Hrabal’s cottage in Kersko declared a national cultural monument
The cottage of Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal in Kersko near Nymburk has been declared a national cultural monument by the Ministry of Culture. The building, closely connected with the life and work of the renowned author, is owned by the Central Bohemian Region and managed by the Polabí Museum. It was renovated and reopened to the public in 2024.
The minimalist white house with green-painted window panes stands in the picturesque cottage settlement of Kersko, in the rural landscape along the Elbe River. Hrabal bought the house in 1965, and over the years it became a refuge not only for the writer but also for the seventeen semi-wild cats he fed.
The cottage has been restored to the state it was in when Hrabal spent his summers there. It was here that he wrote many of his books, which have been translated into 28 languages. Among his best-known novels are Closely Watched Trains, whose film adaptation won an Oscar in 1968, and I Served the King of England, which was also made into a film in 2006.
The flat landscape of pine and birch woodlands surrounding Kersko also played an important role in his writing, including The Snowdrop Festival, later adapted into a film by Oscar-winning director Jiří Menzel. The movie was filmed directly in Kersko and featured the local Hájenka restaurant as well as some of Hrabal’s real-life neighbours.
Visitors will be able to tour the cottage starting the last weekend of March. In April and October it will be open from Friday to Sunday, and from May to September daily except Monday. Tickets can be purchased through the Polabí Museum’s reservation website: https://portal.colosseum.eu/Tours?mrsid=280.
