Annual Report 2005 of the Rozmberk Society

Introduction

The Rozmberk Society was established in April 1998 as a public benefit corporation for heritage conservation combined with regional development. Our main operating area covers most of the Trebon Basin, comprising the mostly flat, rural fishpond region in the eastern part of South Bohemia, Czech Republic. With a surface of about 1,100 square kilometers (430 sq. miles), the region harbors approximately 48,000 inhabitants in 50 villages and small towns.

The Kojakovice Project

In November 2000, The Rockefeller Brother Fund (RBF), USA, provided a three-year grant (totaling 120,000 USD) to the Society as starting fund to develop the Kojakovice Center and to help a sustainable economic redevelopment of this rural region while also helping to preserve its natural and cultural heritage. Public involvement and strengthening the non-profit sector in the region form an important part of the project mission.

The grant enabled the Society to pay for its operating costs and to run activities for which no other funding was available. In addition, part of this grant was used as matching fund or pre-financing for projects co-funded by Czech or European sources. This strategy enabled the Society to more then triple the funds provided by the RBF.

Although the funds are now fully spent, the impact of this grant continues to stimulate our activities and income. Each of the individual projects started under the grant or afterwards contributes to achieving one or more of the objectives of the Kojakovice Project and the mission of the Society.

I. Activities and Projects in 2005

1. Kojakovice Peasant Museum and Information Center

Since 2001, the Society operates a small museum and information center in the former school of the protected village of Kojakovice. The Center was open during weekends from April until October 2005 and full-time from June until 1 October. The Center was also opened on request outside hours to visitor groups, in particular from the Greenways program and special activities.

The exhibition about the history of emigration to the USA continued to be upgraded as part of EU projects on historic migration and joint US – Czech activities concerning historic emigration.

Around 3000 tourists visited the Center and numerous persons from the village and the region returned to check on upgrades and new activities.

2. Nove Hrady Blacksmith Shop and Information Center

Since 2004, the Society and collaborating blacksmith Daniel Cerny are operating this recently restored historic blacksmith workshop. The workshop is located near the gates of the Old Castle and in the past provided services to both the community and the local nobility.

During the summer season, the blacksmith workshop is open top public. On display are also expositions about blacksmith traditions in the region. In addition, part of the premises is used as information center and office for the PHARE RLZ project (see below).

3. Non-profit Organizations on the Way to the European Union.

Non-profit Organizations on the Way to the European Union is the name of a large funding program by the Foundation Open Society Fund Prague (OSF). The project aimed to educate selected NGOs active in Human Resource Development, Rural Development, and the Development in Tourism on the new possibilities for funding from the EU Structural Funds. In addition, the NGOs obtained a grant to design and prepare a project application to be submitted under the new EU Structural and Social Funds Program Czech Republic in 2004 or 2005.

The Society was selected with its project concept "Setting Up a Business Incubator for Traditional Crafts in the Trebonsko and Novohradsko Areas". Staff of the Society participated in workshops on EU funding and proposal design. The actual proposal was refined throughout the project and renamed "Se zručnými řemeslníky do EU" (literally "With skillful artisans into the EU").

Last year the Czech Government decided to offer an additional round of project grants within the EU PHARE program (preparation to EU accession), to compensate for the delayed start of the EU Structural Funds program in the Czech Republic. Our application was adapted to this program. This had two significant advantages. Paramount is that the PHARE 2003 program project provides a full 100% grant against only a maximum of 75% for the EU Structural Funds. As important, the PHARE program pays 90% in advance, with only the final 10% and the VAT having to be pre-financed. In contrast, EU Structural Funds pay afterwards only after approval of project expenditure.

The Society received information that the project was accepted under the PHARE program at the end of 2004. In 2005, the Society completed its activities for the OSF project with the final preparations for the start of the EU project.

Initially, the focus of the proposal With skillful artisans into the EU was on helping young and starting entrepreneurs with establishing new companies in traditional crafts and heritage tourism. A secondary focus was on re-educating unemployed persons or persons in risk of social exclusion to enhance their chances of employment in the sectors of traditional crafts or cultural tourism.

According the program officers, the main focus did not fit well enough within the EU PHARE Human Resource program guidelines. However, the project could be accepted provided the focus of the project would shift largely toward the education of unemployed persons and away from direct help to already active and registered new entrepreneurs. This was agreed upon and the final version was accepted in April, with a slight delay in the start of the project to May 2005.

