5 – Modrava and the Old Březník Way
The Golden Road passes through Modrava and leads towards the border
The Golden Road passed through Modrava in almost the same line as today’s road, towards the bridge across the Modrava stream. After passing it, it separated from the road to Březník (so called Old Březník Way) and began to climb south. The remains of the old road can be found in a dense forest cover above Modrava, where they are interrupted by a newly built road, but continue on a plateau, on the western edge of which they follow a marked tourist trail in continuous steep climb to the spot height 1102. It is one sunken lane, which splits in parts, gets closer and further away from today’s road, but still keeps within reasonable distance. It is more visible in some places than in others. In any case, it can be considered a remnant of the old Golden Road. It is around 600 m long and disappears east of the 1102 spot height, where the terrain evens out. Traces of the old road can be followed west from today’s green tourist trail while climbing the Modrava mountain (1157 m).
The Golden Road passed through Modrava in almost the same line as today’s road, towards the bridge across the Modrava stream. After passing it, it separated from the road to Březník (so called Old Březník Way) and began to climb south. The remains of the old road can be found in a dense forest cover above Modrava, where they are interrupted by a newly built road, but continue on a plateau, on the western edge of which they follow a marked tourist trail in continuous steep climb to the spot height 1102. It is one sunken lane, which splits in parts, gets closer and further away from today’s road, but still keeps within reasonable distance. It is more visible in some places than in others. In any case, it can be considered a remnant of the old Golden Road. It is around 600 m long and disappears east of the 1102 spot height, where the terrain evens out. Traces of the old road can be followed west from today’s green tourist trail while climbing the Modrava mountain (1157 m).
Merchant’s two-wheeled cart from 1476
Area, nature, personalities, events
In 2011 an investigation of the microregion around Roklanský stream in Modrava’s plains was launched, in which several settlements and pieces of flint from the Mesolithic period, made from Bavarian chert. The reason for the presence of Mesolithic people in these high areas can be food sources in summer months (biomass, fish – the Atlantic salmon would live in Losenice, Vydra and Křemelná). Kvilda plains’ flat relief and a system of rivers presented an ideal environment for a hunter-gatherer settlement.
One of them was discovered by Javoří Pila, about 5 km west from Modrava. An unexpected result of the abovementioned project was the discovery of a settlement from the Late Iron Age near the river Křemelná, about 5 km north from Prášily. With the altitude of 802, it is the highest situated Celtic settlement in Bohemia. A smaller researched brough a relatively numerous collection of 2 century BC ceramics, proving the presence of Celts in these mountainous parts of Šumava. The reason for their presence was likely connected to gold-mining.
After the end of the Golden Trail and the Golden Road
In 2011 an investigation of the microregion around Roklanský stream in Modrava’s plains was launched, in which several settlements and pieces of flint from the Mesolithic period, made from Bavarian chert. The reason for the presence of Mesolithic people in these high areas can be food sources in summer months (biomass, fish – the Atlantic salmon would live in Losenice, Vydra and Křemelná). Kvilda plains’ flat relief and a system of rivers presented an ideal environment for a hunter-gatherer settlement.
One of them was discovered by Javoří Pila, about 5 km west from Modrava. An unexpected result of the abovementioned project was the discovery of a settlement from the Late Iron Age near the river Křemelná, about 5 km north from Prášily. With the altitude of 802, it is the highest situated Celtic settlement in Bohemia. A smaller researched brough a relatively numerous collection of 2 century BC ceramics, proving the presence of Celts in these mountainous parts of Šumava. The reason for their presence was likely connected to gold-mining.
After the end of the Golden Trail and the Golden Road
Modrava on a veduta from 1860
The oldest available mentions of Modrava come from 1614 and 1617, though at that time it was not yet a permanent settlement, only a convenience place on the Golden Road with pastures for beasts of burden and fish. Only in 1757 does Modrava start to develop into a fishing and hunting village. In 1799, prince Schwarzenberg bought the Prášily estate from count Filip Kinský and uses the riches of the surrounding forests. But people lived in its surroundings much earlier than that.