Fojtství Museum and the Primary School in Kozlovice
If you join us to look into the history of Fojtství, or the
Bailiff’s House, in Kozlovice you will discover not only the world of
Wallachian voivodes – chief factors of farm settlements – who used to live
and hold their office in the house no. 1. The Museum premises comprise also a
“live exhibition” of the Primary school and a minor exhibition on the
history of the picturesque village of Kozlovice near Frýdek-Místek. Recently,
these presentations have also been complemented with a permanent exhibition of
religious artifacts.
Since the building is located in the centre of the village, near all available communication nodes, it can play a significant role in a long-term horizon. In 1785 the first primary school in Kozlovice was established in the premises of the original wooden cottage where three basic subjects were taught: writing, counting and religion. Later the Kozlovice school was relocated to newer premises, and at the original location a brick bailiff’s house was built. However, this building gradually deteriorated. This significant historical object was given a new purpose only after the entrepreneur Ing. Pavel Šmíra decided to save and at least partially restore the prestige it definitely deserves.
Its left wing is occupied mainly by the Primary School Exhibition featuring the headmaster’s office and his private apartment. Nevertheless, this section does not represent a museum in the real sense of the word but some kind of a “live exhibition” which should demonstrate, by means of expertly supervised lessons, the manner in which school lessons were held in the 19th century. The project is sponsored by the Komenský Museum in Přerov.
The rear tract of the building houses an information centre which provides a short presentation on the development of school reports, first paper currency and other historical artifacts, incl. a hand forged bailiff’s chest. Worth mentioning is also the displayed collection of literary works by J. A. Komenský and his follower Karel Amerling dating back to the 18th – 19th century and period instructional aids including especially a grammar book which is believed to have been owned by young Mikoláš Aleš. Its pages reveal that also at that time pupils did not always pay thorough attention to teacher’s lectures and amused themselves by decorating their textbooks with sketches. In this case you can easily recognize classical motifs used by the painter later in his works. Showcases situated in the entrance hall present fields of development of individual text books in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Special attention should be paid to a permanent exhibition intended for the smallest pupils which includes a personal spelling book of the major Czech illustrator Marie Fischerová-Kvěchová as well as her later work that clearly shows the influence of the original illustrations in the spelling book upon her following illustrations. The right tract of the building opens in a stable equipped with artifacts related to the agricultural way of living of our ancestors. The mezzanine houses a minor exhibition capturing the affection of the composer Leoš Janáček for this Wallachian village, its songs and dance traditions. Special attention should be paid to the statue of Madonna of Frýdek. Original decorative Wallachian costume adornments as well as minor objects which our ancestors used in their everyday life are also worth noticing and admiring.
