Water Mill

The first mention of the Žeraviny mill dates back to 1447, associated with Mikuláš of Vojslavic acquiring the Veselí estate. Just a year later, he assigned a dowry of 500 groschen to his wife, Dorota of Jabloná, secured by revenues from the villages of Louka, Zedrané Vrbice (Vrbce), and Žeraviny with its mill. Over time, the property changed hands repeatedly. Many owners engaged in disputes regarding the water flow from the Velička River diverted via a sluice gate through the millrace beneath the Kříž Mill near Lipov. In 1512, Jan of Kunovice brought a legal suit against Jan II of Žerotín (from Strážnice), claiming that Žerotín’s official had torn down a weir above Tasov—a weir whose waters powered three of his mills in Tasov, Hroznová Lhota, and Žeraviny. The ruling nobility decreed that the status quo must be restored, and the weir even expanded to adequately power four mills. For generations to come, the nobility continued to pass down this Žeraviny estate and its mill.

For example, petty nobility such as the Záviš family of Osenice owned an estate with a mill in neighboring Hroznová Lhota in 1590, alongside a free estate with a mill in Žeraviny. Property changed hands dramatically in 1625 when Emperor Ferdinand II confiscated all property from Jan Bernard of Kunovice for his involvement in the 1619 Estates' Rebellion. The vast Ostrožské estate—which included Žeraviny—was acquired by Gundakar of Liechtenstein, who later commissioned the church in Hroznová Lhota in 1654. Following the Thirty Years' War, several free estates ceased to exist, including those in Kněždub, Lhota, and Žeraviny. However, the 1671 Land Register once again recorded a free mill in Žeraviny equipped with two grinding sets and a huller, alongside 13 měřice (~2.5 hectares) of land. Previously owned by Mr. Václav Sokolnický—leading to the mill being known as the Sokolnický Mill—it belonged at that time to Ištván Řepický.

Mills were the vibrant gathering places of their time. Local farmers from all over the countryside met here to grind their grain and exchange ideas. The famous ethnographer and Strážnice professor František Bartoš was a frequent guest, inspired by the young miller's wife Tereza Šulcová (later Moučková). Bartoš collected extensive folklore in the region and went on to mentor her sons. Decades later, her grandson Vojtěch Moučka became the last miller at Žeraviny. For his courage in supporting resistance partisans during World War II, he was named an honorary citizen of neighboring Kněždub and Vnorovy.

Since time immemorial, the mills were powered by water from the Velička River—likely via a former side branch that split off at the western edge of Lipov and re-joined the main flow between Žeraviny and Strážnice. This stream fed numerous ponds that were once widespread throughout the surrounding countryside. The runoff from the ponds above Tasov and near Veselí flowed through Kozojídky, giving rise to the name of the Kozojídka stream. From there, it ran alongside the Žeraviny municipal field known as 'U Dražek' and through the upper end of the village. Below the upper mill, it emptied into the millrace. Originally, the Kozojídka stream likely flowed all the way to the lower mill (House No. 1, owned by Antonín Moučka), while the upper mill (House No. 21, the Žižlavský Mill) was overshot-powered directly by the main millrace. In 1908, the bed of the Kozojídka stream was regulated into its current path, which runs between Žeraviny and Strážnice before flowing into the Velička just outside Strážnice.

The Moučka family held ownership of this mill for the vast majority of the 19th century, with initial records dating back to 1827. Generational records trace a succession of millers: Jan (1827), Jan (1869), Jan (1880), Antonín (1900), and finally Vojtěch (1930). When two consecutive years of severe flooding destroyed miller Jos. Křížek’s weir near Lipov—costing him 150 ISK for each repair—he submitted a formal claim for reimbursement to all downstream millers who drew water from the shared millrace.

Among the numerous legends surrounding the mill, one of the most famous centers on the cottage known as 'Na podsedku', which belonged to the property. It was said to be haunted by a White Lady, leaving the cottage uninhabited for a long time. Eventually, the miller's widow, Tereza, moved in; she couldn't praise enough the stunning views it offered toward Kněždub and the Šumárník hill. Before World War I, when the plaster was scraped off the barn walls, various drawings and mysterious inscriptions were uncovered. Local scholars originally claimed these were remnants of a historic Bohemian Brethren printing press. However, it later became clear this was likely a confusion with the town of Žeravice—a prominent Bohemian Brethren center where John Amos Comenius and Mikuláš Drabík were ordained as priests. Instead, these ancient inscriptions were more likely connected to the old 'Sokolnický Mill' (named after its former owner), which appears to be the direct predecessor of the Moučka Mill.

To Messrs. Hořčica in Tasov, the Millers' Cooperative in Hroznová Lhota, Mr. Žížlavský and Mr. Moučka in Žeraviny, and the Hatě Mill near Strážnice: Given that the water drawn to my mill is also used by you for grinding—indeed, you require even more of it, as it flows continuously past us to your mills without being retained—I ask that you contribute equally to the repair costs, each bearing one-sixth of the expense. I kindly request your response regarding your agreement within eight days.” Signed: Jos. Křížek. Later, the mill near Lipov became independent. A dedicated millrace was constructed near Tasov for the remaining five mills, bound by a formal agreement among all parties.

Antonín Moučka served as the mayor of Žeraviny from 1902 until 1920. During the 1902 renovation of the church in Hroznová Lhota, he donated two simple stained-glass windows. His descendant, Vojtěch Moučka, served as mayor briefly after 1945 for just six months. World War II directly hit the village on the morning of April 14, 1945, when the first artillery shells struck Žeraviny—two landed on the Moučka Mill and one near the lime trees by the Žižlavský Mill. German forces occupied the millrace as their final defensive line, mirroring their positions in Hroznová Lhota. Fierce firefights raged on April 15, 16, and 17, until Romanian troops entered the village on the morning of April 18. That night, German forces retreated from Kozojídky toward Veselí.