Mounted on the wall of a small rectory in the centre of Česká Skalice there is a commemorative plaque to František Hurdálek (1790-1847), grower and breeder of dahlias and the founder of the famous Dahlia festivals, which have been held in Česká Skalice intermittently since the middle of the 19th century. Just a few dozen metres from here, there is the famous Dahlia Hall, which was established for the purpose of these festivals and where important figures of the cultural life of the Czech national revival used to meet.

František Hurdálek originally aspired to the life of church dignitary. Due to his poor health, however, he was unable to pursue a priestly vocation and after his ordination he obtained a lowly position as a deficient priest in a small rectory in Česká Skalice, which was intended for clergy who could not fully exercise the profession. Here, not occupied with demanding tasks, he began to garden and grew various flowers in a nearby garden, the most exotic of which was the newly discovered dahlia (Georgina), which had come to Europe from Mexico in 1789. Hurdálek began to cultivate dahlias as ornamental plants and bred them into new varieties. Dahlia, also known in its day as the autumn rose, became very popular also thanks to his efforts and Hurdálek and other growers founded the dahlia society, which a few years later gave rise to the first meetings over new variants and the results of gardening work. The meetings of the association grew larger every year and were attended by growers from the surrounding area, not only gardeners but also important figures of the cultural life of the time. During the meetings of this association, Česká Skalice became the centre of the Czech intelligentsia. Hurdálek and the other members of the association decided to build a large hall in the centre of the town that would correspond with the importance of these meetings and since 1837 the gatherings, now known as Dahlia festivals, have been held in the so-called Dahlia Hall, not far from Hurdálek`s rectory. The first festival held here in September 1837 was also interesting from a historical point of view: a young poet was elected queen of the ball. This was Barbora Panklová, later known as Božena Němcová! On the same day she married Josef Němec here.

Keywords: botany; history of natural sciences; botanics; Dahlia; Dahlia festival; National revival

Commemorative Plaque to František Hurdálek in Česká Skalice