History of Kojakovice
The first reference to the village of Kojakovice is from 1367, and in 1437 the village consisted of 34 houses. In Kojakovice, the ruling Rozmberk and Schwarzenberg families kept the number of active farms at around 30 from the first references to the village until the early 1800s. The number then increased to 56 in 1827 and around 75-80 in 1920-30.
The village plan of Kojakovice from the year 1834. The unique structure with the line of ponds in the middle of the village and the main farms and the roads bordering the village can be clearly seen.
Kojakovice was recognized as Monument Zone in 1977. The monument status of Kojakovice is based upon the unique linear village ground plan, dating back to the 14th century.
From its early development until the communistic period after World War II, the original village layout showed a linear development, with the brook forming the axis of the village. Several small fish ponds were constructed alongside the brook, bordered by wet meadows. The houses were built in two rows on the higher grounds along the long sides of the wet zone. Behind each line of houses was a communal road and the drier fields were on the other side of the road. Originally, the agriculture plots were small and oblong, their axis at a straight angle to the axis of the village. The inhabitants mostly lived from agriculture, although there were some small workshops in the village. During the 20th century the brook was canalized and partly runs through tubes, and a road was constructed through the middle of the village, destroying part of the original appearance. In line with the protected status, the municipality of Jilovice, to which Kojakovice belongs, has restored one of the fish ponds in the middle of the village.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the authorities declared that all villages had to keep a village chronicle. In most cases, that task was left to the teacher. Recording all important events of both the school and the village, this chronicle provides a good insight of the 100 years of village life, with several references to earlier periods. Even in times of oppression, the chronicle was kept secret but entries continued to be made. Unfortunately, with the closing of the school in 1969, the chronicle came in disuse. A copy of the chronicle is kept in the museum.
The picture on the left shows one of the farmhouses in the village. The picture was taken from the middle of the village, across one of the original fish ponds. On the right the small village chapel with a small cottage in the back. These village dwellings form a striking contrast to the roomy and large town houses and the Rozmberk Castle in the nearby town of Trebon.
The first formal school in Kojakovice was established in the 1870s. Around 1913, a new school building was constructed. Originally, there were enough children to fill two large class rooms. After the war, the number of children was too low to fill both rooms and one of the rooms was used for gymnastic and exercise classes. The school in Kojakovice was closed in 1969, and since that time the children of Kojakovice go to the municipal school in Jilovice.
After 30 years of disuse, the Kojakovice school now houses the Peasant and Emigration Museum Kojakovice. The permanent exhibitions about village live and Czech emigration to the USA take up the two main class rooms. One of the offices has a display on traditional crafts from the region and is also used as small education room on crafts. The main office is used as office and gift shop, offering also internet access for visitors. The America room has been designed to hold the permanent exhibition on emigration but can also be quickly changed into a lecture room or host community meetings.
