About the villa

Karel Jelínek's villa in 1925

Dear visitors,

Welcome to Jelínkova vila, a hotel in the heart of the Vysočina region steeped in history and the subtle malty aroma of our Harrach beer.


It is the history of the villa and the place on which it stands that plays an important role for us, we proudly claim it and we hope that you will feel the genius loci and the legacy of our ancestors during your stay here.


So whether you're sitting with a Harrach on tap in our restaurant, relaxing with a good coffee in one of our hotel rooms, or you're just about to visit us, read on to find out what used to happen here...

The original mill

According to the chronicles, a mill has stood on the site of our hotel since time immemorial; the first mention of it dates back to 1588. Its special feature was an unusually long water embankment (920 metres), which served different owners for different economic purposes.

And today it serves us as well - we use it to bring water from the Balinka River to the cellar of our building, where we keep fish in the sheds. This system allows them to live in conditions that most closely resemble their natural environment. This way, the fish remain fresh until they are ready to be eaten in our restaurant, whose interior is a reference to the original mill...

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Villa of the factory owner Jelinek

The mill gradually changed hands until it returned to the town in 1904. In the same year it was bought from the town by Karel Jelínek, the owner of the local leather factory Antonín Jelínek and Son, with the condition that he would build a power plant there and supply our town with electricity.

He subsequently demolished the old mill and built a modern residential villa in its place, which did not differ much from Jelínek's villa as it looks today.

And the manufacturer kept his word: He turned the water dam into a hydroelectric power station with a Francis turbine with a dynamo for direct current, which he used to supply not only the newly built villa and his factory, but also the town hall, the Municipal Hall, the municipal savings bank and the Sokol gymnasium, and after the reconstruction of the power station around 1915, the whole town. This "mission" was continued after the death of Karel Jelínek in 1935 by his son Antonín, at that time mayor of Velké Meziříčí.

The era of the Jelinek factory is commemorated by the period furniture in some of the rooms of our hotel, which bear names such as the Karel Jelínek Room or the Antonia Room after his wife.

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Nationalisation of the villa and its rebirth in 2004

The further fate of the Jelínek family corresponded with the political events in our country: in 1946 the power plant was nationalized and in 1948 the same happened to the tannery and the house itself, then known by the popular name "Jelínkova vila".

At that time, Antonín Jelínek was in South America, where he was sent by the then Ministry of Industry and ČZKG (Czechoslovak Leather and Rubber Works) to buy raw hides. He did not return to his homeland under the influence of the February nationalisation and remained in exile.

The villa itself served as a residential house during the era of state-owned enterprises and later became the property of the town, but due to poor maintenance it was uninhabitable and fell into disrepair.

New hope came only in the early 1990s when the whole property was bought by Lubomír Jurek, the father of our current managing director Martin Jurek. During 2002–2004 he renovated it and built a hotel with a fish restaurant and a brewery, thus continuing the centuries-old tradition of brewing beer in Velké Meziříčí.

We called our beer Harrach and it will probably not surprise you that this name also carries a piece of history...

Why "Harrach"?

Right at the beginning it should be said that the idea to name our beer "Harrach" came from the citizens of Velké Meziříčí, whom we asked for tips before opening our microbrewery in 2004.


"Harrach" appeared among them several times and we liked it. Not only because of its simplicity, punchiness and grandeur, but above all because it is closely related to the history of our town - it refers to Count František Maria Alfred Harrach of the Harrach family, who was the owner of the local castle in 1908–1937.

Our Harrach beer

And why the combination of a hotel with a brewery and a fish restaurant?

This is best answered by our managing director Martin:

"The connection between the brewery and accommodation goes back a long way: historically, accommodation establishments were often situated to provide fresh beer to their guests. My father revived this tradition at a time when the first microbreweries began to appear in the Czech Republic.

Well, by adding a fish restaurant to this concept, we wanted to broaden the dining experience for our guests. This combination attracts a diverse group of customers and allows us to create unique flavour combinations.

In addition, freshwater fish is my dad's great passion, which I also picked up from him. Our common goal is to spread awareness of regional fish and fish dishes to the general public."

MARTIN JUREK, Managing Director of Jelínkova vila


Stop by and see us and you...

  • Come and relax. In our hotel you will find stylish historic rooms and modern apartments and all our guests have free access to the wellness area with sauna.
  • Come and enjoy. In our restaurant, for example, we'll prepare one of our specialties from up to 11 types of fresh freshwater fish.
  • Join us for a beer. Honest, Czech and handmade, which is a hit with experts and regulars alike.
  • And you can also use our training facilities to hold a conference, corporate event or training.


We look forward to seeing you!