Šumava

A list of the best the Šumava has to offer visitors must include places of natural beauty - well known glacial lakes by the name of Laka, Plešné, Prášilské, Černé a Čertovo, trails through the mountains, natural history exhibitions at visitors centres and Šumava National Park information centres, the remnants of virgin forest and, above all, the extensive stretches of peat bogs, their pasts wreathed in legend. Nowhere else will you find so many, and for no other corner of the Czech Republic is this kind of fauna so typical as for the Šumava.

Among the almost 70 peat bogs, some of the most attractive and most easily accessible include Jezerní slať,measuring 120 ha and located around halfway between Kvilda and Horská Kvilda, and Chalupská slať extending between the villages of Borová Lada and Nový Svět. Trails cross both of these areas with visitors using raised walkways and viewing gantries. The most remote of the peat bogs is Tříjezerní slať, a small area of moor peat bog to the southeast of Mount Oblík (1,224m), reachable from the geopark and Šumava National Park information centre at Rokyta.

Prachatice – This historical town in the foothills of the Šumava, and sitting astride a former salt trade route, boasts a Renaissance core. The town centre in encircled by hefty medieval town walls with parkland in between, several towers and the Písek Gate. Other worthwhile attractions include the imposing Church of St James which has a viewing tower, the only Circus Museum in the country and the town’s Lace Museum.

Kašperské Hory – This typical Šumava mountain settlement can be found beneath Kašperk Castle. It houses the Šumava Museum, a museum of classic motorcycles and Czech toys and the Šumava Brewery Museum. Winter entertainment is provided by the local ski resort.

Železná Ruda – This town boasts the Baroque Church of the Virgin, built with a layout in the shape of six-pointed star, and sporting a typical onion dome roofed with shingle. Other attractions include a classic motorcycle collection, the Belveder Brewery, the highest in central Europe, and the Brewing Museum at the Hotel Grádl.

Castle Velhartice – This late Gothic castle is one of Bohemia’s most noteworthy pieces of castle architecture. Particularly rare is the huge stone bridge resting on four Gothic broken arches and linking the Putna Tower with the ruins of the Gothic Rajský Palace opposite.

Castle Rožmberk – The ancient seat of the Rožmberk family, perched atop a promontory above the River Vltava. In addition to the classic tours there are evening and after-dark tours in the company of the White Lady, and you can also visit the executioner’s quarters and Hangman Museum.

Vyšší Brod – This Cistercian Monastery was founded in 1259. The tour includes the Church of the Ascension, a set of cloisters, a courtyard, a capital hall, a gallery and a library. Part of the monastery houses a Postal Museum.

Lipno – The largest body of water in the Czech Republic, Lipno is a popular place of summer and winter recreation. Nearby are the ruins of a castle called Vítkův Hrádek, a bobsleigh run and the Lipno ski resort including a kiddies training slope at the Captain Lipánek Foxpark . Near the dam, call in at the ČEZ Information Centre where there’s a small exhibition. In the summer months the reservoir’s waters are rippled by sightseeing boats; in winter a unique 11km-long skating track takes over on the frozen surface.

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