History in time
The raw nature of the Bohemian Forest mountains will fascinate you with its virgin nature and envelop you not only in mysterious memories of the vanished villages in the borderland, but also remind you of the time of the medieval Golden Path. Take a look at the timeline of historically significant events in the Bohemian Forest.
Small historical finds show us the first mentions from the late Paleolithic period (10,000 years BC), archeologically this area is little explored due to the impenetrability of the forests. The beginnings of the first archaeological research in the Czech Republic are related to the popularity of collecting.
In professional circles, it is considered a cult find of a bronze cart in one of the Mounds near Milaveč u Domažlic. A bronze sword and a large amphora-like vessel made of bronze sheet were also discovered here. Thanks to the restorers, we can see it today in the museum in Mainz. In the collection of the Chodsko Museum in Domažlice, we have preserved cauldrons and amphorae. In the Museum of the Czech Forest in Tachov, you can see an ax crusher and an ax from the Late Stone Age.
During the period of increase in settlement, especially in Domažlicko, which was not permanent due to the inhospitable climatic conditions, the colonization process also encountered disagreements between the two ethnic groups - the Czech and Bavarian parties. Along the paths, guard fortified points were created on both sides, Czech and German, but the land border was constant and mobile. The interests of the Czech princes and their neighbors from Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate clashed. A major military clash was the battle between Prince Břetislav I and the German Emperor Henry III. at Brůdek in 1040, where Czech troops won.
There was also monastic colonization and the establishment of the first West Bohemian Benedictine monastery in Kladruby in 1115 and the Premonstratensian monastery in Teplá in 1193. Changes in village settlements, which the new feudal owners were in charge of, accelerated and smaller towns began to form. Cosmos’s chronicle already mentions one of them – Bělá nad Radbuzou, which used to be one of the centers of the Chods.
The guards of the state border in the area of the Bohemain Forest occupied the zone from the Všerubský pass to the Tachov region. The first mention of Chods can be found in Dalimil's chronicle from the beginning of the 14th century. Historians consider them to be inhabitants of Serbian origin, which is evidenced by the oldest settlement of the Chods in the Chod territory near Srbice. The Chods had their own privileges, their own court and their own magistrate. However, it disappeared with the gradual creation of fortified castles and cities and the colonization of the German population. During the reign of Přemysl II. Otakar, the royal cities of Domažlice and Tachov were founded. Massive construction of castles took place - Přimda Castle, Bastion of the castle in Tachov, Nový and Starý Herštejn or Rýzmberk Castle.
The rivalry for the imperial crown between Charles IV. and Louis IV. of Bavaria caused an increased military interest of the Luxembourgers in western Bohemia and their defense against their neighbors. Charles IV. he was unable to fully implement his plan for "New Bohemia" by combining Tachov, the surrounding villages and the dowry of his wife Anna Falcka (Horní Falc). Thanks to his frequent travels through this region from Prague to Nuremberg, he laid the foundation for the creation of the "Nuremberg Trail".
Crusade number four, organized by the Reichstag and the Pope, was supposed to proceed from Nuremberg through Cheb and Tachov, but in the end the crusaders decided to conquer Stříbro. However, the Hussite troops under the leadership of Prokop Holý reacted quickly and drove the crusaders away from the gates of Stříbro. They did not like their defeat and in the form of the fifth expedition began to besiege Tachov on August 1, 1431, ravaged the surrounding area, burned the town of Brod, another 200 villages and even part of the Domažlice suburb. The Hussites also repulsed this expedition on August 14.
The Hussite Wars resulted in large shifts in the ownership of land, the archbishopric properties of Horšovský Týn and Velký Bor disappeared, and restrictions also affected the Kladrubský monastery. Although the Hussite wars contributed to the honoring of cities in the borderlands as well, the authorities began to invite new German colonists.
The sale of estates to the German nobility resulted in the rise of the Habsburgs. There was the development of economic entrepreneurship with a great use of the wealth of forests, the extraction of wood, which served not only as fuel, but also for the needs of glass and iron smelters. We call this period the glassmaking expansion. We can mention, for example, the oldest of them Stará Huť u Rybníka, Eisendorfská huť, Štraská, Horní or Karlova Huť. The burning of charcoal in millers also served as a reducing agent in the smelting of iron and zinc ores.
As a result of the post-war demand for iron, the ironworks industry boomed, ironworks were established mainly in the localities of Horšovský Týn and Trhanov. Forests provided livelihood to craftsmen, especially woodcutters, joiners and wheelwrights. Construction stone was also mined here. Last but not least, we must not forget the water management area, where ponds were established. The water power of the forest streams was used for polishers, glass grinders, hammers and mills.
This boom in the business economy resulted in the enrichment of local businessmen, which did not escape the German side and resulted in the invasion of Bavarian troops. There were reforms of Enlightenment absolutism and the abolition of monasteries. The national struggle between Czechs and Germans continued in the 19th century.
The world economic crisis is coming, and the worst affected areas were the non- German peripheral areas of the Czech lands. The negative effects on the export of handicrafts were considerable and it encouraged strong anti-Czech sentiments among the neighbors and the emergence of the Sudeten German Patriotic Front. It was necessary to guard the borders and mobilize forces to defend the endangered republic. The West Bohemian borderland was the scene of the greatest resistance of fanatical Henleinites against the republic after Hitler's speech in Nuremberg. Only with the declaration of martial law and the prohibition of the activities of the Sudeten German party did the situation calm down.
The erection of the "Iron Curtain" after February 1948 also contributed to the formation of the Bohemian Forest. Since then, no one except border guards was allowed into the strictly guarded border zone. Gross violence, electric barriers, minefields, all of this was a symbol of the Bohemian Forest until 1989, when the Iron Curtain fell. Displaced villages were wiped from the face of the earth for good. The 40-year rule of the Communist Party had a very negative impact on the development of the Bohemian Forest area and left enormous cultural and social damage.
Immediately after the abolition of the border zone in 1989, when this long- secret area became accessible to the general public, the first proposal for the preparation of the Protected Landscape was created in 1990. Thanks to the long- lasting ban on access, we have thus preserved a unique natural landscape with a very low population density, almost like in the Middle Ages. You can barely see the lights of human dwellings from the densely forested hills. The low population also has something to do with the greater driving distance to cities, high unemployment and the lack of schools providing higher education.