4. With skillful artisans into the EU

The project started with signing up the collaborating artisans and other project partners and renting additional office space in Nove Hrady and Trebon.

The concept was that artisan workshop places would be made suitable as information and education centers on specific traditional crafts in addition to two general information offices for the project (Trebon and Nove Hrady). During the year, the blacksmith workshops of project partners Daniel Cerny (Nove Hrady) and Jaromir Cizek (Komarice) and the workshop of basket maker Milan Macha were upgraded with additional electronic and communication equipment and furniture.

Staff members and newly hired project workers prepared motivation courses in traditional crafts, guiding, and entrepreneurship, prepared and printed information material about, and made public promotion of the project.

The first set of courses on traditional crafts (two courses in blacksmithing, one each in ceramics, basket making, and so-called home-crafts) took place in the autumn. These courses are aimed at intensive, almost 1-1 training of the target group and have limited places (3-5). All courses were fully occupied. A second round of courses with additional courses for entrepreneurship and tourist guiding is being prepared for early 2006.

In addition, the Society is preparing applications for requalification accreditation with the Ministry of Education. If successful, the partners will continue with requalification courses after the end of the project.

Project activities also included two external studies on the economic potential of the Craft Network in the region and on the history and historic economic importance of crafts in the region respectively.

The study on the Network potential is the most significant for the Society’s future strategy. Different interest groups working in or visiting the workshops and our museum areas were interviewed to get an impression of how these groups see the traditional craft workshops and its current and potential role in the regional economy.

Ø In general, young people from the region visit the workshops only occasionally, out of light curiosity, without considering them as a potential working place for themselves.

Ø In general, tourists from outside the region and from abroad have visited workshops more often and will continue to do so. Their impression is that the region could use more active workshops open for public.

Ø The craft entrepreneurs themselves often work alone or employ family. Employing unknown outsiders is considered a difficult process and the costs of employees high. They are unfamiliar with possible subsidies for employees or find this a difficult process not worth the trouble.

Ø The entrepreneurs would welcome closer cooperation and see an increasing demand for local products. However, most realize that the region can support only a limited amount of artisans and active workshops. The demand for the products from local population is minimal and their spending power low, making the workshops more seasonal and depending on tourists.

Ø A clear danger for the survival of the artisans is that, by themselves, potential clients often do not see the difference between handwork and similar but mass-produced goods that can be bought in larger gifts shops everywhere.

Ø A network with joined marketing strategy including managing incoming tourism would exploit the yet under valuated potential of the traditional craft workshops.

The study on the historic importance of the crafts is still ongoing; parts of it are and will be incorporated in the education material for the crafts- and the guiding courses.

A new Czech website (ruze.ekomuzeum.cz) will provide further details on the project.

5. Ecomuseum Ruze and Greenways “Rozmberk Rural Heritage Trail”

The Society continues to develop the Ecomuseum Ruze concept. An eco-museum is based on the idea of drawing attention to an area, creating a “museum without walls”. Nature, culture, and history are interpreted in situ" through story telling, education trails, monuments, and other symbols. The interaction between nature and people is emphasized and local people should be actively involved. The Society plans to link the different heritage highlights of our region with special Ecomuseum trails within the planned Greenways loop Rozmberk Heritage.

In 2005, the Society again joined with representatives of other Ecomuseums from several countries in Europe to participate in the second pan-European workshop “Long Networks, Ecomuseums in Europe”, again organized and hosted by the Italian Trento province. Different workgroups were established to facilitate different aspects of a European cooperation. The Society is involved in developing plans for a joint marketing strategy through, for example, a European website.

The Society is a certified partner of the Greenways-Zelene stezky program of the Czech Environmental Partnership (Nadace Partnerstvi) and board member of the Civic Association Greenways Prague-Vienna.

The Association submitted an application for EU funding for the entire Greenway and its loops in 2004, which unfortunately was not approved. The Association will re-submit an adapted version and also apply for funding for other joint activities.

6. Ekomuzeum Ruze

This year the Society received a grant of the Province of South Bohemia to prepare information material and organize meetings to propagate the concept of the Ecomuseum Ruze. A new map with cultural and natural highlight of the region was designed in-house. On the map, the role of the craft workshops as cultural heritage and visitor attraction was stressed.

