Jiri Barta | Mechanical puzzle

It is hard for me to bear how they passively spend their time watching computer screens aq mobile phones, not very valuable content on the Internet. At the toy fair in Nuremberg, I was looking for a thing that would take them and equally aged boys and girls from 13 to 17 a little away from the over-technologized world of mobile phones and computer games. I’ve always liked wooden toys, so it’s no surprise that I was drawn to moving mechanical puzzles made of wood.

I’ve made a discovery: mechanical puzzles can keep teens interested for hours. They desire to complete an interesting, unique project so intensely that they forget to answer texts and chat messages on their cell phones, they don’t turn on the computer and TV at the same time. They don’t spoil their already low ability to concentrate. They improve their stamina, their ability to communicate with live people, especially their parents, if they help in building the puzzle.

Since the other part of my education is computer science, I decided to do something about bringing wooden puzzles with mechanical moving parts to other people in the country where I live – that is, the Czech Republic. I founded a company and a website mechanicke-puzzle.cz

At first I chose Wooden City from Poland, which makes absolutely amazing wooden building blocks, and soon I discovered the Ukrainian company Ugears, which is also very popular in this area of entertainment for older children. The advantage of my company is that it specializes in advanced mechanic puzzles from different manufacturers. My clients have more choice.

Realizing that mechanical puzzles are more for older children, I started buying 2d colored wooden puzzles that can be put together by younger children or less adventurous adults.

I went full time in my own business and felt the need to sell more, so I decided to expand the online store to neighbouring countries where I can also deliver them without any problems. I added an e-shop variant for Slovakia, and I am expanding my activities to Slovenia and Poland through the marketplace. This trend of expanding the imaginary players of my e-shop continues and will continue.

What I like about wood puzzles is the ecological and aesthetic dimension of this product. Wood is a trouble-free material for nature and in every society, in every culture, wood is well perceived as an aesthetically pleasing, traditional material. Wood products are not subject to fashion waves and will continue to impress in a hundred years with their natural beauty. With all of this, I have chosen to surround my children so that they can see the beauty and perfection in the simplest of things and be enriched for life. I’m sure they will be proud of what they built with Tata when they were young. That is my goal for the future.