A Perfect Holiday in Czech Cannabis Paradise: Jamaican-style Hemp Farm with Maze and Much More

I spent the last weekend of last year’s summer holiday on a unique cannabis farm called Vranč, located in one of the most beautiful parts of the Czech Republic – Southern Moravia. The two acre large maze, hundred tons worth of beach sand, and a well-made replica of a Jamaican ship, along with a wide selection of hemp foods and drinks, and an overall relaxing atmosphere absolutely blew me away. That’s why this year, I simply couldn’t wait for this farm’s gates to open again…

This time, I went almost at summer’s beginning – in mid-July. As luck would have it, my favorite singer Záviš, “the Duke of Pornofolk” was about to play there that weekend. This made me even more excited.

As Dry as the Sahara

When I left my home in Eastern Bohemia which saw quite a lot of rain in the last month, I was already wondering how this year’s extreme droughts are affecting the hemp, which is growing not just inside the maze, but also on several acres of land just outside the farm.

I knew that in mid-July, the plants won’t be four meters tall as they were in late August last year, but it was immediately obvious that not just the hemp plants, but also other plants and the environment as a whole are suffering from a significant lack of water. Seeing fields of wheat and corn not even half a meter tall was a sad sight.

Once I’d arrived, I wasn’t even surprised the maze was closed to the public. Most of the plants didn’t even reach 1.5 meters, so only little children could get lost there. Radek Bačovský, the farm’s owner, explained to me that the plants were much taller the same time last year, but this year’s lack of natural irrigation is unfortunately “holding all of them back back”.

Fun for the Whole Family

Fortunately, the Vranč hemp farm has a lot more to offer than the labyrinth. “Our farm has a total of 650 tons of beach sand, we built a second ship which serves as another bar, we added a llama to the goats we already had, and every weekend, there are concerts of popular bands – usually reggae, but rock bands also occasionally perform. The whole summer is simply one huge party.”

Parents will appreciate the fact that once on the farm, they don’t have to worry about their children. Toys are scattered around the farm and the beach sand can entertain the little ones for hours. Meanwhile, adults can try local hemp beer or homemade soda, various types of hemp infused sausages from nearby organic farm, trout fished out of local waters and grilled with hemp seed, and dozens of other hemp drinks and food items. Of course with no more than 0.3% THC, because cannabis with more THC is unfortunately still prohibited in the Czech Republic.

November Weather in July

The weekend’s high point was Saturday’s concert. Because of the cold weather (around 10 °C in the evening; as if winter was around the corner), there were fewer concertgoers than usual for a summer. In addition to cold weather, the farm also saw several rain showers. However, I was happy for the farm’s owner, although it’s clear that one rain shower won’t save dry ground and languishing hemp fields. Radek remains optimistic, though, and believes that rain will become more frequent, and that the maze will be soon opened to the public. If you happen to be in Central Europe this summer, and wish to have some cannabis-related fun, do not hesitate and visit this oasis in a picturesque setting of the Vranov dam. The farm’s open until the first September weekend, after which harvest and a well-earned holiday for Radek will follow. And where is the hemp farm owner and big supporter of medical uses of cannabis travelling after an arduous summer? “Jamaica, where else.”