Deer Park Žehušice
Encyclopedia
Deer Park Žehušice is a natural reserve located close to village Žehušice
, Czech Republic
.
In 1826, Count Matthias Thun-Hohenstein
decided to drain fishpond Kravinec located behind Žehušice Castle and to build a fence around the area. A park consisting of meadows and groves, covering about 2.5 km², was created. Four years later, Matthias obtained several white deer from Count Kinsky
from Chlumec nad Cidlinou
. The origin of the deer is disputed. The species were likely either from India
or from Persia. This kind of
breed was often short-lived, the herds held at the same time by Counts Kinsky, Czernin and Schwarzenberg
were on the verge of extinction quite soon. However, in Žehušice are the white deer bred till the present.
The owners failed to obtain new white deer to introduce fresh blood into the Žehušice line. Therefore a [red deer] from a nearby park was selected and let in the reserve. This method of renewing the blood line worked, however the result of mixing gene
s for colour remained quite unpredictable. As expected, some of the fawns were rust-colored. However, even a pair of rust-colored deer sometimes gave birth to a white fawn. Currently there are approximately 130 animals, including those with standard and transient colouring. The natural reserve is accessible to visitors once per day, at 10 a.m. when the deer are fed.
The deer park is located about 15 km to the east of Kutná Hora
. In 1990, a TV series The Territory of White Deer
was filmed there.
Žehušice
Žehušice is a market town in the Czech Republic....
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
In 1826, Count Matthias Thun-Hohenstein
Thun-Hohenstein
Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, is a family which belonged to the historical Bohemian and Austrian nobility. One branch of the family has dwelled at Děčín , Bohemia, for more than 200 years....
decided to drain fishpond Kravinec located behind Žehušice Castle and to build a fence around the area. A park consisting of meadows and groves, covering about 2.5 km², was created. Four years later, Matthias obtained several white deer from Count Kinsky
Kinsky
The Kinsky family of the Counts and later Princes was one of the oldest and most illustrious families originating from Bohemia...
from Chlumec nad Cidlinou
Chlumec nad Cidlinou
Chlumec nad Cidlinou is a city of the Czech Republic in Bohemia, Hradec Králové Region.It is situated near Hradec Králové at the confluence of the rivers Cidlina and Bystřice. The town lies at an average height of 206 metres above sea level...
. The origin of the deer is disputed. The species were likely either from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
or from Persia. This kind of
breed was often short-lived, the herds held at the same time by Counts Kinsky, Czernin and Schwarzenberg
House of Schwarzenberg
-History:The family was first mentioned in 1172. A branch of the Seinsheim family was created when Erkinger I of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian barony of Schwarzenberg, the castle Schwarzenberg and the title Baron of Schwarzenberg, in 1405–21. At this time, they also possessed some fiefdoms in...
were on the verge of extinction quite soon. However, in Žehušice are the white deer bred till the present.
The owners failed to obtain new white deer to introduce fresh blood into the Žehušice line. Therefore a [red deer] from a nearby park was selected and let in the reserve. This method of renewing the blood line worked, however the result of mixing gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s for colour remained quite unpredictable. As expected, some of the fawns were rust-colored. However, even a pair of rust-colored deer sometimes gave birth to a white fawn. Currently there are approximately 130 animals, including those with standard and transient colouring. The natural reserve is accessible to visitors once per day, at 10 a.m. when the deer are fed.
The deer park is located about 15 km to the east of Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora
Kutná Hora is a city in Bohemia, now the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.-History:The town began in 1142 with the settlement of the first Cistercian Monastery in Bohemia, Kloster Sedlitz, brought from the Imperial immediate Cistercian Waldsassen Abbey...
. In 1990, a TV series The Territory of White Deer
The Territory of White Deer
The Territory of White Deer is a Czech TV series.The story centers around a group of children, led by Leontinka and Olda . Father of Leontinka manages the local Deer Park with an invaluable breed of white deer...
was filmed there.
External links
- Official site Content rather poor