The Society also participated in an Italian-led follow-up workshop concerning European cooperation on ecomuseum development.

7. Migration and Intercultural Relations, Challenges for Schools Today

"Migration and Intercultural Relationships, challenges for schools today" (MIR) is a EU Socrates Comenius III 3-year Thematic Network project started in 2002, (see previous Annual Reports and under www.migrationhistory.com). The main objective of the project is to establish a web-supported framework for effective collaboration between different types of research and education institutions in the fields of Migration (Past and Present) and Intercultural Relations. Within the Czech group, the Society is conducting research on historic migration from our region and creating a digital, web-accessible database about this.

The Society continued with its work on historic migration and participated in the MIR conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As administrator for the Czech group, the Society prepared the final financial accounting for the project, which ended in November 2005.

A follow-up project was accepted, with a stronger focus on contemporary migration and human rights. Although less within the mission of the Society, we will continue to participate in the follow-up. However, coordination and administration of this next project will shift from the Czech English Gymnasium and the Society respectively to the University of South Bohemia. The role of the Society will be providing logistic support and historic background on migration.

8. EMILE: Leaving Europe for America – early EMIgrants LEtter stories.

The period 1840 through 1920 was one of great changes in Europe. One of its results was a large emigration from throughout Europe to the young United States. The first years as immigrants were, for almost everybody, years of severe hardships in many ways.

A source for learning and understanding of the immigrants’ situations is the ”America letters”; letters the immigrants wrote to the people left behind in their old country. These letters are important parts of the common European history. Nowadays the situation is the opposite, when Europe is hosting immigrants from other parts of the world. Giving voice to the experiences of the early European emigrants in America is one way of linking the history and the present and creating understanding for the new immigrants.

The Society is partner in the Swedish-coordinated transnational project EMILE: Leaving Europe for America – early EMIgrants LEtter stories. The 1-year project is funded under the EU Culture 2000 program and started in September 2004. In 2005, the Society continued with collecting letters and building the Czech part of the planned exhibition.

On 22 July, the exhibition “Emigration to America, stories from letters” opened in the former Riding Stables of the Trebon Castle. The opening was lightened up by an ad-hoc music group singing an old Czech pub song about the early emigrants ready to leave. The opening coincided with those of our partners in the other participating countries.

The exhibition remained in the Riding Stables throughout the rest of the year and was incorporated in the standard guided tours through Trebon Castle.

On September 2, a seminar about historic emigration and the results of the Emile project was held in the Czech English Gymnasium in Ceske Budejovice, our main partner on migration projects. Over 50 persons attended, most of them students and teachers from the Gymnasium and the South Bohemian University.

The results of the project can also be seen on the international website of the project under www.emigrantletters.com

9. DEFRA project "Nature and Environmental Education for and by children"

With the support of DEFRA and the British Embassy in Prague, the Society is hosting a local group for out-of school environmental education for and by children.

Throughout the year, weekly meetings with children took place as planned, the children being divided in an age group 5-7, and two groups of elder children.

The groups also went on several nature trips. The trips with the younger children mostly took place in the Trebon region. They focused on telling children about nature in a playful way and within games or simple tasks of observing birds etc.

The elder children were taken on longer hiking trips throughout this region and elsewhere. They also visited the Pavlov Centre for Fauna Protection where they helped clean and repair enclosures and did other small menial tasks.

Other Activities

In the Trebon Protected Landscape Area are several small Nature Reserves dedicated to special habitats for protected animals, in particular amphibians and insects. If left alone, these habitats would slowly disappear because of overgrowing or filling of pools etc. In collaboration with the Trebon Protected Landscape Administration, the children performed several activities to help conserve these habitats:

Ø Restoring a small dune habitat by clearing young trees and vegetation to make the area sandy again

Ø Digging out an overgrown small swamp pool, which is critical habitat for several typical amphibians from this region.

Ø Clearing an overgrown railroad dam from shrubbery to get a more open and low vegetation pattern again.

The ringing activities as part of the larger European ringing project took place as planned. In addition, several new kestrel nest boxes were made and installed, older nesting and feeding boxes repaired. The electronic monitoring of the boxes unfortunately did not happen; we did not obtained the additional funding needed for buying observation equipment.

