Ideas for the station

Work in progress.

-Renting out the vintage bikes through airbnb experience, to do tours of Tocnik and Zbiroh castle.


-Getting trains on the tracks in front of the station. In 2020 the legion train needs a home, making the station an attractive proposition for the ministry of defence to put the train here. 

-One idea that keeps bouncing back, is growing mushrooms from the coffee waste. Oyster mushrooms thrive in the used coffee. A lot of start-ups have started in the US and UK, for this. If you put coffee & mushrooms into youtube, you'll see a whole bunch of videos showing how different business's are using this waste. I'm thinking that the station is a good place for this, mostly as I have a huge basement space.


-Charging station for bikes and cars. Looking to combine voltages of 50amps 3 Phase outlet and 24amps 3 phase. rather than buying expensive infrastructure to start with. Although not a lot of electric cars are in Czech, i think more and more tourists are wanting to travel and charge. At the moment i have two flats on airbnb, this could somehow increase the use of these flats. Stay overnight and charge. I guess the first step is to put a plug outside for charging. Its also not such a bad spot to stop, nice lakes to walk around. Short walk to Zbiroh castle. 

-Create showers and a bunk room for campers. As we have made a lawn on the platform, it seems practical to put a shower now in with the toilet in the mens and women's bathrooms/platform. A large room is right at the end of the platform, can be easily converted into bunk house sleeping.

-Rehearsal spaces for bands. One local band has started to rent the space under the toilets to rehearse their music. I'm thinking its possible to have bands use different spaces around the building for this, provided its not a problem for the neighbors and people inside the building.

-Tools for artists and creators. Things like a kiln and pottery wheel, professional easel, trolleys for paint. slabs of glass, welding equipment/welding space, constant. Something like a makers space, a place where art and hacking might melt together. 

-I'm thinking to have bee's at the station, seems practical and low cost. Also reading that bee's are in decline due to the globalization. A large area of land exists between the tracks that has a lot of wild flowers, they have been flowering through-out the spring, summer and now more in the Autumn. Also, i have heard the honey from wild flowers is quite sort after. I'm sure i need to learn a lot on farming the bee's with the wild flowers, the idea keeps bouncing back to me, so i think i'm at least going to try one hive. We have been given a small subsidy through an association in Rokcancy for 2016, to help kick start the bee's.

-Film production companies, photographers, music video clips.
A lot of films companies need to use spaces similar to the station to shoot things, as do photographers and also people that make music video clips and commercial advertisements. The station is not so far from Prague's main station Hlavni Nadrazi, direct trains arrive from Prague's main station to Karez in about an hour, a well maintained walking path connects Zbiroh to Karez. Depending on the traffic and how fast you drive, you can drive from the station to Prague or Plzen in about 35-50 minuets. 

-Steam trains- We have been contacted by one of the clubs in Plzen, they would like to leave one of their trains at the station. The Iron Monument club in Plzen. www.imcplzen.cz The steam train engine they have offered us does not work, yet is basically complete. This would be a great feature. The organization is in contact with Czech rail, we have been told it will be possible to put the train on the tracks out the front of the station.

-Cajovna- coffee shop, cakes, beer, soup, with the long term plan of building a restaurant. To start with it seems that the best thing to do is to do is use the waiting room as a small kitchen, rather than re-fit the restaurant. Probably only open the cafe on the weekends to start with, as running a cafe full time is a big job. I would like to have the toilet and water filling points open during the day always though.

-Tourist information point-a place that shows detailed map of whats near the station, provide parking and toilets for people to relax and enjoy the platform atmosphere. Possibly a barbecue/cooking area, in Australia its quite common to have gas barbeque's that are sponsored by the local council. You pay for the gas by coin, and the council maintain the facility.

-A bike point. A place that gives bike riders a place to stop and possibility of accommodation  Bunk rooms could allow bike ridders to stay over night. Maps that show the places where people can ride. A large room on the platform could easily be made into a budget bunk house for people to stay at, Zbiroh is on the half way point between Prague and Plzen, so well situated for this use. No budget or backpacker accomadation is available in the area.

-Art Gallery and Artist residence. Local and international artists need a place to create and show art. Although the population density around the station is quite low, its only 2KM from the highway. The station has a remote atmosphere, that is good for creative inspiration. About 40 meters in front of the station are the new tracks, so the trains passing by are not too loud.

-Events. Have a known alternative original music artist perform at the station once a month with a supporting un-known alternative original artist. Artists need a platform to perfom what they create. Trainfest- A film festival based on the theme of trains. Provide art house films once a month to locals at minimal cost, possibly run in conjunction with one of the larger production companies in Prague.

-Over the years I have really collected a lot of things, I have a lot of chairs. One idea might be to make a chair museum, documenting chairs built in the last century from Central Europe. Having a space where the old chairs can be worked on in the right fashion, so they can be brought back to what they were and then displayed.




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