Good practice:

Housa’s Mill

Housa’s Mill is a 19th-century steam mill originally built by Karel Housa in close proximity to the historical city centre of Tábor. Tábor itself is an urban protected area and historically important city in the context of the whole county – it was a headquarter of the Hussite movement in the 14th century, a movement that shaped Czech history for many centuries to come. Thus, the whole region is closely linked to Hussite philosophy and military tradition. Housa’s Mill renovation aim was to restore the area of the mill and open it to the public. Instead of creating another museum, it was decided to create an attractive, playful but also educational space where all age groups can enjoy. Besides the permanent services, which include accommodation and restaurant, there are a lot of events dedicated to children or school groups, edutaining them on the regional history through many gamified experiences (archery, axe throwing, solving the quizzes, creation and trying out historical personal armour, catapult shooting, medieval music workshops, craftsmanship demonstrations etc.). The premises can be also rented for conferences, social or commercial events.

The restoration of the heritage site was covered by multiple sources. One of the sources was Regional Operational Programme Southwest 2007-2015. The eligible costs amounted to over 230 000 €.

Since the finishing of the construction works in 2012 the site management continues to adopt more topics for events, hosts more commercial events and introduces new activities. All these services are quite popular and exploited by both the local population and organizations from further out. School groups are also increasingly popular, mixing education on local history and gamification elements.

Main challenges:
- getting financial background
- setting up a suitable management body
- accessibility of the site (cars, barrier-free access)

The practice is easily transferable to any similar location. While it represents a relatively traditional approach, it serves well both the local community and visitors and led to the preservation of another bit of local cultural and industrial heritage.