Vimperk Branch of the Golden Route
Address:
Town square no. 8, 385 01 Vimperk
Phone: +420 388 402 230
E-mail: infocentrum@mesto.vimperk.cz
Opening hours:
by consent
Entrance:
| Adults: | 20 CZK |
| Child: | 10 CZK |
| Family: | 40 CZK |
| Group: | 5 CZK pro Person |
The Golden Route was one of the most important mediaeval trade routes in Central Europe. It was a system of trails, which used to connect Passau with the Czech Lands since early Middle Ages. Along them mainly salt from (Solnohradsko) would have been transported. The name „Golden Route“ is known since the early 16th century. It gained its name thanks to blooming trade, which brough to Czech Lands not only salt, but also precious fabrics, weapons, spices, wines and fruits from the south. In the opposite direction mainly grain, well known Prachatice brandy and other foodstuffs would have been carried.
The system of the Golden route had developed for centuries. Its final form comprised of three major branches, which were named ofter the towns in Bohemia, they would stream to. The Prachatice branch was the oldest and most important. It has been known from the early 11th century. Vimperk branch started at the turn of 13th and 14th centuries. The youngest Kašperské Hory branch was founded by Emperor Charles IV in the mid 14th century.
At the peak of the mediaeval trade routes farom 14th to 16th century Golden Route was one of the most frequented routes in Central Europe. Hussite Wars interrupted traffic for some time, but during 15th century it again gained its importance. 16th century, when House of Rožmberks ruled, was its most famous period. This suddenly changed after thirty-year war. After it finished, Habsburgs had their way and started to import salt from Linz to České Budějovice, so the salt from Pasau and the Golden Route wasn´t so important any more. In the 18th century the traffic on the Golden Route stopped.
But the notion the Golden Route still lived in the hearts of the people from Šumava and the nearby Czech and German regions. It became a historical phenomen, which symbolized common past of Czechs and Germans. Forty years of communism weakened this feeling of relationship among the Czechs, but after year 1989 it´s geeting better again. The Golden Route has again become the reason of many of Czech-German activities and initiatives focused on future cooperation betwenn the two nations. Unlike Prachatice and Kašperské Hory branches, which already have their exhibitions in Prachatice and Volary museums and on the Kašperk Castle, the Vimperk branch didn´t have such a display.
This has now changed by the opening of a new exhibition in a reconstructed house nunber 8 on the Vimperk square. Pictures, texts, 3D objects and attractive models are displayed here to inform the visitors about the Vimperk branch of the Golden Route. It´s the only branch,, which is still used today. On its route lies the road, which connects the Czech Republic and Germany and as the only one it goes through the central Šumava massif. Step by step the visitors learn what Golden Route was, what was its history, where and how the salt was mined, what were pact mules, pact horses and pact caravans. They discover where exactly the Vimperk branch of the Golden Route used to go through and they learn about interesting events, which happened on and near the Golden Route. They can see historical documents, maps and old pictures of pack caravans and forays of trade caravans. On color photographs they can follow the whole route of the Vimperk branch, they can see it from the air and see its remainders in the landscape. They learn in detail about three big sections of the remainders, so called „systems“ (Kubova Huť Systém between Kubova Huť and Arnoštka, Žlíbský Systém between Horní Vltavice and Strážný, and Systém on Municipal Hill near Strážný). They were heavily searched and plenty of interesting objects from the days of Golden route glory (like horseshoes, forging, stirrup, metal parts of weapons, etc.) were found on them. The exhibitions also includes historical documents (the rules of the trade from 1538 and a statement of a robger who was captured on the Golden Route around 1410), and two attractive models of the past times. The first one shows the campaingn of Vimperk ruler family Kaplíři from Sulevice troops to Passau under the Kunžvart Castle in the year 1458 and the second one an entrenchment Kořenný from the times of the Napoleonic wars.
Number of visitors this page since 21st November 2005: 29552
