Village history
Written records about settlements in the near surroundings originate from the bronze and iron ages (1700 - 400 years BC). Original settlement is recorded to the neolithic age. Continual permanent settlement with gradual de-forestation is recorded from the tenth century.
The lumberjack settlement of Babylon originated most probably in the 15th century. First written record of a lumberjack settlement is from 1587, when it was written that it was a scattered and disorganised settlement. (Nearby Ceska Kubice was originally also a lumberjack settlement, but only from 1685,subsequently it became a more important resort than Babylon.)
Parezov, the original name of the village, probably comes from extensive areas cut down for the build of the Parezov ponds in the 15th century, this being the period of time when these water systems were mostly being build. The new name Babylon probably emerged from the ethnographic diversity of residents in the emerging holiday resort by the Top Parezov Pond, then called Babylon.
At the beginning of the 17th century the situation in Bohemia was gradually getting more dramatic. After stormy events, related to release of a Royal Decree by Rudolf II., and the so-called Pasov adventure at the beginning of 1611, there was a period of aristocratic and upper-class uprising (1618 - 20). Chodsko countryside as a whole did not stand on the rioting side (even though they were asked by the up-rising directors and the town of Domazlice, which was on the counter-Habsburk coalition side). Despite that their fate was similar to that of the other Bohemian kingdom regions. After the Battle of the White Mountain (year 1621), in the 30 years long war, a number of adjacent villages were badly damaged or burned down (by the Swedish or the Emperor's army).
In 1621 Wolf Laminger of Albenreuth (called Lomikar by the Chods) acquired the adjacent chod villages, confiscated from the town of Domazlice, the Chod castle ruin and also the Parezov - Babylon settlement, so they all became hereditory property of the Laminger family.
The first land registry list after the Battle of the White Mountain, known as Berni Rula (the oldest land register in Bohemia) and composed in 1654, recorded a list of the local landlords.
The tragic dispute between the privileged Chods and the Lamingers over the old rights climaxed on 06.06.1693, when the Chod villages were annexed by dragoons and fusiliers led by district office leader Fridrich Hora of Ocelovice. Krystof Hruby, bailiff of Drazenov, Jan Sladky Kozina of Ujezd and Jan Selner, so-called joker were marked as the main leaders of the uprising. Drazenov bailiff K Hruby died in prison in Prague on 01.06.1695, J.S.Kozina was hanged on 28.02.1695 on Plzen's place of execution.
The history of the adjacent Chod villages is described in the novel "Psohlavci" by Jirasek and a number of other beautiful pieces of literature (written during the era of Czech National Revival).
At the beginning of the 19th century the local area also suffered from the long-winded Napoleon wars.
After 1848 the subjection was repealed.
Since 1850 Parezov has been an autonomous village.
In 1863 the local railway line from Domazlice, through Ceska Kubice to Furth im Wald, Bavaria was built.
In 1869 Babylon already had 177 residents in 20 houses, in 1880 it was 170 residents in 21 houses and in 1890 just 160 residents in 21 houses.
From 1877 to 1907 Parezov belonged to Havlovice, after that it became autonomous.
Since the middle of the 19th century the wooden buildings with thatched or shingle roofs (easily burned down) were replaced with new brick houses with burned slates.
The foundation for a holiday resort around Horni Parezov - Babylon lake was laid by counts Stadion at the break of the 19th and 20th centuries. The counts owned the Parezov lakes (Dolni, Horni - Babylon, Cerny and other smaller ones) and also the local forests (Vejslava in the west, Okrouhlik in the east). On the Babylon pier they built an inn with a fishermans' cabin - a well-known "Bastirna" and a couple of cubicles on the waterside. This wooden building, even though largely reshaped, stayed on until recently. There were sand beaches around the lake already at the beginning of the 20th century. The resort became quicky popular and the first hotels and guest-houses were built.