Außergefild (Kvilda) offers several points of interest for nature lovers: deer at the visitor centre, a raised bog, plants along the Bezlesí nature trail, and two cultural themes. The Church of St Stephen and the Museum of Reverse Glass Painting complement the nature attractions with local history. When choosing your excursions, it is worth distinguishing between these attractions by their focus: wildlife, moorland and plant life sit alongside architectural history and reverse glass painting. This lets you give priority to the themes that will give your stay the focus you want.

Deer at the Kvilda Visitor Centre

Exhibitions at the Kvilda Visitor Centre explore the life of the European red deer and other deer species in the Šumava region. The Jelení stezka trail at the visitor centre complements the theme with a 2.6-kilometre circular route. It passes partly through the deer enclosure and has three observation towers. The visitor centre’s exhibitions focus on deer species and their lives; the Jelení stezka adds a path through part of the enclosure and observation towers. If you would like to make wildlife your main focus, you can use this distinction between the exhibition and the circular route as a guide.

Raised bog and cycle route at Jezerní slať

Jezerní slať is a raised bog on the plateau of the Šumava plains, three kilometres from Kvilda. A wooden boardwalk leads into the centre of the bog; information panels explain how the raised bog formed and, in part, its present-day flora and fauna. This brings together two perspectives in time: the formation of the landscape and aspects of its natural environment today. The circular route around Jezerní slať starts in Kvilda and follows a new tourist cycle route. The cycle route is part of the circular route, while the boardwalk leads into the centre of the bog. This gives you a different focus for your nature excursions than at the visitor centre: here, the raised bog and its development take centre stage, while the visitor centre focuses on deer species and the enclosure.

Plants along the Bezlesí nature trail

Plants are the focus of the Bezlesí nature trail: where small fields and meadows once lay, a variety of plants grow, many of them rare. The land’s former use as small fields and meadows gives the subject of plants a historical connection to the landscape. Those interested in plants will find a different perspective here than at the visitor centre, which focuses on deer species, or at Jezerní slať, where the description emphasises the raised bog and its formation. At Bezlesí, the focus is on today’s plant life and its connection to the land’s former use.

Church and reverse glass painting

Construction of the new stone Church of St Stephen began in 1892; it was consecrated in 1894. It is a protected cultural monument. The church therefore offers both a specific date in architectural history and a tangible connection to heritage protection. The Museum of Reverse Glass Painting in Kvilda is one of the stops on the Cesta podmaleb. For culture lovers, these offer two distinct areas of interest: a protected church building with its architectural history, and the separate subject of reverse glass painting, represented by the museum’s place on the museum trail. The church’s construction start and consecration dates help put its history in chronological order; for the museum, its connection to the Cesta podmaleb is a separate point of reference.

Discover more destinations: Chlumany, Drslavice, Šumavské Hoštice, Nicov, Želnava, Kristanovice, Vimperk, Těšovice.

For the regional travel overview: Prachatice District.