Our Story

We discovered the mill in the autumn of 2003. Its dilapidated state presented us with a challenge to save it.

Only with hindsight, looking back without rose-tinted glasses, do we realize what a massive undertaking it truly was!

We were completely enchanted, particularly by the mill house building and the entrance hall with its stone staircase. The rest of the homestead was in a state of utter ruin—cracked walls, rotten roof trusses, collapsed ceilings and vaults, and where the pergola stands today, there was nothing but the remains of a burned-down farm building. The mill house itself was packed with machinery, conveyors, and hoppers filled with moldy grain. It looked like a museum, but it had virtually no open floor space and seemed entirely unusable. Later on, we experimented and found that part of the old machinery could be removed without structurally affecting the building itself. In other words, we discovered we could create grand, open spaces inside the mill house while preserving most of the beautiful machinery and original mechanical lines as a testament to its past.

The work here is never-ending… and we often find ourselves drifting aimlessly from one spot to another, wondering where and what to begin with first. Gradually, we are coming to terms with the fact that it will never truly be “finished.” But what does it mean to be “finished” anyway? A finished state is, de facto, a static, unchanging state… and is that really what we want? So, we pursue our vision with enthusiasm, humility, and an open mind. And in doing so, we have built an environment where we truly love to live. Alongside providing a home for us and our four children, most of the space serves as a warehouse for props and decorations, the rental of which forms our main source of income.

Over time, we purchased the land surrounding the mill, which had been left in a rather dismal state following the operations of the state-owned enterprise Geoindustria—concrete, panels, ruins, and an endless dumping ground everywhere, all overgrown with invasive trees and shrubs. However, this jungle hid several beautiful, mature trees, which we kept while clearing the surrounding area into what is now our park garden.

With our own hands, we have planted dozens of additional ornamental and edible trees and shrubs, along with hundreds of perennials. We have thousands more hours of labor under our belt, dedicated to cultivating the land all the way from the house down to the weir at the millrace. The weir itself was torn down during the totalitarian era. Whether we will manage to restore it in the future depends heavily on time and finances. We have, however, succeeded in reconstructing the little house containing the original Francis turbine. We shall see if we manage to bring our other dreams to life in the coming years, including the facades.

Living in a property like this is not entirely practical, but it has its own magic. We do not want to turn this place into something it is not. From the very beginning, we have been modifying it in a way that preserves its original character. We source suitable architectural elements from various demolitions and repurpose them during our reconstruction. As a friend of ours, an antiquarian, once said: “You have rescued mass in the landscape.”

It always saddens us to watch so many beautiful, old buildings vanish, as investors often chase nothing but maximum profit. Many properties undergo insensitive modernization. Perhaps it is for the best that our mill takes a different path—one that is slower, yet sensitive and patient—and all without a single euro or crown from subsidies. “We have not inherited the land from our ancestors; we have borrowed it from our children.” We once read this thought somewhere, and we would sign our names under it just the same today…

Alongside running our prop and decoration rental shop, we decided to open our doors to those who wish to host an unconventional, beautiful event here, whether a wedding or a celebration. We were driven to this not only by the positive reactions to this place from our friends and clients, but especially by our own experience in event organization. And so, we set out to fulfill yet another vision—giving rise to the “Modrý mlýn” project. It is a deeply rewarding feeling of satisfaction to see this place truly come alive once more.

Dana and Jakub

History

Lejkov Mill is located at the lowest point of the Košátky brook, halfway between the Byšice railway station and Liblice. A mill stood on this site as early as the Middle Ages, shortly after the founding of the village of Liblice. Originally, it was situated on the left bank of the millrace and was driven by a water wheel. It was likely named after Mr. Lojek, one of its early owners.

Historical records show that a roller mill was built here in 1673, owned by Mr. Vencovský (also recorded as Vinovský or Venanský). It is unknown how long he held the property. In 1742, an unnamed owner constructed a small mill, which was later expanded by Mr. Hudík (or Tvrdík). In 1789, Mr. Fanta became the owner. Following his death, his wife took over the mill and subsequently sold it to the Liblice estate, which at the time belonged to the House of Deym. On December 31, 1862, Countess Antonie Waldstein of Wartenberg purchased the Liblice estate, which included Lejkov Mill.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the mill on the left bank of the millrace burned down and was never rebuilt. Instead, the Countess had a new and larger mill constructed on the opposite bank. Parts of the original mill were repurposed as building materials for farm structures. Instead of a water wheel, a water turbine with a capacity of up to 16 HP was installed, and the mill underwent a major expansion; it featured three floors and included an on-site bakery. The mill was capable of processing up to 300 quintals of grain per week.