The entire group also participated in the local activities for Earth Day 2005. These included small exhibitions and games in the park of the Rozmberk Castle in Trebon. In summer, the group was co organizer and made several display plates for an exhibition on protected trees in the Trebon Protected Landscape.

Publications

The groups started to prepare text, drawings, and photographs to be used for the information leaflets and a book on environmental education for and by children. This work included making a website, which has been published as part of the website of the Society. Children also learned how to use a normal and a digital photo camera and develop pictures, choose how to select what to photograph etc. Their pictures are and will be used for the planned booklets and website.

10. Friends of the Rozmberk Society Inc, Iowa, USA: shared Czech – USA heritage and the need to find alternative funding sources.

Like most NGOs the Society is permanently searching for new funding sources. Unfortunately, EU and national funding obtained covers at most all actual project costs but often covers significantly less. For example, most EU funding requires between 10-55% matching funds, funds are paid late, and the final installment often is paid months after project completion. That means that matching funds have to be found and an NGO should be able to pre-finance part of the projects.

The 3-year grant from the American Rockefeller Brother Fund enabled the Society to start its operations and work flexible and respond quickly to changing circumstances, conditions paramount to achieving our current situation. The Society has also other good contacts in North America, in particular with persons from the extensive communities of Americans with Czech ancestry. This already resulted in the Sister City Partnership between Jilovice-Kojakovice and Oxford Junction, Iowa. Since 2002, two projects of the Society and part of its museum activities are focused on migration of Czechs to America.

The Society has decided to intensify the contact with American persons and institutions and bring the cooperation on a more active level. Together with our American friends we established the Friends of the Rozmberk Society Inc, which was incorporated as a charity in the State of Iowa on 28 August 2003 and has its seat in Oxford Junction, Iowa.

The mission of the "Friends of the Rozmberk Society, Inc. " (FORS) is to:

- Support the Czech Rozmberk Society and help realize its mission

- Actively help persevere the Czech heritage in North America

- Facilitate joint US - Czech projects and student exchanges

- Promote a free, democratic, and multi-cultural society.

In 2004, we managed to obtain tax-exempt status for the charity, which makes giving donations more attractive for donors.

As part of these Czech-US activities, the Society particiapted in the bi-annual congress of ABANA (Artesian Blacksmith Association of North America) in Richmond, Kentucky. The ABANA board had invited blacksmith Daniel Cerny to demonstrate during this 3-day event. The Society used this opportunity to send a group of six people including three promising young blacksmith and two lecturors-interpreters to this event. The Czech participation was met with great interest and respect for the work demonstrated.

Afterwards, the group visited Oxford Junction and gave some more demonstrations of their work.

After 14 days, the blacksmiths and interpreters returned to the Czech Republic, while Robert Dulfer and Olga Cerna continued their trip and visited the Czech Heritage Festivals in Wilson, Kansas, and actively participated in the largest festival, that of Wilber, Nebraska.

II Future activities

In the year 2006, the Society will complete the PHARE 2003 RLZ project "With skillful artisans into the EU", which will end in July 2006. This project will be our main regional development activity and an important step forward in developing our Ecomuseum Ruze and its associated Craft Network.

The Society will also be involved in the follow-up MIR-II project under the EU Socrates grogram.

A follow-up for the EMILE project on historic emigration has been filed with the EU. If approved, this project will start in September 2006

The Society has also been involved in preparing an Interreg III CADSES project with the title “Thermal baths and rural tourism for the development of Objective 1 and 2 areas”, to be submitted in 2006. This large European collaboration project would help strengthen the tourist activities in the region as part of our Ecomuseum development activities.

In addition, the Society will continue to develop its Ecomuseum concept and actively try to involve more partners.

III. Financial Year 2005

The full financial report over the year 2006 is available upon request. The audit report is under preparation and should be completed in September 2006.

In 2005, the main income for the Society came from the combined EU-Czech PHARE RLZ program, and from the EU Culture 2000 program in combination with the Czech Ministry of Culture. Additional funding was received from Nadace Open Society Fund Prague, Nadace Partnerstvi (Brno), and the Province of South Bohemia.

Some income was also received from provided services and through voluntary donations in our tow centers in Nove Hrady and Kojakovice respectively.