Hřebčín Kladruby: National Stud Farm

One of the newest UNESCO members is the Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem with its white horses and unique landscape area. Thanks to its location, about 80 km from Prague, it’s an excellent destination for your one-day trip.

About Kladruby Stud Farm

About 500 years ago, the old Habsburg monarchy founded their royal stud farm with white horses and trained them specifically for ceremonial purposes. This tradition has been kept until today. In 2019, the Kladruby stud farm, with its horses and landscape area, became a member of the UNESCO.

Today, there are only a few royal stables around Europe. Besides the Czech Republic and its Kladruben horses, we can find royal stables also in England, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. Czech Kladruben horses are proudly marching also in these two Scandinavian countries.

Kladruben horses are mainly known for their white variety, which is designed for the imperial courts. However, there is also a black variety, originally designated by the church dignitaries. The black variety is bred in nearby town Slatiňany that is also open to the public.

The Story of Kladruben Horses

Kladruben horses are probably the only breed on the world that was bred specifically for ceremonial purposes. The tradition is dating back to the 14th Century that was further supported by the Habsburg dynasty residing in Vienna. The stud farm represented such an importance for the dynasty, so they built up a small chateau by the stables and resided there during their visits of Bohemian and Moravian territories.

With the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, the number of horses was dramatically reduced. Fortunately, the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš G. Masaryk started to use the Kladruben horses for the official state visits and audiences of new ambassadors. So, the tradition of the stud farm has been preserved.

Today, Kladruben horses are serving in Sweden and Denmark royal courts, as well as during the official ceremonies in the Czech Republic. Thanks to their calm nature, they are also suitable for city traffic. So, if you see a policeman on a white horse, it should be the Kladruben one.

What You Can See

In 2015, the whole area underwent a significant reconstruction and regained back its classicist appearance. Since then, the whole area is open to the public. You can choose from tours of the stables, chateau, coach storage, and the museum of horse breeding in Kladruby.

The landscape area is also impressive. From the chateau, there is more than 3 km long avenue of lime trees leading to the pastures and stables. Around the Elbe river, you can find a unique cultural landscape with old avenues, channels, forests, and meanders. There is no wonder that the whole area is under UNESCO patronage.