Glass production, sacred architecture, and traces of pre-war fortifications offer different themes to explore in Annín. Other highlights include the Church of St. Maurice in Mouřenec above Annín, the neo-Gothic Schmid Chapel, and a nature trail focused on geology and natural history. These places and themes have distinct focuses, ranging from glassmaking and its history to church art, military history, and natural history.

Glass Production and a Visit to Sklárna

Sklárna Annín was founded in 1796 by Augustin Muller from Vatětice. It produced crystal glass and small glass beads known as Pateříky. During a visit, you can see original Czech lead crystal with traditional and modern patterns, the museum, the sales room, and the glassworks. This connects the history of the business with its products and the craft of glassmaking.

The visit also offers a hands-on activity: visitors can choose a decoration and blow an original glass object themselves. If you plan to take part, confirm availability before your visit. This distinguishes the visit to the museum, sales room, and glassworks from the hands-on activity, whose availability you should check separately.

Mouřenec: Church, Wall Paintings, and Ossuary

The Church of St. Maurice in Mouřenec above Annín is one of the oldest churches in Šumava. It was built after 1220 in the late Romanesque style. Rare 14th-century wall paintings were discovered in the church in 1993 and later restored. The building’s history and the wall paintings represent different periods: the church was built after 1220, the paintings date from the 14th century, and they were discovered many centuries later.

The cemetery complex also includes an 18th-century Baroque ossuary on its north side. The church, paintings, and ossuary each offer a distinct perspective on the architectural and cultural history of Mouřenec: late Romanesque architecture, medieval painting, and a Baroque cemetery structure. This distinction helps visitors appreciate the individual features rather than seeing them as repetitions of a single theme.

Schmid Chapel: Glass in a Sacred Space

The neo-Gothic Schmid Chapel, with the Schmid family crypt, stands at the edge of the forest above the Annín glassworks. Glass products in its interior furnishings are valuable evidence of the history of glassmaking in Annín and elsewhere in Šumava. Here, the connection with glassmaking history can be explored not only through production and the museum, but also through the use of glass products in a sacred space.

You can reach the chapel from the car park by the glassworks by walking uphill across a meadow, or via an unmarked turnoff from the road to Mouřenec. Two specific details can help you find your way: the path across the meadow leads uphill, while the other access route branches off the road without signage. The two options therefore differ in both route and signage.

Fortification History and Natural History

The Annín Museum of Light Fortifications is an atypical bunker on a rock above the main road from Sušice to Kašperské Hory. Its focus is not limited to the structures themselves: the museum explains why Czechoslovakia’s pre-war fortifications were built, the system used to defend them, and their wartime and post-war history. These subjects give the site a different historical focus from glassmaking or the churches in Mouřenec.

The Radešovské skály nature trail also starts in Annín and focuses on geology and natural history. Geology and natural history thus complement the area’s cultural and historical themes. When choosing Annín, you can tailor your visit to your interests: glass and its history, sacred architecture and wall painting, the development of fortifications, or geological and natural history. These themes are distinct in content and do not have to be combined into a set route.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Petrovice U Sušice, Javor, Dešenice, Prasily, Hamry Na Šumavě, Žihobce, Kovčín, Kocourov.

Back to the main travel overview: Okres Klatovy.