FROM AROUND LUHAČOVICE: Cider and nature walk in the winning ecological village Hostětín

A guided tour or a tour of the passive house, which serves as an educational center and guesthouse, is not possible now, but the Hostětín nature trail leading around it offers enough experiences anyway. You can start right at the beginning with apple juice from the cider house, which is open even during various restrictions. You can then read about the old tree species on the information panels in the orchard. You can also learn about what grows here, what lives on the ground, in the stream or sings in the branches through various interactive toys made from wood or other natural materials. Along the trail, you will find a natural playground, a gazebo, a maze in the green, a pond or wooden sculptures that sometimes serve as benches or resting places. Under the trees you will find remnants of fruit, the taste and especially the smell of which our grandmothers knew, but for us it is rather exotic.

Why is Hostětín spoken of as a kind of rarity among villages? Perhaps because it is an example of a village that has long emphasized sustainable development while trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible. This is not just in theory or future prospects, but in practice and in the long term. It is for this reason that Prince Charles visited the village years ago, which is why it scored among the ten other villages in the competition today.

Hostětín has been successfully running many ecological projects for many years. Among others, environmentally friendly public lighting. Modern shielded lamps with efficient sodium lamps shine only on the sidewalks and paths so as not to create unnecessarily harmful light smog.

The company uses renewable energy sources as much as possible. There are three photovoltaic plants, with most of the solar panels lying, rather inconspicuously, on the roof of the cider mill and on a few houses. The village also includes a municipal wood-chip heating plant, so some residents have eliminated the hassle of coal and, as a bonus, enjoy clean, smoke-free air.

The wastewater treatment is again taken care of by a low-cost but efficient root treatment plant, the first of its kind in East Moravia.

The residential part of Hostětín is surrounded by organic orchards. In addition to the cider house, their fruit is processed using traditional technology in a renovated ancient fruit drying plant.

Come and see and be inspired.

Categories: What to do in Luhačovice, Ecology, Luhačovice, Photo gallery, Tourism, Hostetín