Stone Carving Tradition in Slatina
Working with stone and its use for human needs over the course of time became an important element of human culture. With stone and its processing we have knowledge about how people lived. Hundreds years old building sites, wayside crosses, crucifixes, fountains and many other links to the "stone heritage."
Stone carving in the Blatná uplands has tradition for long centuries. Already a medieval building works of Johanites from Strakonice and Cistercians from Nepomuk benefited from the quality of local granite. Tradition was followed by many other stone masters. From the year 1551 we have report on Master Odrovi, stonecutter from Blatná, 1665 is recalled stonecutter foreman from Lnáře, Johannes Donat, who worked mainly in the construction of the local monastery, and master Dominic Fontana, who worked at the fortress in Bezděkov in 1681. Many buildings in the surrounding area were created by hands of other fine stone masters: Simon Posser (1685). Kašpar Veselý (1689) and especially Mark Lanckna from Salzburg (1689). Stonemason Joseph Kubat from from Kadov, commemorated in 1737, carried rebuilding of the church iin Kadov. The baroque buildings were given character by John Kelber (1788) from Lnáře. Known were the families of Berka, Krejčí and Fiala.
In the 18th and 19th century in the band from Kadov over the Slatina to Defurovy Lažany and Maňovice there were opened dozens of small mines for occasional granite mining. Let us mention the stone quarry in Slatina, which at the time of construction of c. a k. railroad tracks mined rock by the group of Italian stonemasons led by master Vinci Gritti. Later, brothers Matthew and Thomas Vančura who processed stone for the buildings in Pešť (now Budapešť), and recently, Vaclav Pešule. After the property nationalization, the stone quarry in Slatina belonged to Průmysl kamene Příbram. Now is owned by the Austrian businessman.
After the construction of railroad through Blatná in 1899 there were opened a large possibilities for selling of stone products. There was establised a number of stone companies, including the company of Jan Baron from Kadov. In order to increase sales there was founded a masons co-op in 1921 which was named "Jihočeský kamenický průmysl". This co-op finished its activities in 1927. While the stone quarry is already ten years in continuous operation and expanding its activities, the quarry in Kadov no longer exists.
Today, the extraction and processing of granite is connected with using of latest technologies. All the work in the past was carried out mostly by hand. However, skilled stone masons were able to produce a large range of products. They made cobbles, curbs, bollards, milestones, steps, sills, entrance and window frames (jambs), ledges, bridge blocks, monuments, columns, gutters, water towers and other products. These were products that were actually the work of art of each stonemason. The most known mason families in Slatina were Valach, Klepsa, Zoubek and others.
Even today, stonemasons in Slatina are building on the excellent skills of their predecessors. Outside the wide range of products they can also create works of art. Let us mention at least Voskovec and Werich memorial at the Olšany cemetery, steps from the Charles Bridge to Kampa in Prague, Bishop memorial in Košice, various commemorative plaques and other products.
