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Date:
27 Sept 2025
Blatno: An award-winning municipality where community is not just an empty word
The municipality of Blatno in the Ore Mountains is proof that even a small village can lead a vibrant cultural life if it has enlightened leadership. Success in the Village of the Year competition is no accident – the municipality received the Purple Ribbon for innovation and became the nationwide winner of the "Hope for a Living Countryside" award. Local people are collaboratively restoring the organs, transforming historical buildings into community centres, and creating a place where it is a joy to live. And we are proud to be a part of it.
Blatno is an exemplary example of how good leadership can cultivate public space. The heart of the community is the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, which is owned by the municipality and serves as a vibrant cultural centre.
There are May Music Festivals, exhibitions, and workshops held here. A fixed date in the calendar is also 23 December, when the church is annually filled with the singing of Nina – a tradition without which the locals cannot imagine their pre-Christmas time. The local pride also includes a unique nativity scene with nineteen life-size statues by a local carver.
Save the voice of the church
During our visit, we were thrilled by the story of the rescue of the original organs. The people of Blatná not only tracked them down and purchased them, but are now organising a community fundraiser for their renovation. Each pipe has its own donor – a family that contributed. The Martina Dryk Foundation has decided to support the acceleration of restoration work in the church, so that the organs can resonate as soon as possible.
A new life for Radenov
And we are not just staying with the church. The mayor and the deputy mayor introduced us to an ambitious transformation of the heritage-protected building in Radenov into a community centre. Here, too, our fund will contribute financially so that this space can serve locals and visitors from both sides of the border as soon as possible.