Rychvald, this is the city of ponds where everyone wants to live.And there is a piece from here everywhere

Rychvald, this is the city of ponds where everyone wants to live.And there is a piece from here everywhere

Source: Deník/Tomáš Januszek

Anyone who knows Rychvald will probably not be surprised by the comparison to Třebona in South Bohemia. Rychvald is really a town of ponds. New estates, Farm ponds, Podkostelní, Cihelňák, Skučák... There are about ten of the larger ones on the cadastre, and at least another ten to twelve small ones. Even the jury has a long tradition of fishing in Rychvald. The fame of the local company, which is still operating, but facing problems, has already worn off for a few. However, what still works well and gives the city a good name is the famous Rychvaldská pekarna.

Educational trail

Also, Mayor Milan Starostka recalls moments spent with friends at the pond. "We all used to learn to swim in those ponds. The paradox of today's times is that people live by a pond and have a pool in their garden," he does not forgive himself for the snarky remark.

Hornický Petřvald has turned into an interesting place to live. It also has its problems

And speaking of the pond, it should be mentioned that the surroundings of one of them – Skučák – is a breeding ground for rare birds, and the water reservoir and its surroundings are a protected nature reserve. Here, the town hall would like to make it more accessible to the public, of course in compliance with the conditions of nature protection. "We are thinking about building an educational trail. Today there are paths, but they are muddy, they would like to be strengthened with some natural material, a few benches in a natural style and information signs should be installed so that people can read what kind of birds live near Škuťok and what kind of plants there are. However, property matters and encumbrances need to be resolved. And that will take a while," warns the mayor.

He used the name Škuťok on purpose. The pond is said to have been owned by Mr. Škuta in the past, and the locals have called him that since time immemorial. So what kind of Skučák!? Unlike most towns and villages in Karvinska, there is something in Rychvald that is different. The first one is the Hussite church, which in normal times is not only a place of religious services, but also of frequent cultural events.

The huge construction boom that Rychvald has been experiencing for the past 15 years is already too burdensome. Nothing against the new residents, but the infrastructure of the village is suffering and its village character is disappearing. Mayor Milan Starostka therefore openly says that the current city management no longer wants the development to expand, on the contrary, it wants to limit it. For example, changes in the territory of the plan. Read HERE.

Rychvald. Mayor Milan StarostkaSource: Diary/Tomáš Januszek

Flat repair and then bidding

The mayor of Rychvald also reminds that the city also attracts people with relatively cheap housing in municipal and cooperative apartments. Last year, the city abolished the waiting list for apartments and, following Bohumín's model, took over the bidding system. Those interested will get the apartment only after they have agreed with the city on the amount of the rent

Rychvald is a city of ponds, where everyone wants to live. And everywhere is a short distance from here

"However, no auction has taken place yet, because our apartments are not available very much. There is also huge interest in cooperative apartments. As soon as something becomes available, it is immediately sold and at quite interesting prices," says the mayor, reminding that when a city apartment becomes available, it will undergo a complete repair and then it will be auctioned.

From the village

Cycling path around Nové stavů to Bohumín

In order to make the town and its attractions more attractive, councilors are considering building a marked cycle path that would lead away from busy roads and ideally through nature.

"In cooperation with Bohumín, we plan to create a marked route that would lead directly from the center, possibly from the castle around the Varroc company premises to the Nové Stavy ponds and further back to the Bohumín iron works. There, the trail would connect to other cycle paths in Bohumín and further towards Poland or Ostrava. There are roads through that area, the section that belongs to the municipality would have to be repaired, but that would not be a problem. We even have a chance to get a subsidy for this project," says the mayor of the municipality. He sees the establishment of an easement as a problem, through the land owned by a local company, which is, however, insolvent.

The fact that Silvie and Martin Brod bought a restaurant was a bit of a coincidence and partly destiny. Both are close to this field. As a trained cook, Silvie gained experience in England some time ago, and Martin's mother is also a cook. So from a young age, he found out what this craft entailed. Despite the fact that he made a living as a bricklayer for a long time.

