Discover Jezvina: Landscape and Village History

Jezvina lies on the Jezvinský potok stream, on the edge of forests and meadows next to Hradce. Today, the village retains its historic character and old Czech atmosphere. If you consider local history as well as the landscape when choosing a destination, Jezvina offers tangible points of interest.

Landscape and the History of the Word

The old Czech word “jezvina” referred to a ravine, a shelter, or prominent rocky outcrops on pastures. Its meaning thus encompasses different types of terrain as well as a place of refuge. This older meaning of the word forms a linguistic layer alongside today’s description of Jezvina by the stream and at the edge of forests and meadows.

Place Names and Early History

The first written mention of Jezvina dates to 1352, when the Rožmberks acquired the so-called “sedlčanské zboží.” Medieval records distinguished between Horní Jezvina and Dolní Jezvina, also called Větší Jezvina and Menší Jezvina. Alongside Jezvina and Jezvino, the settlement also appears as Jezviná in historical Czech writings.

A farmstead in Jezvina was mentioned in 1539 as part of the Křepenice estate. The early dates point to different aspects of the village’s history: the first written mention coincides with the acquisition of “sedlčanské zboží,” while the later mention assigns a farmstead to an estate.

Farming, Livestock, and Obligations

The 1654 Berní rule (tax register) names the farmers Martin Štěpánek and Kříž Pejša. They owned 81 strych of arable land, equivalent to 23 hectares. The conversion makes the scale easier to understand alongside the historical unit of area. The farmers of Jezvina followed a three-field crop rotation and kept cattle, horses, and breeding sows. The 1756 Tereziánský katastr (Theresian Cadastre) records an area of arable land similar to the earlier one.

The farmers were required to work for the manorial estate three days a week with two ox teams. Historically, two-thirds of a kopa of carp also had to be delivered from the village pond in Jezvina. The two obligations were of different kinds: one demanded labor and draft teams, while the other concerned carp from the pond.

A Find from the 19th Century

While digging the foundations for Matěj Švagr’s cottage, house number 1, a cup containing Czech silver groschen was found in 1886. The find links a specific year with a named building project and an address.

Bell History in Nearby Hradce

Nearby Hradce also has its own local history: the bell was solemnly consecrated in 1990 and named Josef. In 1993, manual ringing was replaced with electric ringing. The consecration and the technical change were only three years apart; they mark two different milestones in the bell’s history.

Discover more destinations: Tušovice, Procevily, Rozmital - Skuhrov, Těchařovice, Podlesí, Ostrov, Háje, Višňová.

Go to the overview of the wider area: Okres Příbram.