HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE
In place of the present location of the village of Kvilda there used to be nothing else but a deep forest, forming natural border between Bohemia and Bavaria in the past. The first settlers were enticed to these remote, forested and hostile parts by gold. In those times, i.e. in the mid 14th century, the region of future Kvilda belonged to to the Order of St. John. To this day we can see unquestionable remainders of gold panning in here - small heaps of panned sand called "sejpy".
The important factor that had huge influence to settlement of the region consisted of the trade routes. The upper Golden Path, i. e. the Kašperské Hory branch of the Golden Path, protected by the royal castle of Kašperk, served as a trading channel from 1366 and connected Passau with Kašperské Hory past Salzgattern, Freyung and Kvilda. The trade route was marked out under the reign of the King Charles IV in 1356. We can assume that Kvilda was founded as a service village at the trading route sometime in the 16th century.
The records of the Land Registers indicate that in 1569 the estates of Velký Zdíkov included a village quarters called "Gvildy". The tax books "Berní rula", representing the oldest register of the lands of subjects from 1654-1655, mention the village of "Kvilda pod Černými horami". In times of the Theresian Cadastre (1713–1734) Kvilda already had 200 inhabitants. In 1793 there were 380 people living in 50 houses, in 1870 Kvilda had 1121 inhabitants.
At the end of the 18th century when the traffic on the Golden Path was fading out, new trades and crafts occurred in the village cadastre, as was iron milling, glass-making, modest mountainous farming and mainly the crafts connected with wood harvesting and wood processing. At the time, there were three glass-works in the village, later on followed by the production of famous glass underpainting managed by the Verderber's family. The saw mill processing resonance wood founded in 1820 by Petr Strunz gained the worldwide fame. However, there were also other saw mills, joiner shops, lathe mills, ski manufacturers and woodcarving shops. And almost all houses in the village were making wood shingles. No matter if they were glass-makers, foresters or wood-cutters - all of them were also farmers. Living in the severe natural conditions of this remote part of the country, they had to take care of their bread and butter in the first place. New settlers cut and stumped the forests and m founded small fields or pastures on the newly acquired land, built first simple homes for themselves and their livestock. Keeping of livestock was utterly unnecessary for farming, mainly of cattle. The farmers were growing oat, rye, even winter wheat, potatoes and cabbage, in the surroundings of Kvilda. The village was nevertheless gradually transforming from an agricultural settlement into the village with the predominant number of craftsmen and workers.
The World War I and the economic crisis of 1930's slowed down the village development. In spite of that Kvilda still belonged to the most significant villages of the central Šumava in the period before the World War II. Its social structure as well as economic character made Kvilda remind more of a town than a village. There was a surprising number of different shops - two general stores, four butcher's shops, four baker's shops and confectioneries, unbelievable eight tailors, one cloth shop, six shoemakers, one Baťa shoe shop, tobacco shops, barbers, taxi service and a carter's business. Lodging inns with boarding were prepared to accommodate the first tourists who discovered Kvilda after the World War I. Kvilda also maintained busy club and social life including the clubs of firemen, P.T. clubs and music bands.
The faith and religion, mostly the Roman Catholic one, were accompanying the locals from their birth to the death. The oldest sanctuary in Kvilda was the Chapel of St. Stephen built in 1709. Establishment of the first church and cemetery was a significant contribution to all the faithful in the region of Kvilda. The then lord of the estates of Velký Zvíkov, which included the village of Kvilda, let build a timbered church consecrated to the memory of Discovery of the Body of Saint Stephen in 1765. In July 1889 a great fire broke out in centre of the village, which in a short time destroyed the church, the presbytery, the school and 18 houses. In 1892, construction of a new stone church in Kvilda was initiated, which started to serve the faithful within two years already.
