Czech Canada: Head to a defunct village in the woods
In the southeastern tip of Bohemia, where the historical borders of Moravia and Austria touch the imaginary border markers of the Czech Kingdom, there is a region of forests, ponds, granite boulders and crosses along forest paths. The name Czech Canada was used for it and I know it belongs to my favorite. I chose for you a visit to the defunct village of Pfaffenschlag, located near Slovanice.
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The Middle Ages breathes from the remains of the walls
| Photo: Deník/Tomáš Koutek
The very name of the location suggests that we are in places where Czech and German language environments have successfully coexisted for many centuries. The settlement of Pfaffenschlag was founded on the site of a defunct older settlement, most likely by a Slavonic priest in those days. Przemysl II. Otakara. Its name could be roughly translated into Czech as “a spanking from a flannel”. The village consisted of 16 homesteads and a mill, located along both banks of today’s Slavonické stream. Its existence was probably ended by the Hussite hordes in 1423, although local legends place its demise at the time of the Thirty Years’ War.
It was known about the former village, hidden somewhere in the woods, but archaeologists wanted to find it and explore it. He took on the task archaeologist Vladimír Nekuda from Brno (1928 – 2006), an excellent expert whom I had the honor to meet personally at a similar location, Mstěnice u Hrotovice. He writes about his discovery from 1960: “Research work on the Pfaffenschlag site began in June 1960 and ended in 1971. Over the course of 12 years, a comprehensive investigation of the housing estate, spread over an area of 22,500 m2, was carried out…”
From Moldava to Flaje: Swing in the meadows and around the streams
The foundations of homesteads and farm buildings were uncovered and secured. The surprise was the large number of underground spaces, lochs. “Given the fact that the underground spaces are relatively small, they most likely served as a warehouse for those foods that had to be kept in a cold room, e.g. milk,” assumed the Czech archaeologist Nekuda.
Today, Pfaffenschlag, called with a bit of exaggeration the “Czech Troy”, is freely accessible by tourist signs. I personally recommend the route from the Old Town, you can also walk here from Slavonice around the ponds, one of which has the nice name Vožralý. And between us, I spent the night here and it was very nice.
What to see in the area:
Slavonice – a wonderful Renaissance historical town with two gates, a town tower and an accessible underground. There is also a Fortress area with accessible bunkers. Landštejn – one of the oldest and most powerful Czech castles. Grasel’s trail – an educational trail between forests around rock formations, reminds of the “life and work” of the famous robber.
Transport:
Bus and train in Slavonice (5.5 km), BUS in Staré Město pod Landštejnem (about 5 km)
Good to know:
The possibility of refreshments and good parking in Slavonice, I have personal experience with the restaurant in the Alfa hotel. The Slavonice fortress complex is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the holidays, and at the same time on weekends during the off-season (May, June, September).