Jakub Krčín

A devilish pisciculturist and landscape expert who was ahead of his time

´Even the worst soil can be changed to gold by a pond.´ This principle helped Jakub Krčín to build a large pond work during his life. The size of his ´engineer network´ (as we would call it these days) was not understandable to ordinary people so much that they blamed him for friendship with devil. Being outstanding makes people jealous…

Jakub Krčín was born in Kolín – or in Polepy, we do not know exactly. He attended the Old Parish School. After the study at Prague University (nowadays Charles University), he entered the service of Vilém from Rožmberk, a powerful nobleman. During twenty years Jakub built more than 40 reservoirs for him: the best-known are ponds Svět (1571) and Rožmberk. Because of the first of them Jakub had a half of the town of Třeboň destroyed!

For his good and loyal service, Vilém from Rožmberk appointed him a regent (keeper of all his estate). Krčín then wrote his autobiography in verses and even before his death he had the gravestone with inscription prepared in the church in Obděnice. The year of death is missing on the gravestone and the tomb is empty. As well as we do not know where Jakub Krčín was born, we do not know where he is buried.