After the destruction of Na Zahájce park in the South Moravian village of Hrušky by a tornado in June 2021, five teams of 4th-year students in the Biotechnology Studio II, part of Mendel University’s Faculty of Horticulture (ZF MENDELU), collaborated on a project for its restoration. The transformation of the destroyed park is now taking shape with the help of the winning team.
The team from the Biotechnology Studio at ZF MENDELU in Lednice, including Jana Dynková, Maria Kačalová, Johana Kratochvílová, Zuzana Ottová, Kristýna Tesková, and Tereza Vašková, submitted the winning design for the project to revitalize the six-hectare Na Zahájce park. In December, they took part in the planting of a tree within the future new park, and were thus engaged in the entire process, from the creation phase to the achievement of the work.
The new park, as imagined by the students, will feature relaxation areas around a pond, a workout and football field for children, a fire pit, a pear orchid and a forest park. The implementation costs are over CZK 20 million.
“The implementation of the park is already in the final phase,” said Přemysl Krejčiřík from the Institute of Green Biotechnology at ZF MENDELU. “The paths have been completed, furniture and smaller building elements such as a staircase have been installed, and the gazebo and screen around the gas probe are being completed. The planting of trees and shrubs is complete; only the lawns will wait to be planted until next year. The park will be completed in May 2025.”
During planning, the students had to take into account the consequences of tornado damage, which had left the entire area almost completely devoid of trees, as well as general resistance to extreme weather fluctuations.
“This is an absolutely unique situation for students, as we are training them on things related to climate change, which are essentially new challenges in landscape architecture based on the latest findings in working with the so-called blue-green infrastructure, such as water infiltration, water retention on the site, and working with any excess water that falls at one time,” said Krejčiřík.
The Hrušky student project is funded by the State Environmental Fund using money allocated for repairing tornado-related damage. The project is part of a series of student initiatives and studies through which the ZF MENDELU is assisting municipalities affected by the tornado to restore greenery in urban and rural areas.
