Czech Republic Guide
South Bohemia
Kašperské Hory
One bus a day from Vimperk (more frequently from Sušice) heads for KAŠPERSKÉ HORY (Bergreichenstein), an old German mining village on the River Otava, positioned below the semi-ruined castle of Kašperk that was built by Charles IV to guard over the local gold mines. The town's smartest building is its pristine Renaissance radnice with its three perfect eighteenth-century gables, featuring – from left to right – a Czech lion, a clock and the town's mining emblem.
In addition, the town's muzeum Šumavy (May– Oct Tues– Sat 9am– noon & 12.45–5pm, Sun 9am– noon; 40Kč), on the main square, below the church, displays some wonderful local glassware on its top floor, ranging from fourteenth-century to turn-of-the-twentieth-century gear, with pieces by local firms such as Lötz, Schmid and Kralik, from the neighbouring town of Klášterský Mlýn (Klöstermühle). In the late nineteenth century, Lötz in particular won many prizes in Brussels and Paris for its Tiffany-style iridescent glass vases and weird vegetal shapes, many of which inexplicably escaped the auctioneer's hammer and ended up here.
Also on the main square is the Moto muzeum (June– Sept daily 9am–5.30pm), containing one of the finest collections of old motorbikes in the country, displayed rather surprisingly in the building's attic. More than forty bikes line the eaves, all in pristine condition, and ranging from interwar BMW boxers to domestic trials bikes; pride of place, though, goes to a beautiful red 1928 Indian.
Plush accommodation is available at the Park Hotel Tosch ( 
376 582 592, 
www.tosch-parkhotel.cz ; Price: 2001-2500Kč) on the northwest corner of the main square, catering mostly for German tourists. Tosch's rival is Aparthotel Šumava 2000 ( 376 546 910, www.sumava2000.cz ; Price: 2001-2500Kč), a Best Western chain hotel also on the square, which has an internet café. At the other end of the scale is the Turistická ubytovňa ( 724 265 683; Price: Under 500Kč), behind the church; theoretically, it's open all year, but it's advisable to come early or to book in advance. There is also a host of pensions and private rooms on the outskirts of town. You can get a decent bite to eat and a Gambrinus and Radegast beer at the Pod věží restaurant (closed Sun), at the upper end of the square.