Cameras will love the Wesselsky water mill – not just for its diverse and photogenic exteriors, but also for its charming period interiors. “We welcome filmmakers here. They’ll find absolute authenticity here. It’s a living technical monument,” says Jaroslav Král, the mill’s owner.
Photo: Moravskoslezská filmová kancelář
The Wesselsky mill is situated on the right bank of the Oder River in the village of Loučky in the Nový Jičín district, halfway between Ostrava (50 km) and Olomouc (70 km). The central focus of the complex is a large building with a functional mill, but there are eight buildings all together: in addition to the mill, there are also barns, stables, and a cottage. The mill building also has a full cellar.
Ten years ago, the owners installed a new functional mill wheel with a diameter of 3.6 meters and renovated the drive transmission for agricultural machinery on the farm. “The mill equipment has been completely renovated. The appearance and function of the interiors have been adapted and refurbished to reflect the 1920s, but with minor modifications, they can become nearly any historical period,” says Král.
The first reference to the mill dates back to the late 16th century. The Wesselsky family, after which it is named, purchased it in 1762. The mill remained their property until 1946, when they were expelled from Czechoslovakia. The mill was then taken over by a relative of the Wesselskys – Hubert Pazdera – and according to him, it is also often called the Pazdera mill.
After World War 2, milling here ceased, but the mill still produced electricity until 1947, and from 1959 it was used by the local collective farm. It has been in possession of the current owners – Hubert Pazdera’s daughter and her family – since 1983, and in 1999 it was declared a cultural monument.
“The Wesselsky water mill has a soul and there is a great sense of humanity and peace here. At every step, it is clear that the Králs love this place and put their hearts into caring for it. I believe its authenticity is worth capturing on camera – viewers today love to see genuine locations,” says Hana Vítková of North Moravia and Silesia Film Office, to which filmmakers can turn for information on shooting in the region.
In addition to tours, the friendly owners also offer accommodation. “Right within the complex we can sleep up to 12 people, plus there’s a suite on the veranda for actors who want to soak up as much of the genius loci of the mill as possible,” says Král.
“Larger crews can be housed eight kilometers away at the Hei Park Hotel in Tošovice or the Švamlův Mill pension about five kilometers away. Up to ten cars and a bus can park on the adjacent land. Heavy equipment can be brought into the building easily, and there is extensive lockable storage space within the mill,” says Vítková.
Contacts:
Wesselsky Water Mill, Věra and Jaroslav Král, +420 723 588 994, +420 602 739 508, info@vodnimlyn.cz
North Moravia and Silesia Film Office, Hana Vítková, +420 734 766 746, film@mstourism.cz
