Where the past touches everyday life and old traditions breathe again
Mlýn vodníka Slámy — a story of honest work and resilience
From the earliest written records to the present day. Discover the turbulent chapters that shaped this mill over the centuries — tales of murder, sacrifice, a legendary waterman, and a family that built an empire on the banks of the Opavice.
Here, an ancient culture rises from the ashes of history so that you can enjoy it today — in perfect comfort, surrounded by nature, and cared for with the same honest spirit that has defined this place for generations.
The Murder of the Lhota Miller
A true story of crime, conscience, and redemption
The largest water-powered mill in this part of Silesia was the Havlíček Mill at Lhota. For decades it belonged to the Hrnčíř family, until the last descendant František sold it to Halfar in 1870 — on the strict condition of a generous retirement pension. Lean years followed. Hrnčíř proved relentless in his demands, and after bitter legal disputes, Miller Halfar conceived a terrible plan.
On a dark Advent night, Halfar lay in wait on the Lhota road and beat Hrnčíř to death with a heavy club. He was arrested, but acquitted by a jury — the evidence was circumstantial. Yet conscience proved a harsher judge than any court. Halfar stopped speaking to people, lived like a hermit in the mill, and walked barefoot in penitent prayer. He confessed only on his deathbed, before a priest and the assembled villagers. Halfar received absolution, and his long torment gave way to a quiet, peaceful death.
The Legend of Waterman Sláma
A legend from the millpond
This is the tale of a waterman seen by old miller Havlíček during a great drought, when the mill stood idle and the miller — gripped by despair — made his way to the river intending to end his life. From the depths, a strange figure surfaced: 'What troubles you, miller? Why do you look so sad?' The miller poured out his heart. The waterman dived and returned with a basket brimming with gold coins: 'When the mill grinds again, return what I have lent you.' The following year brought a bumper harvest. Havlíček took a purse of gold to the weir and called out the name 'Sláma'. But a different, unfamiliar creature emerged from the water, shaking its head sadly: the benevolent waterman Sláma had been slain by Pleskavec. The gold remained with Havlíček. From that day forward he gave thanks for his spared life, and always honoured the mill's guardian spirit by the water. The mill of Sláma began to thrive — and has never stopped.
Jan Havlíček — The Giant of Lhota
The man who built a milling empire
In 1890, Jan Havlíček and his family took on the mill as tenants, and so began the most commercially extraordinary chapter of its modern history — the era of 'Havlíček's Mills'. He was a man of innovation: electric lighting came to the mill and to the village years before the surrounding countryside caught up. As mayor he gifted the village a new school and a railway halt. To this day, Jan Havlíček stands as a model of rural entrepreneurship in the Opava region — and his legacy can be admired by every family that comes to enjoy a meal in the very complex he built.
Our vision for the estate today
We believe that this reborn island — surrounded by oxbow lakes, nourished by the Opavice river, and shaped by generations of honest work — is exactly the right kind of place to come and gather fresh strength. A place for romantic weddings, for teams that build bonds, and for anyone who simply needs to breathe again. We work on that mission every single day.
Milestones on our journey through time
Earliest records
The oldest written mention of a mill at Lhota appears in the Štítina urbary, connected with the obligation to clean the village watercourse.
Caroline Cadastre
The Caroline Cadastre records two manorial watermills with two sets of millstones on the estate of Count Wilhelm Lichnovsky of Voštice — one at the village of Lhota, the other at Smolkov.
1822
Ownership changes hands. Under a marriage contract dated 20 January 1822, the Lhota mill passes to master miller Franz Hrnčíř (Hienczirz) and his wife Mechtilda Anna, daughter of miller Franz Waller of the Black Mill on the Raduň estate. Alongside milling, the family also runs a farm on the adjoining peasant homestead No. 1.
c. 1870
The mill is acquired by Anton and Marie Halfar, through their daughter Marie, who mills at Lhota together with Petr Suchánek, son of the Kateřinky miller Jan Suchánek.
After 1870
The original single-storey log mill with thatched roof, along with the sawmill, are purchased by Franz and Marie Jurečka.
1890
Jan and Magdalena Havlíček take on the mill as tenants. Four years later, they buy it.
1905
The old thatched mill and sawmill are demolished. A new single-storey brick building is constructed in their place.
1911
The residential building is raised by an additional storey.
1913
Jan Havlíček replaces the mill wheel with a turbine and brings electric lighting to the mill, five village cottages, the school, the pub, and the railway station.
1914
The business 'J. Havlíček, artificial roller mill, Lhota' is entered in the commercial register. Over the following years Havlíček acquires and operates several mills, becoming the largest milling enterprise in the Opava region.
Expansion
The mill adds a grain silo and a cleaner. The firm acquires the mill at Smolkov and the mill at Háj Chabičov from the Peasant Joint-Stock Sugar Factory in Háj u Opavy.
Pre-war
The business passes to Ladislav Havlíček, who joins forces with his brother-in-law Emanuel Hradský to form the general commercial partnership Havlíček's Mills Hlučín, Havlíček & Hradský.
1938–1945
Under Nazi administration, the Hlučín region is annexed to the Reich. Merchant Josef Scholz rents the Havlíček & Hradský partnership for 50,000 Reichsmarks per year, and the name is Germanised. The mill operates as Havlíček Mühlen Hultschin for the duration of the war.
1945
Immediately after liberation on 30 April 1945, Havlíček's Mills resumes operations on its own account. Josef Scholz is deported to Germany. The mill is repaired and extended to its present-day form.
Post-war
The mill is nationalised and absorbed into the Czechoslovak Mills enterprise, then incorporated into Silesian Mills, n.p. Opava. The Havlíček & Hradský partnership is struck from the register, but the partners successfully appeal and force the reversal of the decision.
1986
On 17 April, a devastating fire sweeps through the mill building. Operations are severely curtailed, and the mill is reduced to serving as a feed mixing plant.
Decline
In the years following the fire, much of the mill complex falls into disrepair and becomes inaccessible. The estate is used as a dump.
2007
The complex is purchased by new owners. Reconstruction of the mill begins, alongside the painstaking restoration of the long-neglected grounds.
A new era begins
The 'Mlýn u vodníka Slámy' association is established, organising the first community events on site. The 'Village Museum at Waterman Sláma's' project receives funding from the LEADER programme – Local Action Group Opavsko. A Milling Museum opens on two floors of the former mill cleaner building.
2027
We will celebrate 20 years of the Mill's new era — and we're planning something truly spectacular. Follow us to be first to hear the news!