I'm moving to Čestlice: Shops and nature at hand and in the center in no time
When someone says Čestlice today, most people imagine a shopping spree and the epicenter of entertainment. Few people remember the unassuming village near Prague, which Čestlice once was. But Petra remembers that time very well.
They grew out of nowhere
Aquapalace Prague, FunPark Giraffe, or Trendy Lab, these are the famous names of entertainment centers and businesses that draw both Prague and non-Prague visitors to Čestlice. Nowadays, who wouldn't know the popular aquatic park and other places where children and adults can have fun. It is hard to imagine a time when they didn't exist in Čestlice. However, Petra, who has been living here for some time, remembers that time. "My family decided to move to Čestlice from Vinohrady when I was about ten. I was a little shocked at first, because at that time it was really just a village with a church and a few houses. The commercial zone began to be built a few years after we moved in," she recalls for LP-Life.cz.
But she quickly acclimated to her new home, having always loved silence, peace, and especially history from a young age. "In Vinohrady, I knew every cobblestone, here everything was unexplored and very old, which I really enjoyed. For example, the church stands on the spot where, according to legend, Saint Prokop himself used to serve mass when he was traveling from Sázava to Prague," Petra narrates with enthusiasm. She spent a lot of time outdoors with her parents, either at home in the garden, or roaming around the area. "Průhonice Park and Castle, it has been my heartthrob since I was ten, with our parents we would go there almost every weekend. Except for the break when I left Čestlice, I have maintained this habit to this day," she says.
The return "in old age"
Petra, however, did not stay long in Čestlice, she soon fell in love and after a wedding, with which her parents not entirely agreed, she moved with her husband to Brno. After the divorce, however, she eventually returned to her parents' house.
"It was quite a shock for me to see what Čestlice looked like later, I experienced the boom at the beginning, but then and now, it's absolutely incomparable,"
Petra says, who circumstances forced to stay in Čestlice. "Since I'm not the youngest anymore, I appreciate what mom and dad have. You are still somehow in the village, but it's only about sixteen kilometers to Prague. And I don't even have to go there, everything is here. Spectrum, our shopping center, I have as a reward, it's great, how it's arranged now," she notes and recalls the modernization of the shopping center, which was presented in a new form in 2021 after more than two years of reconstruction.
For a walk, for a bike ride, and especially for peace
It is clear that Petra does not regret returning home at all. Čestlice have gotten under her skin, plus she managed to arrange an office right where she lives, so she does not have to deal with commuting. "At one time, I had a job in Říčany and it was manageable even with the shifts, it was immediate by car, but I admit that I am not really social and friendly, working from home suits me more," says Petra, adding that if a client occasionally comes to her in person, it does not bother her. She immediately has something to talk about in non-work-related small talk.
Petra likes to stay at home, yet she very positively perceives that there are many of them in the village, especially now during Advent. "The community seems to work here, but I prefer solo activities. I go for a run, or take a bike. That's great, I get on at the house and go, I didn't experience such luxury in Brno, I wouldn't dare in that traffic, but here? No problem, I'm not afraid, I really feel safe here," she claims. Therefore, she was also pleased with the new regulation, which will contribute even more to her peace and comfort.
With the new regulation
"I don't like New Year's Eve celebrations and firecrackers, I mind the omnipresent noise that some people like to make all Christmas, so I quite appreciate that we just started to have a new municipal regulation on the ban of fireworks here. There is an exception for New Year's Eve, but fortunately only for a few hours. I have to survive that somehow, then there will be, hopefully, peace," believes Petra. The relevant authorities also mention the regulation of pyrotechnics.
"We are joining a number of municipalities and cities that are responding to the amendment to the Pyrotechnics Act, in which the possibility of regulating this negative phenomenon has been clarified," states councilor Matouš Vanča in the November Čestlice gazette adding that it is definitely not about harassing citizens but rather about appealing to decency and common sense.
And common sense is also listened to by Petra. "I am grateful to my parents that they provided us with foresight in such a great location, which is also constantly growing and flourishing. I don't understand how they managed to do it, but I definitely thank them!" she concludes.
Source: author's text, own questioning, Cestlice-obec.cz
