Strážný


Strážný, until 1955 Kunžvart is a market town in Prachatice District, Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic on the border with Bavaria, Germany.

Geography

Strážný lies in the valley below the Strážný mountain between two tributaries of the Vltava river, near the border of the Šumava National Park, 834 m a.s.l. It is a border crossing into Bavaria, Germany and lies 20 km south of the town Vimperk.

History

The village was founded at the end of the 17th century named Kunžvart, a nearby castle. The village was called Kuschwarda by its residents, who were German-speaking. The town relied on farming and lumbering/woodcrafts, and its position as a border town. After the end of the Second World War, in 1946 the residents were expelled to Germany, leaving behind their homes, farms and workshops, which were then given to Czechs. The 18th century Church of the Holy Trinity was torn down in the 1960s and all cemetery markers were removed, erasing much of the history of the town.
It grew in the second half of the 20th century through tourism and trade; it is noted for its casino and “nightclubs”. it is a winter holiday resort with ski-lifts on the surrounding slopes, like Kubova Huť.

Notable people