Kašperské Hory


Kašperské Hory is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It lies in the Bohemian Forest Range, some south of the region's capital of Plzeň.
Kašperské Hory is also the seat of the Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority within the Sušice Municipality with Extended Competence.

History

Kašperské Hory is a mountainous resort rich in history. The Kašperk Castle, built by Charles IV to guard the border and protect the trade route and local gold mines, is towering above the town. There are two guided tours available and from April to October the castle offers a rich cultural programme. Special Christmas, Easter and Lent events take place annually.
There are three museums in the town, the local history museum The Museum of Šumava featuring extensive exhibitions on glass making, wood cutting, gold mining, natural history exhibits, folklore and seasonal exhibitions. The museum is open from May to October. The other museums, the Museum of Historical Motorcycles and Exposition on Czech Wooden Toys are open all year round.
The original German-speaking population was forcibly expelled from the town and indeed all of Czechoslovakia after the end of the World War II in 1945 in accordance and pursuance of the provisions of the Potsdam agreement, with all of their property confiscated. Subsequently, the town was repopulated with Czechs.

Tourism

The town's countryside provide 5 circular routes and 2 nature trails suitable both for walking and cycling. In winter there are tracks for cross-country skiing covering 20 km and a down hill skiing complex with artificial snow, 3 ski lifts and a ski school.

Notable people

Kašperské Hory is twinned with: