Otava River and Rafting Museum at the Střelské Hoštice Chate
Otava River and Rafting Museum at the Střelské Hoštice Chate
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Otava River and Rafting Museum at the Střelské Hoštice Chate

The museum is located in part of the local Renaissance chateau.

Visit the unique Otava River and Rafting Museum in the local chateau in the small South Bohemian village of Střelské Hoštice, located 3.5 km southeast of Horažďovice.

The chateau is originally a Renaissance structure built in the latter half of the 16th century with Baroque modifications. The third story was added in 1927-1928. At that time, the Penny Support Association of workers from the former Škoda works in Plzeň established a sanatorium for children and women here.

The other buildings were added to the southern wing of the chateau in the 1950s, when the structure was run by the armed forces. The Carpathian Engineer Corps was located here until 1991. The municipality managed to have the chateau returned ten years later. Since then, the chateau building complex and the adjacent farmyard have been slowly revitalized.

At present, the Otava River and Rafting Museum with an art gallery works on the ground floor of the southern wing. A sports gym and gym club are open for the public on the second and third stories.

Timber rafting on the Otava is illustrated by a nine-meter long model of a whole strand bound together from five raft squares. The exhibition is dedicated to the Otava River and its basic facts, natural conditions, fauna and flora, gold panning, river pearl mussels and the recent Otava cruise tourist project.

Of course the exhibition also remembers the history of the local chateau complex and mentions famous local natives. In parallel, the art gallery introduces more forgotten crafts of the past –smiths and shoemakers.

The museum was inaugurated in the chateau on 13 April April With financial support from the LEADER CR program, about 250 m 2 of exhibition spaces were renovated in 2005. Timber rafting on the Otava is illustrated by a nine-meter long model of a whole strand bound together from five raft squares. The exhibition is dedicated to the Otava River and its basic facts, natural conditions, fauna and flora, gold panning, river pearl mussels and the recent Otava cruise tourist project.