Originally, ‘Leštnice ’ was the name of a village which was destroyed as the Iron Curtain ploughed its way along the border between the Czech Republic and Austria and has now been reclaimed by the forest. As our collective is bound to this region and its environment, ‘Leštnice’ became the name of our non-profit organisation as it figuratively encompasses our philosophy and scope of activities.

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The collective behind ‘Leštnice’ was born out of the community formed by our previous generation's effort to revitalise the South Bohemian region around Maříž and Slavonice after the Velvet Revolution, having established a strong artistic community with an international background in the 90s. As the following generation, we aim to sustain and build upon this inherited community and its culture, in balance with the natural habitat of the surroundings.

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Based on an archaeology-inspired research practice with a strong emphasis on artistic, innovative and sustainable approaches towards exploring the environment in its ecological, cultural as well as socio-historical perspective, we work with a focus on the rehabilitation of the local cultural heritage and environment, restoration and sustainable property management, the support of international cooperation and cultural exchange as well as continual research activity and its documentation and publication.