Tradice Dřevařství: Oslavy, Festivaly a Tajemství Lesů a Dřevorubců

May: Open Forests Day and the Start of the Season on the Schwarzenberg Canal

We will kick off an exciting event on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Jelení Vrchy in Šumava, marking the 29th modern-day opening of the navigation season on the Schwarzenberg Canal. This canal, an ingenious creation by engineer Josef Rosenauer, has been used since the late 18th century to float timber from the Šumava forests all the way to Vienna. Besides timber floating demonstrations, the event will feature folk music, dancing, the initiation of apprentice loggers, and activities for children related to the forest and timber floating. While you’re in the area, we also recommend visiting the educational Bear Trail, which features a memorial for the last bear.

On Saturday, May 23, 2026, a number of locations across the country will celebrate Open Forests Day. The primary goal of this event, organized by the Association of Owners of Municipal, Private, and Church Forests in the Czech Republic and its members, is to raise awareness about forest owners and their approach to forest care. Visitors at various spots around the country can look forward to guided forest walks, demonstrations of forestry work, reforestation, forest education, and many places will also offer refreshment, children’s competitions, and additional activities.

A significant event, or more accurately, two events in one, will take place over the weekend of May 23 – 24, 2026 in Jihlava. Top lumberjacks will converge in Jihlava for the European Championship in Lumberjack Competitions Eurojack, while you can also enjoy the special beers featured at the Jihlava Beer Festival. Don’t miss out on the Eurojack and Jihlava Beer Festival.

June: Month of Woodcarving Symposiums

The most prominent public event hosted by the Military Forests and Estates of the Czech Republic is the Forest Day in Ralsko. Here, you can see lumberjacks showcasing their skills with saws and axes during the national lumberjack championship. The date for this event in 2026 has yet to be announced.

In June, there will also be a woodcarving symposium in the spa park in Luhačovice, where you can attend live demonstrations by master woodcarvers. The woodcarving symposium at Dlask Farm will also occur in June, but the exact date has not been confirmed. Dlask Farm, located near Turnov, is a classic example of 18th-century folk architecture from the Turnov region. Its unique atmosphere is perfect for woodcarving, and the Czech Paradise Museum, to which the farm belongs, provides insights into this living craft with its deep-rooted tradition. You can watch woodcarvers at work, expertly using saws, chisels, drills, and hammers.

July: Hornacké Celebrations, Rural Holašovice, and Veselokopecký Market

July will feature three delightful events celebrating old crafts, markets, folk traditions, dances, and music. From July 16 to 19, 2026, the Great near Velička will come alive with the traditional Hornacké Celebrations. Thousands of visitors flock each year for a rich folklore program, local delicacies, and handicraft markets.

Another notable event will be the Veselokopecký Market on Saturday, July 18, 2026. Several dozen carefully selected folk artisans from all over the Czech Republic, including those honored with the title of Bearer of Tradition of the Czech Republic or Bearer of Tradition of the Pardubice Region, will be at the market. You can witness the creation of beautiful handcrafted products in the charming environment of the open-air museum on Veselý Kopec, which will transport you back to times long past. You can also test your skills in artistic workshops, with all items available for purchase, along with delicious treats to sample.

In Southern Bohemia, at Holašovice, a village heritage reserve listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Selské Celebrations will occur from July 24 to 26, 2026. At the traditional crafts market, you’ll see showcasing by woodcarvers, knife makers, coiners, wire workers, blacksmiths, and potters. Folk entertainment will also be present, and children can enjoy rides on a wooden carousel that is hand-powered.

August: Craft Days in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and Volarské Wood Festival

The first weekend in August will spotlight traditional crafts at the Valašské Museum. The Craft Days and Blacksmith Meeting in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm will enliven the Wooden Town on August 1 and 2, 2026. Museum staff and other craftsmen will display old professions dealing with timber processing and construction materials, such as making split fences, wooden ladders, spoked wheels, handles for tools, wooden barrels, windows and doors, masonry work, basket weaving, tin work, barrel making, and handmade bricks among others.

You can admire the skills of woodcarvers from August 10 to 15, 2026 during the Dačická Carving event, where woodcarvers create pieces based on open themes, with blacksmithing workshops, ceramic crafting, a woodcarving show, and live concerts in the evening.

One major celebration for wood enthusiasts is the Volarské Wood Festival. This event over the weekend of August 22 to 23, 2026 will be filled with the aroma of wood, traditional crafts, a folk market, a rich cultural program, a friendly atmosphere, and delicious food and drinks. Every year, the event attempts to achieve a world record for the most participants in a clogs march, and there’s also a popular competition for the traveling clog. Participants from near and far are reminded of the city’s long history connected to woodworking.

September: Forest Day in Ostrava and Rafting Day at Ohrada Castle

In September, the largest forestry event in the Moravian-Silesian Region, Wood Festival – Day in the Forest, usually takes place in Bělský Les in Ostrava. This Wood Festival invites the general public, especially the younger generation, to take an interest in forests and nature as an essential part of their environment. It showcases wood in all its forms, presenting information on ecology, nature, and the use of natural resources in human life through demonstrations and fun activities.

Traditionally, in September, the Museum of Forestry, Gamekeeping, and Fishing at Ohrada Castle in Hluboká nad Vltavou invites everyone to the Rafting Day. Come and remember the ancient craft of rafting and the lives of people who dedicated themselves to this way of living.