(Not only) "the forest town" of Kersko: the origin and the first two decades of the existence of recreational villa & cottage colonies in the central Elbe River watersheds
Abstract
Starting from 1934, the construction of holiday villas, simple houses and brick-and-mortar and wooden cottages can be documented on the left bank of the Elbe River in the cadastre of Hradištko. Recreational buildings were mainly concentrated in two systems.
The smaller one was built south of the village on agricultural land. The larger system was founded southwest of the village in the Kersko forest by the landowner Baron Josef Hyross.
The smaller system in the southern neighbourhood of the village grew spontaneously, without any apparent plan. In contrast, the Kersko system was founded and systematically developed by Hyross according to a carefully prepared development plan.
Hyross promoted his holiday colony as a spa “forest town”, the main attributes of which were the healing water and healthy forest air. The vast majority of the owners of the villas, simple houses and cottages were residents of Prague.
The thorough development plan and systematic development distinguishes Kersko from all the contemporary, more or less spontaneously developing, recreational colonies in the Prague environs.