9. Zadní Zvonková – Dolní Dvořiště
Lenght: 55 km
Border checkpoints:
Pestřice – Sonnenwald (T)
Ježová – Iglbach (T)
Koranda - St. Oswald (T)
Přední Výtoň – Guglwald (A,T)
Mnichovice – Dürnau (T)
Studánky – Weigetschlag (A, T)
Radvanov – Rading (T) - touristic trail not finished yet
Český Heršlák - Deutsch Hörschlag
Horní Dvořiště – Eisenhut (A, T) – touristic trail not finished yet
Other sights:!
Water reservoir Lipno – bathing, refreshment, accommodation
Jasánky – natural preserve
Sv. Tomáš – educational trail about forest (arboriculture)
Vítkův kámen – castle
Vyšší Brod – gothic cloister
Rybník - 1. railway from České Budějovice to Linz (horse railway) – you can se only remains of railway embankment
Dolní Dvořiště – church of st.Jiljí from 15th century
Description:
There are two branches of service road too – the older one following the state border and the newer one more in the inland. The newer service road goes from Zadní Zvonková down from the boarding house at the Schwarzenberg water canal. After almost a kilometre we get to a road leading to Přední Zvonková. Service road bypassed the village from the south across the Zvonkovský hill. At present it is grass-grown and impassable. So it is better to continue on the road to Přední Zvonková. From Zadní and Přední Zvonkové ((Hinter / Vorderglöckelberg) only a church has survived – it is near the water canal. On the way to Přední Zvonková we go past a deserted building of the once troop, a ruin of a cowshed and some terraced houses.
We continue along the cycling path No. 1033 to the east and we go past an extinct village Račín (Ratschin). Only ruins of some outer walls have survived and a damaged memorial to Franz Josef. On the Straka crossing the service road leaves the red KČT path and continues for almost one kilometre along the cycling path No. 1033. Then it turns to the right towards Horní and Dolní Pestřice (Ober / Unterstögenwald).. Dolní Pestřice is now partially under the surface of the Lipno water reservoir and Horní Pestřice were pulled down due to the border zone. The road continues along the red KČT path.
A short way after the crossing of the Pestřický brook (natural reserve) we get to another extinct village Kozí stráň (Geisleiten), from which only some grass-grown foundations have remained. It provides a beautiful view of Lipno. The road continues partially along the service road through the Kyselovský wood to the once Kyselov (Sarau). This village is now on the bottom of the Lipno water reservoir. From there the road leads to the nearby border crossing (former house of the Border Police). On the way to the border crossing we can see a strip of the old service road from the 1950s, now grass-grown.
From Kyselov the service road goes across a bridge over the Rakovská bay. On the way we can see reels of barbed wire left in a ditch. On the sides of the road there are the original guard stones and remains of the wooden columns with a concrete pedestal. Right after the bridge the service road turns to the south and goes closely along the border to the road-fork at Koranda. There is a sheltered resting place, an info board with a plan of the route and information about sights on the way. There are several crosses along the road. Not far from there used to be Horní a Dolní Hraničná (Unter / Obermarkschlag). Only one cross and some fruit trees have remained from the Dolní Hraničná.
From there the service road continues circa 1 km to the north and then turns to the south-west again and then to the south-east and closes the projection of Bohemia. There used to be the village Jasánky (Asang). near there. We can still see there some fruit trees and a cross. Some guides claim there can be found also ruins of a mill and other houses. From there service road leads to Rychnůvek, before which the road turns towards the border and on the way it passes another extinct village Muckenschlag. The village Rychnůvek (Deutsch Reichenau Bei Friedberg) was established probably in the 13th century. From 1893 there was a post office, which provided also transportation of people. After 1918 there were also three pubs, two beer houses, two food stores and two general stores, two tobacconists. Rychnůvek had always had a school at the vicarage, it had four grades and it was attended by circa two hundred children from the surrounding villages.
The road continues past the extinct village Horní Ureš (Oberuresch), which used to be connected with the Austrian village Oedt. From Oedt the meadow, where the Czech village used to be, can be well seen. Now here is only a typical mixed young wood growing over the ruins. The service road then continues to the east, goes past the extinct village Rožnov (Rosenau), where only a shabby cross has survived.
The road leads along the border and before the Pasečná village it goes past another extinct village Mezilesí (Multerberg). In 1910 there were 32 houses with 165 people. Eleven years later 31 houses with 150 people are mentioned – then the name Multergerg is found only in the list of villages deserted after 1945. Near there, at the road to Pasečná and Spálenšitě, there is a memorial to a gendarme commander from Rychnůvek Mr. Antonín Měsíček. On 21.9. 1938 he was ambushed by members of Freikorps. He died 23.9. 1938.
The service road leads closely along the border to the border crossing Přední Výtoň – Guglwald. Nearby there is an unused building of the Border Police. From there the path goes along the road to Kapličky and on the way it goes past the extinct villages Lhota (Stift), Mlýnská (Műhldorf) and Dobřín (Dobring). The extinct village Kapličky (Kapellen) existed at least since 1278 at the old "Helfenberg road” from the Austrian Altenfelden to Vyšší Brod. In 1530 it was the seat of a reeve house and its influence grew. When the iron curtain was established, the whole village, including the church, was pulled down in 1959. The stone cross was built here after November 1989. The iron tower is a relic of the air-protection watch-tower.
The road continues on to the peat bog Kapličky. In the grass along the road there are lying remains of the columns and on the other side relics of the barbed wire. We can see also some still standing columns, opposite the resting place at the peat bog. From Kapličky the service road led along the road to the 5 km far Mnichovice. Along the road we can see several crosses. We go past several extinct villages too. Krásná Pole (Schőnfelden) used to be a place of extensive farming. They grew here quality wheat for holy wafers. The brewery of the Vyšebrodský cloister had their hop gardens there in the Middle Ages. Together with the surrounding settlements the village had 125 houses and 903 people in 1910. Like Kapličky, Krásná Pole were destroyed during the establishment of the border zone and the iron curtain. After 1990 one person settled there permanently, but is dead now already.
Hodoň (Hornschlag) Near the state border there used to be two other villages - Adámky (Abdank), first mentioned in 1530, while in 1938 it had 35 people, who were removed after the war and in 1950s the village was pulled down, and Frantoly (Frauenthal). This village was also pulled down in 1950s.
Service road goes through Mnichovicemi (Minichschlag), where it passes the former troop house of the Border Guard. The road leads on to Studánky and on its right side we can see the service road route. On the way it goes past the extinct villages Valdov (Waldau) and Bystrá (Schild). In the place of the village Bystrá, there is a customs house now.
The road continues via Dolní Drkolná to Horní Dvořiště. On the way it goes past the extinct villages Mlýnec (Lahrenbecher), , Konrátov (Kainretschlag) and Svatomírov (Zwarmetschlag). All these villages were destroyed due to establishment of the border zone in 1950s. The road then continues to the border crossing Dolní Dvořiště.