Source of the Vltava River
The Vltava River originates as the Teplá Vltava on the slopes of Černá hora in the Šumava Mountains at an altitude of 1172 meters above sea level. The spring is directed into a stone-lined basin, where you can toss a few coins for good luck.
How to get there
The best way to reach the springs is by bicycle from Kvilda. The route is well marked and follows an asphalt road along the blue tourist trail. Along the way, you can admire primeval forest growths of mountain climax spruce stands with the presence of dwarf bog pine forms.
Additional information
In the 1920s, one of the first cottages of the Czechoslovak Tourist Club in Šumava was built here. During World War II, the cottage was converted into a prisoner labor camp, where mostly Red Army officers were held. When an American reconnaissance unit reached the camp at the end of the war, they found 70 emaciated Russian prisoners. In their memory, a monument was erected in 1948. The cottage was demolished in 1953 due to the Iron Curtain, and the monument was removed in the late 1990s.
The statue at the spring was created as part of a sculptor symposium organized by the village of Kvilda in 2004 and was carved by David Fiala.
Do you know that...
…Did you know the Cold Vltava (Studená Vltava) originates on the slopes of Mount Haidel near the Czech-Bavarian border?
