On Saturday, July 19, 2025, the jubilee 10th annual summer children’s camp “Treasures at Prýgl 2025,” organized by the Trade Union Organization ČMOSA at the University of Defence, came to an end.
With the base at the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kníničky, we enjoyed a week full of competitions, fun, and great experiences. On Monday, the children competed in the camp’s Olympic games, swam in the reservoir, and had the chance to try rafting on the “Brno sea.” On Tuesday, we visited a ranch in Moravské Knínice, where the children rode horses. The following day, Wednesday, we toured the studios and workshops of Czech Television Brno in the morning. An interesting and educational afternoon visit to the traffic playground of the Brno Municipal Police followed, where the children deepened their skills and habits as road users—they could rent bikes or scooters, and at another station, they learned how to behave around the visually impaired and how to assist them when walking through the city.
It wouldn’t be a camp for children of Ministry of Defence employees without some “military” offering in the program. The commander of the mechanized battalion in Bučovice kindly accommodated us, and on Thursday we spent an interesting morning with the children there. Selected military equipment was stationed at the military unit’s platform—from a mobile ambulance to infantry fighting vehicles—which the children explored with great interest, especially from the inside. They also tried handling weapons—from pistols to shotguns. At another station, Bučovice soldiers prepared several competitions for the children, and after completing all tasks, the children received small gifts from the soldiers.
The children were probably most looking forward to Friday evening. After dinner, the dining hall transformed into a cultural center of Kníničky. All three groups presented their rehearsed performances as part of the program “Group entertains group.” And then it began—a great disco with light refreshments. When the time for lights-out came, the children were not very willing to go to their beds.
We believe the children enjoyed the camp program and had a week full of interesting activities with us. It is also very important to us that all children returned safely to the arms of their parents.
The camp’s evaluation would not be complete without thanking the University of Defence leadership for logistical support, which created excellent conditions for the successful organization of the camp at very favorable financial terms for the participants’ parents.
Author: Iva Taušová on behalf of the organizers of the summer children’s camp