During the First Czechoslovak Republic, Lejkov Mill remained part of the count’s estate and was leased out. After Mr. Šubrt (or Šustr) ended his lease in 1930, Josef Pekař and his son took over the tenancy. Together, they revived the mill’s operations, though without the bakery, as several bakeries were already operating in Byšice (run by Mr. Hejna, Mr. Štancl, and Mr. Frýdl) and another was located in Liblice. As demand for high-quality flour grew, work at the mill continued day and night under the light of kerosene lamps, which was highly hazardous. Between 1934 and 1935, Josef Pekař purchased a dynamo at his own expense and electrified the entire mill along with the residential quarters. This was the very first electric lighting system in the village and the wider surrounding region. Under Pekař’s management, people from many surrounding villages came to have their grain milled. In the pre-war period, the mill supplied its products to businesses in Mělník, Neratovice, Kostelec nad Labem, and even Prague. Initially, Mr. Štefl distributed the flour using a horse-drawn wagon, but as he could no longer keep up with demand, František Dlouhý from Byšice stepped in with a delivery truck. In 1938, Josef Pekař attempted to purchase the mill from the count’s family, but was unsuccessful. Following land reforms, Count Thun fell into significant debt and sold a large portfolio of properties, including Lejkov Mill, to Dr. Ing. Eduard Outrata and Ing. Emil Švec. The new owners carried out a reconstruction, raising the water head to 4.8 meters and installing a new Francis turbine that reached an output of 29 HP, with a water flow of 600 liters per second. Further planned renovations never took place due to the outbreak of World War II, which forced the owners to flee the country. Before leaving, however, they concluded an agreement with Josef Pekař, allowing him to operate the mill throughout the war with the promise that they would sell it to him once it ended. This sale did indeed take place after the war, though it later became the subject of a legal dispute between the descendants of Mr. Pekař and Mr. Outrata.

With the establishment of the Protectorate, milling regulations changed drastically. Josef Pekař milled grain beyond his legal allowance, leading to his imprisonment and a heavy fine. After four months, he resumed milling covertly on the black market. He was convicted once more and returned from prison after eleven months, on November 15, 1943. At the end of 1947, the owner, Mr. Outrata, arrived in Lejkov and sold the mill to Pekař as agreed. However, in August 1948, forced administration was imposed on the mill, and within days, the Agricultural Cooperative took over the premises along with all inventory. The mill was returned to its owner by the end of the year, though stripped of its supplies. In early 1949, the miller signed a contract with the Vitana company to mill peas. In August 1949, a devastating fire broke out at Lejkov, destroying the farm buildings and stables. Between 1950 and 1958, the State Farms operated the mill as a gristmill. In 1959, the Kostelec nad Labem Sugar Refinery took over the mill to experiment with pelleting seeds for single-germ sowing. In 1960, nationalization took place, and the mill was transferred to the Mělník Agricultural Cooperative and later to the JZD Liblice (Unified Agricultural Co-operative). In 1967, the residential building was returned to Josef Pekař, and in 1970, the JZD sold the mill along with the residential quarters for 2.5 million Czechoslovak crowns to the Geoindustria Prague company. Following the resolution of restitution claims and a successful court battle against Dr. Outrata’s descendants, the descendants of Josef Pekař took back possession of the devastated mill in 1991, selling it to a private owner in 2003. “At that time, an appraiser determined that the property was more than eighty percent dilapidated,” recalls Dana Mejsnarová, who purchased it back then. “Only the mill house and the residential section still had a roof; the rest of the homestead was in a state of utter ruin—cracked walls, rotten roof trusses, collapsed ceilings and vaults, and the remains of a burned-down farm building. The hoppers inside the mill house were filled with moldy grain. Only later did we realize that part of the old machinery could be removed without structurally affecting the building itself. In other words, we discovered we could create grand, open spaces inside the mill house while preserving most of the beautiful machinery and original mechanical lines as a testament to its past.”[1]

To this day, the Mejsnar family continues to gradually restore Lejkov Mill using their own private funds, without any subsidies. The property serves as the family home and as the headquarters for their family business—a prop and decoration rental shop for social events and film productions. Over the past decade, the name “Modrý mlýn” (The Blue Mill) has become widely established for Lejkov Mill. Under this protective brand, the family occasionally rents out the estate for private events, most frequently weddings.

On the occasion of 20 years of restoration, the family hosted its first Open gates and garden day on October 7, 2023.

Source: Byšice v proměnách sedmi století (Byšice Through Seven Centuries). Published by the Municipality of Byšice, 2023. Edited by Dana Mejsnarová, owner of the mill. The book is available for purchase at the mill or at the municipal office in Byšice.