The dream of building a memorial to the vanished village of Babiny I began its life in the autumn days of 2024 in connection with the decision to renovate the Babiny I cross. Here it is necessary to clarify the names used: the extinct village was called Babiny I, not far from it, across the valley of the Homole stream, there is a settlement called Babiny II, which is now part of the village of Homole u Panny. In the Inventory of the association, for simplicity and clarity of the names of small sacral monuments (SSM), each of the 10 parts of the village of Malečov is listed in Roman numeral order after the documented SSM. So the name of the SSM Babiny I is actually the first documented cross in the Babiny I part. Otherwise this SSM would have to be listed in the Inventory as Babiny I I, the second one as Babiny I II, etc.

Thus, in the first phase of this project, the Babiny I cross will be renovated first. The progress of its renovation can be followed HERE. With the installation of a wrought-iron cross on the newly created head on August 18, 2025, the first stage of the work was completed. All that remains is the blessing of the cross, which will be connected with the completion of the second stage.

In the second phase, a resting place will be built at the well (see photos behind the historical images in the Photo Gallery section), where an information sign will be installed, which will have a special QR code in addition to text about the history of the village and historical photos. By scanning this code with a mobile phone, the visitor will be able to be transported to a 3D model of the village indicated by the simplified shapes of semi-transparent buildings placed in the existing real landscape.

In order to create a 3D model, a discussion was initiated in early December 2024 with Pavel Matoušek from Ústí nad Labem, who has already created several 3D models for the association - see, for example, the renovation of the statue of St. John of Nepomuk in Proboštov.

At a personal meeting on 13 December 2024, further procedures and details were already agreed. Pavel Matoušek will use a drone to create a 3D model of the existing landscape of the vanished village of Babiny I in the period when the trees are without leaves. The process of creating the 3D model, which was completed on December 22, 2025, is described in the "3D model" section, where there is also a link to view the model.

On 16 December 2024, the graphic studio Imagine Media, based on the request of the association, created a basis for specifying the location of the buildings in the existing landscape by projecting an aerial image onto today's mapy.cz, from which the coordinates for their placement in the 3D landscape model will be subsequently determined.

Projection of an Aerial Image onto an Existing Map

On April 8, 2025, a request was made for the production of a stainless steel frame for an information sign, and an application was submitted for a grant from the Ústí Community Foundation. Thanks to the support of Jaroslav Lohniský from Malečov and his connections, the frame was produced on April 30, 2025, as a gift! What happened with the support from the Ústí Community Foundation? More details can be found in the "3D model" section.

At the Offroad Babiny event, which took place on April 26 and 27, 2025, in the immediate vicinity of the extinct village, the association had the opportunity to promote its project with the aim of informing participants about the extinct village and at the same time trying to obtain financial donations. The first CZK 100 appeared in the association's account.

On April 17, 2025, at a meeting between the association's chairman and representatives of the Czech Tourist Club at the Malečov Cultural Center, it was agreed that a turnoff from the tourist trail would be built from Čeřeniště to the memorial site at the well in Babiny.

On September 3, 2025, a minor modification of the area around the well was agreed upon with the representative of the owner of the land with the well, Luděk Prušák from MILIDIA Invest, a. s. MILIDIA Invest, a. s. will move the fence behind the well, build a simple wooden fence in front of the moved fence, and remove the concrete sleepers covering the well (see Photo Gallery). The association will ensure access to the well by modifying the terrain of the nearby road embankment and cutting down several self-sown shrubs. All this will take place after the end of cattle grazing on the land in question, estimated to be in June 2026.