How old is the New Pond?

The right to fish

Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice is said to have established ponds in Příbram as well as on his other estates. The inhabitants of the town used them free of charge. When after the Hussite wars Příbram fell to the Czech king, who pledged it to various noblemen, the ponds on the Příbramský brook - Hořejší Obora and Podměstský rybník (today Dolejší Obora) - also became part of the pledge. Water from the Kaňka pond and the now extinct Štičí pond also flowed into the Příbramský Brook. The size of the pond was determined by the amount of fish that were put into it: in 1570 the first two ponds had a capacity of 20 kop of fish, Kaňka had a capacity of 4 kop of fish and Štičí had a capacity of 8 kop of fish. It was assumed that one pile (60 fish) of fish stock would produce one jerry of market-sized fish, i.e. 56-64 fish, in two years.

When Emperor Rudolf II elevated Příbram to a royal upper town by his privilege of 1579, he allowed the townspeople of Příbram to fish in the waters flowing on the municipal land. However, he kept the above-mentioned four ponds in his possession and the royal town of Příbram bought them from him after long negotiations only in 1586.

Apparently out of necessity to ensure a sufficient supply of their own fish, which was a regular part of their diet in times of bad rule of the pledge holders, the Příbram inhabitants built a municipal pond in the wetlands on the Příbramský brook below the Myšlodrazí hill (today Padák). It was called simply Nový and is documented in written sources in 1578. In the following two centuries, if the pond needed to be repaired, people who were guilty of some wrongdoing often worked on this municipal work (today we call it community service) as a punishment. In the second half of the 18th century, it was also women who had committed a 'carnal act' outside marriage.

Fial's pond caused problems with water inflow

The road to Milín led above the pond, and above it there used to be a well in which the well or ras disposed of carrion. Below the dam of the New Pond there was a mill for grinding malts on the Příbram stream since the middle of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 18th century, it became a large farm with a powder mill, sawmill and fleece mill, which needed a large amount of water to power the water wheels. In the spring of 1713, however, the village of Příbram began to build another pond above the New Pond to serve farm purposes.

When the miller Žlutice soon built a mill below this pond and the pond, now called Fialův Pond, was named after him, the years of problems with insufficient water flow into the New Pond began. In 1725, a settlement was reached between the owner of Flusarna and the municipality of Příbram regarding the water intake from the municipal New Pond. In May 1781, the owners of the farm, then called Flusárna or Emauzy, agreed with the municipality to rebuild the dam of the New Pond, which could accommodate 12 piles of fish. They were still allowed to run flumes from the New Pond and store the water in their reservoir.

Sometime during the 19th century, the New Pond became part of the Flusarna. The large farm was owned by Emilie Nebeska from 1890. After the communist takeover in February 1948, the farm was nationalized by Julia Nebeska, who had been running a swimming pool and bathing area on Nový rybník for several years.

New swimming pool

With the post-war development of the Jáchymov mines (hereafter JD, since 1966 Uran's mines), which offered their employees generous salary and social conditions, the number of inhabitants of the town for whom new apartments had to be built grew rapidly. In addition to other apartment buildings, a housing estate in the style of Soviet housing architecture (the so-called SORELA) was built between Příbram and Březové Hory from the beginning of the 1950s.

In addition to the construction of a new community centre in 1959, it was necessary to take care of the sporting activities of the people, who at that time mostly did not have cars, cottages and chalets. Due to the six-day working week, they needed recreation close to their homes. Therefore, the ideal place was the New Pond, set in a beautiful landscape and accessible from all parts of the city on foot.

In 1959, JD undertook to quickly build a new swimming pool at Nový rybník at a cost of about CZK 4 million. The dike had to be reinforced with a massive load of soil from the excavations on the estate. Extensive landscaping had to be carried out around the pond because it was necessary to raise the water level, which was about to spill over the surrounding meadows. Modern cabins, a playground for various sports, common rooms, showers, and roads were to be built. As was usual under socialism, the construction dragged on due to "inter-company long negotiations", according to the town chronicle.

In 1962, the construction of the complex was taken into the hands of the town's National Committee, which decided to complete it with the help of local factories and citizens as part of Action "Z", when people worked in their spare time and for free. The meeting was attended by representatives of the district and town committees of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, the town national committee, the trade union council, the Mining Workers' Union, the JD Bytíz and 9th May plant, the JD construction plants and other parts of the town, as well as by representatives of the physical education and the National Front, which brought together the social organisations allowed at that time. They agreed that one shift would be worked at each plant for the benefit of the construction of the complex. The trade unions also contributed to the construction, but again the construction could not be completed on schedule.

Action Z

In 1963, more than 200 citizens worked on the New Pond as part of Action "Z", and people were encouraged to further help in its completion at meetings, by local radio and in cinemas. Several inmates were also sent by the Correctional Administration to work on the dam. Rudné doly n. p., which built its swimming pool at Pecovák, supplied 300 m3 of gravel for the paths to the sandy beach. In October 1963, the Municipal Council concluded a contract with the JD for the use of the swimming pool, according to which 40 percent of its capacity was reserved for the mines. An entrance fee was charged.

Filling of the swimming pool began on 8 June 1964. Fish were to be kept for sport fishing and in winter there was an ice rink. Kiosks were set up in the area, and young trees were brought in from the forests for the surrounding recreation areas. In 1966, slides, benches, umbrellas, wooden deck chairs, lighting, a fountain with drinking water, boat rentals and, for example, a dance floor were installed at the swimming pool. Finishing works in the area, including the campsite, extended until 1968. From the beginning, however, the swimming pool facilities were a frequent target for vandals.

Since the mid-1960s, cultural and sporting events such as a go-kart race, a motorcycle race, a cross-country race, a celebration of International Children's Day and a pioneer festival have been held at Novák. These were later joined by the spectacular celebrations of Miners' Day on 9 September and the Summer Peace Festival. However, the latter was held on a different date each year depending on which Sunday the Coronation Sunday fell on. It was necessary to lure visitors not only to the performances of Prague artists, but also to the sale of scarce goods in order to keep people from going to Svatá Hora.

In 1976, the construction of a "summer cultural facility" began to be prepared. In 1985, the Miners' Day with a show and a miners' market was no longer held at Nový rybník because the event had been a loss-making one for several years. At the same time, bathing was repeatedly banned for health and hygiene reasons and the area fell into disrepair.

Nowadays, the New Pond area has been restored and is well visited again.

■ Věra Smolová