The Brod family, U Sester restaurant in Rychvald. Source: Deník/Tomáš Januszek

The repaired castle is still waiting to be opened

The second local attraction is the Rychvald castle, which is a cultural monument and currently in private hands. Originally a four-winged Renaissance storey castle from the 16th century, it was once the seat of a large estate and was used for economic purposes until 1989. In 2010, businessman Pavel Šmíra bought it and over the last years brought it to a comfortable condition. Its owner plans to establish a gallery, hotel premises, build a restaurant and a microbrewery. It is also used for organizing weddings. However, the building is not yet open to the public.

INTERVIEW

The capacity of the school is currently our biggest problem, says the principal of the primary school in Rychvald, Daniel Cigánek

The school has over 600 pupils. Rychvald, with a population of more than 7,000, has only one primary school, and this is the source of the current problem - the school's capacity is insufficient. The debates between school director Daniel Cigánek and the city management are therefore clear - how to expand the existing premises.

After many weeks, some of the children returned to school. Much has been written about the negatives of distance learning. According to your experience from the last months, what (if any) is the positive of distance learning? I personally perceive distance learning as a necessary evil. I am by no means convinced of its importance. The face-to-face teaching of 1st and 2nd graders in the period from mid-November 2020 to February 2021 was proof that it can also be done face-to-face and without major complications. In my opinion, the only positive of distance learning is the deepening of knowledge in the field of informatics, both for teachers and students.

What specifically bothers teachers the most in the current situation, and how do children and their parents manage everything? This problem is very individual. However, I am afraid that the negative effects of individual measures are affecting all of us more than is healthy. My great admiration goes mainly to the parents, who are already quite exhausted from long-term distance learning in most cases. With most elementary school students, you cannot assume that they can do everything on their own. Without the support of parents, it would be a pretty tough nut to crack. And when you consider how long the whole situation takes, it's a tremendous amount of effort, time and energy. Teachers do not have it easy at this time either, in addition to distance learning, there are also individual consultations, group preparation of ninth-grade students for entrance exams, and rotating face-to-face teaching of first-grade students. For all of this, you need to have enough materials for evaluation, to be in almost daily contact with pupils and parents.

How is the school doing with capacity? The population is increasing in the city. Do you still have enough places in kindergarten and primary school? School capacity is currently our biggest problem. The average number of inhabitants in the Czech Republic per primary school is approximately 2,500. The town of Rychvald has over 7,500 inhabitants and only one primary school. We currently have over six hundred pupils and are therefore one of the largest schools in the district. With the founder, we have been discussing the possibilities of expanding our existing premises for a long time. It will probably be the same with the capacity of the kindergarten, but that is a question for the director.

What's new at your school? Basically, every year we try to surprise the pupils with something new and attractive after the big holidays. In recent months, we have expanded the number of student lockers. We installed touchless paper feeders and soap dispensers in some toilets and bought new ping pong tables that can be used outside. We also have new sets of school jerseys with our logo. For the holidays, we are planning to renovate part of the school club. In the long term, the construction of a new educational pavilion is likely. Simply put in the words of a classic: "There's always something going on..."

Rychvald in data

First written mention: 1,305 Population: 7,536 Notable personalities: Přemysl Kočí (1917 – 2003), opera singer, actor, music teacher, director of the National Theatre.Interesting Rychvald is also an area that after the end of the First World War, the Czechoslovak and Polish sides began to make claims. During the first temporary division of Těšínsk in 1918, Rychvald was taken under their administration by the Poles, during the second and last division it was finally acquired by Czechoslovakia. Then in 1938 it was occupied by the Polish army, and a year later by the German army. Czechoslovak administration was restored only after the war in 1945.

Trip tip

Skučák nature reserve

The reserve around the Skučák pond was declared a nature reserve already in 1969. It covers an area of ​​30.1 ha. Around the pond there are reeds and meadows in which protected animals live, such as newts, various species of frogs, many species of birds, as well as ermine weasels and polecats. The pond and the surrounding area is a famous location for walks in any season, even with small children. Fishing takes place here in winter.

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