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Městský úřad Třešť
Revoluční 20
589 14 Třešť

tel: 567 584 920
fax: 567 224 125
www: http://www.trest.cz
e-mail: mesto@trest.cz

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About the city / Christmas cribs

Christmas nativity scenes

Cabinet-makers, carpenters, but even also shoemakers and tailors - shortly people with a graphic talent and handy hands were learning from one another, they imitate each other at the beginning. But they began to single out by individual carving and their own creative ideas. So that experienced Christmas crib maker-connoisseur resognizes as the author of figures.

And so the first Třešť creator Suchý was followed by great numbers of folk wood-carvers, for example distinguished wood-carving Brázda family, František Janák and their followers, as a folk jack-of-all-trades they were Josef Liška, Jan Brožek, František Vrátil and others. We can´t count among the Christmas crib makers creators of herdsman´s huts, sheepfolds, site of ruins, trees and towns.

Adolf Bumkálek´s movable Christmas crib had a special place among the Třešť Nativity scenes. The author not only carved all figures but made its movable mechanism as well. This masterpiece hasn´t been built since his creator´s death /1953/. Visitors can see the remains of this interesting work - the smithy with working blacksmithes - in his grandson´s /Josef Bumbálek/ Nativity scene.

Centrally placed site of a ruin /the place of birth/, town and free scenery with trees, small buildings of peasant farmsteads and chaltes are created according to the Nativity scene maker´s imagination from stumps and moss. The stumps create an impression of bare, split romantic rocks and the moss looks like green meadows and pastures for grazing herds of sheep. The Třešť Christmas cribs are created as a diorama where the scenery goes up gently to the horizon till it merges unnoticely in the painted scenery called "lončoft". Jiří Šiftař and Zdeněk Růžička belong among the most known authors of painted sceneries from the older generation of creators. The area of present Christmas crib ranges from 120 x 150 cm to 600 x 150 cm, the number of figures in the individual Christmas crib is between 50 and 500 and some of the Nativity scenes are up to 7 m high.

When a sensitive and attentive visitor looks at the Christmas crib detaily, he recognizes that they aren´t only the staging of the biblical story, but they are also a scene of life, clothes and wishes of the poor. They are then the reflection of their creators´ opinions and that´s why the culture-historical meaning of Christmas crib is indesputable. And the destiny of Třešť Christmas crib makers?

There were built between 30 and 35 Christmas cribs in Třešť in 60s -70s. In 1988 - 1989 there were built 23 Christmas cribs in Třešť. The number of Christmas cribs started to rise again in 1990, so in the season 1992/93 there were more than 30 Christmas cribs in Třešť citizens´ houses. Some of them weren´t so big, but they all came from Třešť and, what is essential, mostly from the present Třešť authors´ workshop - folk wood-carvers.

The Christmas crib making as a part of folk creativity is in its substance a collective matter and the only guarantee how to survive is in a society of individual creators. Even though each Christmas crib maker and creator of figures and buildings creates on his own, he needs to compare and compete, to improve and learn in a collective cooperation and he can improve his own creation. And in the case of Třešť, it is still represented by a large number of Christmas crib makers and creating authors.

It is arguable that Třešť is a large unique and nation-wide significant locality of Christmas crib making in the Czech Republic. It would be an unforgivable mistake to go unconcernly round and not to make full use of the required information from its rarity. The duty of all of us who are connected with the Christmas crib making should be to support this sector of folk art creation and not to let it die.

And the reality that in Třešť nowadays create 8-10 folk wood-carvers guarentees the vitality of this beautiful and noble tradition. The wood-carvers are of different professions and they are for example Josef Bílý, Jan Bukvaj, Ondřej Rešl, Alois Roháček, Metoděj a Marie Roháček and others. We can say that the tradition of folk Christmas crib making in Třešť has, from the side of Nativity scenes makers, all promises and preconditions to survive the year 2000.

Every year throughout all Christmas time (from 24th December till 2nd February), Nativity scenes created by our local artists is accessible for the general public. Every year the visitors of our town can see up to 20 Nativity scenes. This is possible either at the private houses where the creators live or at the local branch of the Highland Museum in T. G. Masaryk Square. All authors will be happy to welcome each of you. Just use this occasion and come and see over the Třešť Nativity scenes.

A relatively new tradition – woodcarving – has been established in Třešť and it went beyond not only the borders of our town but has spread even outside from the Czech Republic. This informal meeting is held annually and starts at the beginning of July when the woodcarvers both from our republic as well as abroad gather in the Třešť square around the highest sundial and carve wooden figures. This way every year the number of figures (10 – 14 cm high) in the common Nativity scene increases by 20 new ones. Every visitor of the event has the possibility to try woodcarving himself with borrowed tools. The meeting is always followed by a cultural pragramme. The common Nativity scene is displayed at the exposition of The Nativity Scenes Friends Association. It actually means that Třešť Christmas lasts throughout all the year.