Památník Bratrancú Veverkových

Memorial to the Veverka Cousins stands in the village of Rybitví, about 4 km northwest of Pardubice in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It commemorates two cousins, Václav and František Veverka, who designed and tested an improved plough known as the "ruchadlo" in 1827.

Who were the Veverka cousins?

Václav Veverka was born on 10 December 1790, and his cousin František on 3 March 1799. Both grew up in Rybitví. Václav worked as a blacksmith, while František ran a farm. That combination of trades turned out to be decisive for their invention: blacksmithing skills allowed them to forge the right metal parts, while farming experience told them exactly how a soil-working tool needed to behave in the field.

What made the ruchadlo different from earlier ploughs?

Unlike the hook ploughs used until then, the ruchadlo did not just tear open the soil — it also crumbled and turned it over, cutting down on the physical effort required from the farmer. Ploughing depth could be adjusted through a shaft resting on front wheels. The cousins ran the first furrow with their new machine in 1827, right behind the blacksmith's forge in Rybitví — the exact spot where one of the two memorials stands today.

Why did a dispute over the invention break out?

A few years after the ruchadlo appeared, an official named Jan Kainz from nearby Choltice claimed to have invented it himself, naming it the "Kainzpflug." In 1832 he presented it as his own creation at an agricultural exhibition in Prague. The poet Josef Jaroslav Langer and professor Ignác Lhotský tried to set the record straight and document the Veverkas' true authorship, but recognition was slow to come — both cousins died in 1849 without ever seeing their invention officially credited to them. Over time, the argument over who really invented the ruchadlo escalated into a Czech-German nationality dispute that dragged on through the second half of the 19th century. It was only in 1882–1883 that František Vratislav Sova of the Agricultural Society in Pardubice tracked down surviving witnesses from that era and published a book titled "Vynálezci ruchadla" (Inventors of the Ruchadlo), which finally settled the matter in the Veverkas' favor.

What can visitors see in Rybitví today?

Two separate monuments in Rybitví relate to the Veverka cousins. The first stands in the garden next to the family house — a sandstone sculpture from Hořice, carved by Prague stonemasons to a design by sculptor Josef Strachovský. The second monument, topped with a sculpted plough, marks the spot about 50 metres from the house where the cousins ploughed their first furrow in 1827. The family house itself now serves as a small museum, open to visitors from May to September, on Sundays between 12:30 and 15:30.

How do you get to the memorial?

Rybitví lies roughly 4 km northwest of central Pardubice, at an elevation of about 222 metres (GPS coordinates: 50.056, 15.699). The outdoor monument marking the first furrow can be visited freely at any time of year, while a visit to the house-museum needs to fit its seasonal Sunday opening hours.

Frequently asked questions

Who were the Veverka cousins? Václav (born 1790) and František (born 1799) Veverka were cousins from Rybitví — a blacksmith and a farmer who together built an improved plough.

What is a ruchadlo? It's an improved plough that, unlike earlier hook ploughs, also crumbled and turned over the soil, with ploughing depth adjustable via a front-wheel-supported shaft.

Why is the memorial historically significant? It marks the site of the first ploughing test with the ruchadlo in 1827 and recalls a decades-long authorship dispute that was only resolved in the 1880s.

Can you visit the Veverka family house? Yes, the house-museum is open from May to September, on Sundays from 12:30 to 15:30.

Where exactly is the memorial located? In Rybitví, about 4 km northwest of Pardubice, at the spot where the cousins ploughed the first furrow with their new plough in 1827.