Aleš a Irena Kubicovi
Kamenná Horka 15, Krásná Lípa
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Skřivánčího pole – Lark field

SCULPTURE, which I write for Bohemian Cottage, has another, this time holiday, continuation. If you have a taste, catch in it. I don’t know, if anyone is aware, what the establishment of Czechoslovakia meant in the Sudetenland. Happy for the Czech minority, for the German majority afraid of it, what will be. And yet life went on, the fields continued to work, beer was still on, the estates continued to growl after the sessions. Maybe even in a settlement, of which almost no traces remain today. And so I thought, that I dedicate the second Scapular to the Czechoslovak place on the anniversary of the birth of the Republic, which is almost within sight of Bohemian Cottage, anyway, for comfortable milking. Skrivánčí Field and alley, which leads there.

Behind the former Krásnolipsk hospital, at the top of the sloping street leading from the square, the most beautiful and also the longest avenue in the entire Czech Netherlands begins.
In this photo from 30. years it is easy to see the alley in the time of his childhood – follow the track – church, HOSPITAL, and then a long double row of young maples, ash trees, beeches and lindens – and I may have omitted some tree species. Vlčí hora dominates the horizon, gnawed away by mining after the devastating calamity of the bekyn nun in the mid-1920s.
Today’s, far more symmetrical, in turn, the silhouette is gnawed away by significantly more sophisticated mining machines after the bark beetle calamity – from afar, but so far, fortunately, not so visible.
This avenue was planted sometime at the turn of the twenties and thirties of the last century, however, quite possibly she was much older just by rejuvenating the alley, planted sometime during the Baroque period. Little is known, that alleys are one of the countless benefits of the Baroque as a new outlook on life, faith, art and architecture.
Just two baroque crosses turn this speculation into a probable assumption, which we meet in the alley. Of the first, only a stone plinth and a piece of wrought iron remained – quite possibly a hook for hanging a lantern. I dare to assume, that he could be, at least initially, forged cross.
It is dated year 1777, I read the donor’s initials as Z.F. I couldn’t find more, but I asked the most professional. If I hear as much from them as possible, I will complete.
Maybe you’re already a little impatient for the claim to be substantiated, that it is the longest avenue in the Czech Netherlands. It is over two kilometers long. She used to – and still is today – connecting Krásná Lípa and Staré Křečany, formerly Schönlinde and Alt Ehrenberg.
She is beautiful, it is picturesque, she is comforting. Go down the alley, it always means going to some goal and doing so under the supervision of dignified guards, who for the most part hum quietly and indulgently look down on human toils and toils.
But there are days, when the wind rages. The peaceful trees turn into a row of wild men waving their arms frantically, and then, man, beware of going this way. The trees throw their branches furiously and some even break at the waist. Leaves fill the air and grass crawls on the ground in terror. And yet it is beautiful.
You probably already thought of it, why am I bringing you here ausgerechten in autumn, at the end of October. There is no better time to walk the alleys. Trees, in uniform all year round – either grey-brown bony or all shades of green, they show their individuality and everyone wears a different colored dress and brilliantly turn off their slowly fading crowns. There is nothing more beautiful, than the alley in October.
We crossed the railway and we reach a place between the open meadows, which he still has today, however orphaned, a special and very strong atmosphere. People left there, genius loci remained.
And God, slightly hidden in linden leaves, curiously examines every visitor, to consider him and follow him lightly.
We are at a crossroads, which used to be the heart of the Neu Lerchenfeld settlement, later New Lerchenfeld, even later Skrivánčí Pole.
Long before that, than someone on the meadows here sometime in the middle 19. century he built the first house, already at the end of the Baroque period, a certain Wünsche had a cross erected at the crossroads from Zahrady to Rumburk and from Staré Křečany to Krásná Lípa. And it wasn’t a poor cross, was forged, equipped with tin silhouettes of figures – on top of the cross, God the Father with a dove, i.e. by the Holy Spirit and then the weeping Virgin Mary under Christ, the collapsed Mary Magdalene and the crushed John, a cross with a granite plinth and parapet, which even in ancient times was closed from the front by a forged gate
What specific motive J.F. Wünsche led to the construction of the cross, we don’t know. Not even the inscription will help – “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”, oh jesus, dearest friend, for mortal pain, you meant so well to us…”. When the Neu Lerchenfeld settlement grew up around the cross, left innkeeper Josef Liebsch in 1897 restore the cross.
After the establishment of the republic, there were thirteen houses in Neu Lerchenfeld, to which one more was added in the 1930s. Before the war, around sixty-five people lived here. There were two pubs (in the photo is the one at the crossroads), horticulture. Furthermore, people made a living here as farmers and craftsmen – Wenzel Kraus was a cobbler here, a few others produced spatteries, these were useful and ornamental things made of wood and bast, or also mats, handbags, wooden wire baskets or hats, which were woven from strips of shavings. Still others went to work in the surroundings – to textile factories in Krásné Lípa and Krásné Buk, to Rumbur weaving mills.

