A village that inspires. In Ratiboř, they turn ideas into reality

Golden Czech hands

Ratiboř was awarded the title of Green Municipality of the Year 2025. According to Mayor Martin Žabčík, the success is not due to one big project, but to a long-term effort to do things so that the village is a pleasant place to live in the future.

"Our vision is that we strive to make our village modern, environmentally friendly and at the same time pleasant to live in. We focus on energy savings, use renewable resources, manage rainwater, plant greenery on a large scale, try to better manage waste and involve our residents in everything. Maybe it's not even a project, but a long-term way to pass the village on to future generations in the best possible condition."

The municipality produces more energy than it consumes

Renewable energy sources play a big role in Ratiboř. 

"We have several photovoltaic power plants on our general buildings. In total, it is 130 kWp. Today, we produce more energy than we can consume ourselves. The one we don't consume, we share or then sell."

Local people help with planting and planning

According to the mayor, such changes could not be made without the support of the residents. They are involved not only in public debates, but also in specific events.

"Citizens are very active in our country . They help, for example, during events where we plant fruit trees. We have an extensive set of original varieties, so they come with us to plant trees. They also attend meetings where we talk about the future of the village, propose various measures and projects, so citizens are really very active with us."

Communication is important

Martin Žabčík believes that people are more willing to get involved when they understand why the municipality is preparing individual projects.

"I have been trying to talk about these things for a long time and present all projects to the public as much as possible. I want people to understand that it is not only important to repair the building, but also to add value to it in the form of water retention, energy production or accompanying greenery. Only then does everything fit into one whole."

Ratiboř invites other municipalities and visitors

Not only mayors of other towns and villages, but also the general public can look for inspiration in Ratiboř.

"We will certainly be very happy to welcome everyone to Ratiboř. We will be happy if they come to see us. And we are also pleased with every vote in the E. ON Energy Globe competition, in which we are now competing with our sustainable Ratiboří."

Interview with the male HERE: Interview from 03.07.2026