ARCHAEOLOGIST JOSEF SIBLÍK

Josef Siblík was born on 19 March 1863 in Mladý Smolivec as a second-born son in the miller’s family of Jakub Siblík. In spite of this, he grew to become a leading personality of the museum in Blatná and an important citizen of the town.

He began his teaching career in 1883 in Záboří, from where he was transferred to Tochovice after a year. Here he met his wife Růžena Hykešová, with whom he had four children: Marie, Růženka, Anna and the youngest Josef. In 1891, he left to join the burgher school in Blatná and in 1913 he became its headmaster. During these years, he would collect historical and archaeological items from all over the region. He worked with the local historiographer Msg. Jan Pavel Hill and teacher František Hykeš, who would draw his findings.

By 1904, he had completed a careful methodological preparation and embarked on an archaeological survey in the field. The first site he examined was Kocelovice, where he managed to uncover mounds from the hillfort age. Other discoveries followed in Dobšice, Chlum, Hradiště and near Bezdědovice. He proved that the Blatná region had been already inhabited during the Iron Age in the 8th century BC.

As an appointed correspondent member of the Archaeological Board of the Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia, in 1911, he proposed to establish a museum in Blatná to protect the memorable collections scattered among the residents of the Blatná region. This plan of his had to wait for another full decade until 1922, when the District Museum in Blatná was founded. No-one but Josef Siblík could have become its administrator. He died while working, on 11 April 1931.