Hartmanice - Vlastějov
The high location of Vlastějov allows for beautiful distant views in good weather. In the southeast direction, Hartmanice with the Hamižna Hill, as well as the distant Kašperské Hory with the twin towers of Kašperk, Ždánov Mountain and the long ridge of Javorník gradually appear. Towards the east, you can see Loučová and three Stráž peaks: Loučovská 751 m, Stráž 755 m and Volšovská with 790 m.
The northeast view is dominated by Mount Svatobor with an altitude of 845 m, an observation tower and a television tower.
From time immemorial, the life of local communities has been linked to agricultural activity, which began at the same time as the arrival of the first permanent residents. It developed more during the boom in glassmaking, when the number of inhabitants increased, and the glassmakers harvested large forest areas, which were later turned into fields and meadows by burning and uprooting.
From the 19th century, agriculture became the most important supporting element of the livelihood of all the inhabitants of the area, with the possible exception of the employees of several sawmills, mills, breweries and small artisan and business entrepreneurs. While elsewhere smaller estates were gradually joined and grouped into larger units, here in the economically relatively poor and backward region, feudal fragmentation remained until the end of World War II. The local owners of small manors were usually the owners of one village or several other hamlets. In the harsh foothills, they usually grew rye, oats and potatoes and raised cattle. The regional name "oat barons" was also created for them.
Just as in the past, today Vlastějov, like most of the surrounding villages and settlements, is a place of concentrated agricultural business. Almost the entire path in this part of Pošumaví is lined with meadows and pastures with grazing cattle. Less than two kilometers below Vlastějov lies the village of Jiřičná with a castle, the preserved buildings of the former brewery, a roundel-type brewery well and the nearby hill fort on Hrnčíř.
In the section from both Těšovy through Vlastějov, it is possible to follow the farm trail, which here almost copies the branch of the former Golden Salt Trail. It has long been said that salt is better than gold in Bohemia. Šumava was crossed by several trade routes in the early Middle Ages. The oldest of them led from the Danube from present-day Deggendorf in Bavaria via Rinchnach, Gsenget (today there is a tourist border crossing), Prášila and Dobra Voda to Hartmanice. This part of the Golden Salt Trail is associated with the name of the Benedictine monk St. Vintíř, the first herald of the ideas of mutual respect, cooperation and good neighborly relations between Czechs and Germans. In Hartmanice, the trail branched off in two directions. One of the branches (the so-called upland branch) continued through Krušce and Stráž to Sušice and from there along Otava. The second branch continued to Velharticíce and further inland. the surface of the trail was carefully maintained so that a horse, a donkey, carrying a load of a few grains of salt, could comfortably pass.
Source: explanatory board in Vlastějov
