National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem

One of the oldest stud farms in the world, which has roots in the 16th century and is associated with the breeding of a unique breed of the Kladruber horse, registered as a National Cultural Monument, is in the grounds of the Kladruby Castle. The entire stud farm was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019.

The foundations of one of the oldest stud farms in the world were laid by Emperor Maximilian II in 1563 and at the same time he also had the first specimens of Old Spanish and Old Italian stallions transported to Bohemia, which were crossed with domestic mares in Kladruby, thus forming the basis of this unique breed. In 1579 Rudolf II declared the stud farm a court stud and since then the horses were bred and raised for ceremonial purposes. Gradually two variants of the Kladruber horse were created - the white and the black. White horses were used for ceremonial carriages at noblemen`s courts, while black ones were used for clergy or mourning occasions. But the history of the stud was not simple. The greatest danger befell it during the Seven Years` War, when in 1757 the entire stud farm burned down and the breeding was moved to Hungary. It was not until Emperor Joseph II rebuilt the stud farm and called the entire herd back. The Kladruber horses then fulfilled their function during the whole duration of the empire until 1918, when the new Czechoslovak Republic decided that it no longer needed such a large stud farm. Horses bred for ceremonial purposes of the nobility were too reminiscent of the old order and their further fate was not considered in the new system. In the end, it was decided that at least the Kladruber white horses would be preserved. The black horses, on the other hand, were relocated and gradually sold off or taken to slaughter. The final destruction of the Kladruber black horse was prevented at the last moment by professor František Bílek, who rescued the last few animals and restored their breeding in Průhonice near Prague. After World War II, the breeding of black Kladruber horses was moved to Slatiňany and Heřmanův Městec. To this day, the Kladruber horses are a unique breed that has no parallel in the world and is of great interest even abroad. The Kladruby Stud Farm organizes tours for the public, harness races, dressage, shows and also loans horses to filmmakers. In 2019, the entire stud farm was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

50 let hřebčína Slatiňany 1945-1995. Kladruby nad Labem 1995.

GREGOR, D., VÍTEK, M.: Národní hřebčín Kladruby nad Labem. Opava 2012

PECHEROVÁ, K.: Liverpoolský triumf Karla knížete. Kladruby nad Labem 2018, s. 168

Historical photo of Kladruby stud farm (Author: Public domain)