Hořejší Obora

Originally, there used to be a marshy floodplain forest here, which the bishops of Prague transformed into a manorial hunting ground in the Middle Ages.

Six centuries ago, Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice had the Příbramský stream dammed and founded the Hořejší Obora pond, which still exists today.

From the outset, the pond was used for fish farming and for soaking the parched wooden wheels of carters’ carts. Swimming in it was forbidden. However, it was also the venue for the first ice hockey matches in Příbram in the winter of 1909, and the local ice hockey club used the ice here until 1951.

On the site where Antonín Dvořák’s bust now stands, there once stood a factory that supplied imperial and royal uniforms throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Dvořák Embankment was created by modifying the old northern embankment in 1928. At the same time, landscaping work was carried out around the entire pond and small lime trees were planted on the crest of the embankment. Some of the trees near Obora, however, are much older.

In 2009, extensive renovation work was carried out on the pond and the paths. A small island was created on the pond’s surface for ducks and swans to nest. A new avenue of cherry trees was planted along Březnická Road, and some of the small lime trees on the dam were replaced with new ones. The entire embankment was converted into a pedestrian zone. Between 2012 and 2013, the greenery in the remaining areas of the park was revitalised. Trees with good growth potential were treated by arborists, dangerous trees were removed and replaced with new trees and shrubs were planted in their place. This resulted, for example, in the creation of hedges separating the park from the road, and the park’s terrace was visually linked to the pond.