This house also stood at a crossroads, opposite the aforementioned pub, next to it used to be Richard Lorenz’s comfort garden, the innkeeper’s husband opposite. However, we found ourselves here in winter, when young Friese Reinhold took out his skis and his dad went outside the house to check, what a slide my son has.
It is still called “Na Skrivánka” and people like to go here. But few realize it, that just from the number of houses (14) It is clear, that it wasn’t just a matter of the crowding of buildings around the crossroads – the houses continued on both sides of the road to Dymník and to Rumburk. Today there is a meadow, on which (at least on the surface) not a single trace of the settlement remained. There was also a second pub somewhere here, At the Güllichs. Time can be reversed? On purpose – let’s try it… Let’s imagine, that the year is written 1921. Let’s take the handle and enter
It got late. Widow Güllich took off her rubber boots and slipped into her shoes. Cattle were procured, now the guests needed to be served. Animals first, people then, so her father and husband hammered it into her head. She has been on her own for quite a few years now – on the largest plot of land in Lerchenfeld and the pub. So who is thirsty today… Rössler and Birnbaum are already sitting at the table in the corner, Kraus, the cobbler, waves at her from the window and sits by the stove – “Well, it’s possible, this this?“ – widow Güllichová calls herself – accountant Hikisch? That one, what a long year, he went exclusively to the other pub, at the crossroads, to the cross, to the premises run by Marie Lorenzová, in the year, wife of Richard Lorenz, which has a big horticultural shop right across the street… “They must have caught up with Pietschmann, that would be similar to them. So now he’s sulking and suddenly he likes my beer…” The landlady put on the friendliest smile, which she could make out on her tired face. “As, Franz? How’s it going in the loom?? You haven’t been here for a long time…” Franz Hikisch raises his head. “Thank you for asking, Triple. Get me a beer and something to eat, be so kind. Which one do you actually have – from Liechtenstein from Rumburk?”…”I’ve always been from Krásnolipský. If you were here more often, so would you, Franz, he knew.
Time has reared up again like an exuberant horse and is running towards, which he is used to. The pub is gone and all the regulars with it. The deserted landscape is serenely beautiful
Empty of people? But where. People still love this place. They just don’t live here anymore. They cross him. They warm up. They let their astonished eyes float over him. And then they go. And all that remains is the dragon moon above Jedlova, but even that wind will soon take it elsewhere.
There will be silence. And the sun, which slowly turns into a milky opal, which no longer has the power to heat. But we have already come back a long way through the alleys, towards Krásná Lípa. For you to understand, Neu Lerchenfeld extended beyond the level crossing. By the way, the tracks from Krásná Lípa to Zahrad and Panského were already laid here in the year 1902. Here was the so-called Hill’s forest.
In Hill’s Grove, more precisely in Hillewäldchen, in the only part of Skrivánčí field, where an electric current was introduced, there used to be a fire festival every summer. Firefighters from Alt Ehrenberg (today Staré Křečany) they built a sitting area here, there used to be sheds with refreshments, chair, tables and above all – the dance floor, because dancing used to be the main content of this popular and well-attended event. It was celebrated two weekends in a row, on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. For firefighters from the wider area, it used to be a matter of guild honor, so to speak, to participate in this traditional event
Another celebration was held at the end of the summer – at the very opposite end of Skrivánčí Pole, near the pond, closer to Alt Ehrenberg, in place, where it was called Heiers Lade, which sounds a bit mysterious, but i think, that it was some Heier lada, because German and Czech have always grown here a little bit.
This time, the old Greek tourers were behind the merenda, that is, members of the gymnasium, who, like firefighters, built a dance floor, stalls, music pavilion, and for three days and three evenings – by the light of lanterns and gas lamps – there was dancing, sang – and most likely also practiced. There were swings and other games for the children, and on the last evening fireworks lit up the sky over Skrivánčí Pole
This place also has a raw charm, so typical of the Czech Netherlands.
It’s almost time, go back. From Lerchenfeld pond… 
…which hides the memory of the place in its shallow water and if you find fairies there before midnight, maybe something from her will make you dance.
Alleys used to be paths to God in the Baroque era. Today, they are unfortunately just connecting point A and point B. Nedopusťme, to make it so. The path is always a mystery.
And it tends to be more substantial, than the target. Our ancestors knew this well, as they entered the labyrinths or walked the alleys – the goal of the journey can be hidden at any point of the journey. Just the same, as it is in life.
Go down the alley, it’s like entering a dream. But who doesn’t want to go back and abandon the dream, can make a wonderful circuit out of the Skrivánčí Alley pilgrimage. More from Krásná Lípa, can be given “On Skrivánek” to the right and through Dymník with the lookout tower, follow the blue line back to Šénlinda, or, on the contrary, turn left and through Zahrady and Vlčí Hora – and Vlčí horu, meant the hill with another lookout, to return via Sněžná to Lípa along the Kögler nature trail. Bang like bang – it’s always about twelve kilometers. And indescribable beauty. Such a nice walk – and see you next time at the Skapulíre.
Yoursafter leaving the green mark by a newly planted alley. 

Published on: 11.1.2024  -  Filed under: Blog  -  Tagged: , ,