Just near the main road from Vimperk to Strakonice lies the village of Bohumilice, where a small local castle offers the possibility to stable horses, take rides, or spend an unusual “horse” vacation. Children sign up to the camp every year to learn riding skills and how to care for a horse.
The main attraction, however, is the castle itself, which now belongs to the Hiršl family. The names of the castle’s previous generations of owners are well-known in Czech history. Ferdinand Holoubek, who owned the Saponia Soap and Candle Company in Prague, bought the local mansion in 1923, and his family stayed here after the end of the war until 1950.
Today’s owner is Ms. Zdenka Hiršlová, the granddaughter of Ferdinand Holoubek. She first arrived here with her parents as a one-year old girl. Her mother, however, was shot by a “partisan” while riding a truck near Dobříš, so a stranger brought her to Bohumilice.
The castle was built in the middle of the 16th century by the Malovec family and served as a guard fortress at the edge of the Šumava Mountains. The Thun-Hohenstein family lived here for a while, later replaced by the Austrian glass family Lumbe von Mallonitz, who are buried in the local cemetery.
Ms. Zdenka Hiršlová, born Voženílková, had a second enterprising grandfather who was a miller in Předměřice. His “double-zero” flour from Předměřice is still sold today.
The entrepreneurial spirit still runs in the family: after restitution, the Hiršl family tried to gather finances to restore the devastated complex by cultivating and gathering mushrooms and champignons, and the family’s next generation is still successful.
The horses don’t just hang around at the stables; today there are almost fifty of them and they form the heart of the family’s activity. Since the restitution process began in 1996 and the castle was handed over to the descendants of the Holoubek family, the new struggle for the resurrection and restoration of the meadows, pastures, and farm buildings began. The fight isn’t over yet: the castle stands directly on the road that needs a new surface and proper drainage.
Ms. Zdenka Hiršlová and her husband look after the operation of the entire estate, organize weddings in the repaired castle, practice Christmas carols with the local children, and they organize the annual Hubert’s Ride and Advent Children’s Day. The sons, Štěpán and Pavel Hiršl, run the riding hall and accommodations. Everything is watched over by the grandmother’s bust at the entrance to the complex. The small island on the pond by the castle was, on the express wish of the grandmother, planted with a Czech willow.
Near by tips: Bohumilice In addition to the castle and the 13th century memorial church, another important monument in Bohumilice is the “Bohumilice meteorite”. A 57-kilogram chunk of iron – the largest in Central Europe – fell 150 m from the castle and was found by the Malovec family in 1829. A copy of the meteorite can be seen in the castle. The original (or its larger part) is located in the National Museum in Prague, while other parts of it are located in museums around the world.