Since, in the nearly 230 years of the cutlery industry in Mikulášovice, we had the honor of welcoming the head of state directly to our production facility for the first time, February 23, 2023, was without a doubt a historic moment for Mikov. How do we assess this event now, a few days later?
The company has been visited in the past by, for example, First Lady Ivana Zemanová and a number of members of parliament and senators, both former and current. We’ve also hosted Aleš Opata, Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, and other high-ranking military and police officials. So, naturally, we welcomed the announced visit of newly elected President Petr Pavel, and it was a great honor for us.
When we were considering what to make the central theme of the entire visit, we unequivocally decided on the War Veteran Project. Petr Pavel received a Repetitor knife from us; a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this knife goes toward the Military Solidarity Fund. Since Petr Pavel, while still Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, had contributed a significant amount to this fund, this knife was not, strictly speaking, a gift, but rather a further affirmation of his contribution. And we reaffirmed that we are united in a common cause—ensuring that the heroes who did not hesitate to risk their lives and health for our country are not forgotten. Even if his visit had helped only this project, it would have been worthwhile.
As the owner of several of our knives, we gave Mr. Petr Pavel a behind-the-scenes look at the technological processes involved in cutting and sharpening blades, hardening, and precision machining in our tool shop. Our main goal was for him to see with his own eyes that high-quality products are crafted in Mikulášovice by the hands of local skilled workers. That means not only the popular, iconic “Rybičky” knives, but also the technologically more demanding Predator knives and bayonets for the BREN2 automatic rifle—which we manufacture under license from the Colt CZ Group—as well as other cutlery products.
Of course, we were delighted that the company was featured in newspapers, on television, and on social media. And we’d like to thank everyone who responded positively to this visit.