The plaque to Jan Chadt Ševětínský (1860–1925) in Zátoň commemorates the work of this significant forester and author of many publications on the history of natural sciences. Chadt Ševětínský is important not only for founding the tradition of mapping trees of historical value, but also for writing the first guide to the forest reserve in Boubín.

After finishing his studyes and passing the lower-level forestry exam, Chadt Ševětínský was employed as an assistant forest officer in the Schwarzenberg estate of Vimperk in the Zátoň (German: Schattawa) forest in 1881. Not long after that, he was transferred to the Lovosice estate, where he worked for eight years. Then he returned to his native Šumava and worked there until 1902, when he moved with his family to the Louny district. From 1920 Jan Chadt Ševětínský lectured as an associate professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague on the history of forestry and game keeping.

Most of Chadt Ševětínský`s scientific works are about forestry and game keeping. Not only did he write a detailed history of these fields, but he also managed to preserve the technical terminology for the future. This intention is reflected for example in his books The History of Forests in Bohemia from 1895 and The History of Hunting and Game Keeping in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia from 1909. Chadt Ševětínský`s commitment to the preservation of giant trees was remarkable. His writing on trees of historical value was published in 1914 under the title Ancient Trees in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. There is one short piece by Chadt Ševětínský from 1883 that is still highly appreciated by the professional and lay public, in which he presents a very interesting popularizing scientific description, which is supplemented with practical information about the possibilities of travelling to the Boubín Forest Reserve or to the top of Boubín. It is called Guide to the Forest (Lucken) and to Boubín from Žatunka (Schattawa), Lenora and Vltavice Horní (Ob.-Moldau) and contains a detailed historical account of some of the villages around the forest reserve (Zátoň, Lenora). In writing this guide, Chadt Ševětínský drew on historical sources, such as the works of Moritz Willkomm, Josef John or Ferdinand von Hochstetter, as well as on his own experience.

From 1923 Chadt Ševětínský lived in Prague-Krč and died there on 15 March 1925. His commemorative plaque is in Zátoň, where Chadt Ševětínský worked as an assistant forest officer at the Schwarzenberg estate. The plaque can be found on the brick fence in front of the entrance to the building of the Zátoň Chateau, today the headquarters of the Forests of the Czech Republic (Boubín Forestry Plant, Zátoň Forestry District). The plaque was installed on the instigation of the Czech Forestry Society in 1995.

Connected places: The origins of the geological mapping of Šumava by Ferdinand von Hochstetter in 1853
Ferdinand von Hochstetter

Commemorative Plaque to Josef John on his House of Birth in Petrův Dvůr
Počátek geologického mapování Šumavy Ferdinandem von Hochstetterem v roce 1853; Johnův kámen; Pamětní deska Josefa Johna na jeho rodném domě v Petrově Dvoře; Hrob Josefa Johna ve Vimperku; Pamětní deska Josefa Johna a vyhlášení Boubínského pralesa v Idině Pile

Keywords: history of natural sciences; forestry; historical guide to Boubín Nature Reserve; trees of historical value; heritage trees; history of forestry and game keeping

Commemorative Plaque to Jan Chadt Ševětínský in Zátoň