People: The Masters of the Earth
Humans are the masters of the earth. They reshape the planet in their own way—creating new seas, building cities, and, if necessary, like mythical giants, moving them from place to place.
When the ancestors of modern Czechs and Slovaks founded the town of Ervenice 700 years ago, they believed it would stand forever on the banks of the Bilina River and that the river would flow in its natural course.
But life had other plans. Czechoslovak geologists, while uncovering underground secrets, discovered that beneath the town lay a rich treasure of black gold. They estimated there were about 60 freight cars’ worth of coal under each room in Ervenice — coal desperately needed by the country’s growing industry.
Planners decided to relocate the ancient town to a new site. Not far from Ervenice, a new, modern city was built and the town’s residents were resettled there. The planners also took care of the Bilina River. It now flows through a new channel carved by human hands and remains connected to the relocated town.
