We are a family-run organization dedicated to the art of falconry—that is, hunting and working with birds of prey. We strive to introduce this tradition—which is not only about hunting but primarily about the relationship with birds of prey, their natural behavior, and the laws of nature—to the general public.

Enthusiastic individuals, families with children, and entire groups of friends come to visit us to get to know our activities, learn about the basics of falconry, and experience birds of prey in flight.

Furthermore, we bring nature closer to people beyond the boundaries of our rescue and breeding center—at events held at castles, chateaus, and in cities; at summer camps for children; in senior centers; and at schools and preschools. For these venues, in addition to flight demonstrations featuring birds of prey and owls, we’ve prepared a range of other programs designed to introduce nature, its inhabitants, and importance.

At the same time, we are active breeders of birds of prey and owls, ornithologists, and managers of a rescue center. The center currently serves as a home for more than 120 animals and as our association’s main base of operations. You can find it in Prague-Cholupice.

We have more than 20 years of experience presenting public displays featuring birds of prey and owls, and we have been working closely with animals—specifically birds of prey and owls—for 50 years. We have all passed both hunting and falconry exams and completed numerous courses on the proper handling of wild animals.

Caring for animals requires daily, attentive, and physically demanding work, which is why our small team consists solely of truly passionate animal and nature lovers.

One of our long-standing initiatives that we are especially proud of is the Return of the Barn Owl project. Through this project, we are working to restore the natural population of this charming—yet, unfortunately, critically endangered—species of owl. Since 2009, we have bred, trained, and released almost 250 young owls into the wild.

You can learn more about the latest developments in the Return of the Barn Owl project here.

The Penthea association, in its current form, was founded in 2011, but its history dates back to 2001. That was when the Merlin association was established; its founders, Petr Kolomazník and Michal Procházka, had long been involved in ornithology and falconry. Together, they had served as court falconers at Konopiště Castle since 1997.

They soon expanded their public falconry displays at this state-owned castle to include another activity—educational programs about birds of prey and owls at elementary schools and preschools. At the same time, they built a breeding facility for birds of prey and owls on their own, thus adding breeding to their falconry and educational activities.

Our history

The “Merlin falconers” continued their work at Konopiště Castle for another five years after founding their civic association, but they soon began to focus their full attention on elementary and preschool programs. Displays for the general public thus became primarily a weekend activity.

In 2009, the Merlin civic association received official status from the Ministry of the Environment as a rescue center for disabled wild animals, and two years later, it became the official rescue center for the City of Prague for a fixed term. Although we no longer hold this position, we remain dedicated to animal rescue to this day.

At the end of 2011, the Merlin association was dissolved. This was due to differing visions among its founders regarding the association’s future direction. Two separate entities were formed in place of the Merlin association. One of them is Penthea.