jobs and opportunities in heritage preservation, sustainable tourism, and traditional crafts. In addition, the Society provided introduction courses for unemployed youngsters, long-term unemployed, and women returning to work.

 

  

Promoting traditional crafts: courses in blacksmithing, basket making, and ceramics

 

The Rozmberk Society has an impressive track record on project funding. Established in 1998, it all started to roll with a 3-year start-up grant of the Rockefeller Brother Fund in 2000. Using this money to develop and pre-finance other projects, the Society managed over the years to more than triple the grant amount, mostly through European Union (EU) and Czech grants. The Society also provided short and long-term work for more than 15 persons, helped young starting entrepreneurs to improve their situation, and operated the Kojakovice Museum and Information Center and the Nove Hrady Historic Blacksmith workshop.

 

  

Left: blacksmith action restoring and renewing crosses that used to be on special places along local roads.

Right: part of the "America room" in the Kojakovice Center telling the stories of the early Czech settlers in the prairie states

 

Unfortunately, EU and Czech grants mostly need pre-financing and do not cover all project costs, let alone allow for payment of daily operating costs like office rent, car expenses, staff employment outside projects, etc. Like all museum operators, income from services provided and donations received at the museums also does not cover actual operating costs. For that reason, the Friends of the Rozmberk Society help raise funds to pay for the operating costs and for keeping both visitor's places running.

 

The Rozmberk Society is the "non-US equivalent of a US charity with 501 (c) (3) status", that is, it is a registered charity with tax-free status and donations are tax-deductible. Its mission and project activities are described in detail on their English website at www.rozmberk.org. Visitor information about the region, the Society's Traditional Craft Network, and its Museum and Information Center can be found at the Society's website for the Ecomuseum Ruze

 

 

 

Unless mentioned differently, all pictures are © collection Rozmberk Society, Friends of the Rozmberk Society, or provided under © by individual partners. In some instances, copyright is public domain or could not be established or obtained within reasonable effort.