Back to the Land

An alarming rumour has begun to circulate: depopulated villages, small farms shutting, the countryside under threat. The world that gave birth to the modern Czech nation has turned into a mysterious part of the country inhabited only by holidaymakers and old-fashioned people in overalls and flower scarves. However, some fresh blood flows against the current. People leave cities to move to the countryside. Not simply combining rural life with city jobs and salaries, they want the full package. They earn livings as farmers.

Jan Velík

, 35, moved from Prague to the village of Čížkov, near Spálené Poříčí, to live according to his wishes. Three years ago he bought a farm, moved with his family and added sheep, goats and bees. Velík's farm miraculously managed to weather communist collectivisation, so the family takes pride in a relatively luxurious house with original windows, a stone staircase and decorated doorframes. They moved in straightaway without any major investment.

"We know who the original owners were and what they did here, what they tried to achieve, and we have a sense of continuity," Velík says. He'd enjoyed city life – concerts, theatres, cinemas, shops, pubs and cafes – "more than enough", and nothing remained for him in the hectic streets.

Velík developed an appreciation for the countryside as a child while…