The school started the first classes in 1768. Obligatory school attendance for children between 6 and 12 years of age was established by the General School Rules issued in 1774. In 1790, there were 52 pupils attending the school of Kvilda. A new timber school building next to the church was completed in 1810, which was attended by 160-200 pupils in course of the inter-war period. The Czech State Ungraded School was established here as of 1st September 1936. At the end of the school year 1946/1947, only 13 school children remained in Kvilda after the displacement of the German inhabitants. Even this small number was still decreasing and in 1953 only three pupils remained at the school. The number started to increase again after 1955 with the arrival of re-settlers. The maximum number of school children (55) was achieved in the school year of 1964/1965, but then started to fall again. Tuition was terminated at the Kvilda school after 226 years in 1994.
Gradually growing German nationalism, propaganda of the Henlein's party and monstrous ideology of the fascist Germany caused deep rift in the coexistence of the Germans and the Czechs in the border areas. After the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the establishment of Sudetenland, Czech population of Kvilda left the village. After the outbreak of the World War II on 1st September 1939, large numbers of German men fit for work were gradually leaving for the front line from Sudetenland. The situation at manufacturing companies, forest plants and in agriculture became critical. German authorities organized feeding of the workforce from the defeated and occupied countries - both the captured soldiers and civilians from the East, so-called "osterbeiters". Several POW camps and labour camps wpresbyere established for that purpose.
63 Kvilda inhabitants fell victim to the World War II and 24 more were missing. The Kvilda Administration Commission indicated into the questionnaire of Prachatice District National Committee of 29th August 1945 that the total population of Kvilda as of the day of the end of German occupation comprised 1450 people, of which 1435 were of German and 15 of Czech nationality. Till August 1945, 226 German citizens escaped from Kvilda and 15 persons of Czech nationality moved in there. The total of 649 residents of German nationality were displaced in 11 transports between 24th May to 8th October 1946. One of the consequences of the World War II consisted in that only 238 inhabitants remained in Kvilda by 1950.
The after-war development of Kvilda was hugely influenced not only by displacement of German inhabitants and re-settlement of a small number of people from varying social groups and places but also by establishment of the borderline zone, which was subject to the strict regime, especially along the frontier with West Germany. The unit No. 9 600 of the Border Patrol of the National Security Corps was established on 1st January 1949. The Border Patrol took over the powers of the Financial Guard in the whole customs borderline zone as of the same date, thus leading to the effective dissolution of the Financial Guard. Kvilda was even a part of the borderline zone in the period between 1951 and 1954. From 1952 the Battalion Command of Kvilda Border Patrol seated in the village and on 1st January 1966 the Platoon of Border Patrol was established here, the operation of which was terminated in 1990.
The important factor that had huge influence to settlement of the region consisted of the trade routes. The upper Golden Path, i. e. the Kašperské Hory branch of the Golden Path, protected by the royal castle of Kašperk, served as a trading channel from 1366 and connected Passau with Kašperské Hory past Salzgattern, Freyung and Kvilda. The trade route was marked out under the reign of the King Charles IV in 1356. We can assume that Kvilda was founded as a service village at the trading route sometime in the 16th century.
The records of the Land Registers indicate that in 1569 the estates of Velký Zdíkov included a village quarters called "Gvildy". The tax books "Berní rula", representing the oldest register of the lands of subjects from 1654-1655, mention the village of "Kvilda pod Černými horami". In times of the Theresian Cadastre (1713–1734) Kvilda already had 200 inhabitants. In 1793 there were 380 people living in 50 houses, in 1870 Kvilda had 1121 inhabitants.
At the end of the 18th century when the traffic on the Golden Path was fading out, new trades and crafts occurred in the village cadastre, as was iron milling, glass-making, modest mountainous farming and mainly the crafts connected with wood harvesting and wood processing. At the time, there were three glass-works in the village, later on followed by the production of famous glass underpainting managed by the Verderber's family. The saw mill processing resonance wood founded in 1820 by Petr Strunz gained the worldwide fame. However, there were also other saw mills, joiner shops, lathe mills, ski manufacturers and woodcarving shops. And almost all houses in the village were making wood shingles. No matter if they were glass-makers, foresters or wood-cutters - all of them were also farmers. Living in the severe natural conditions of this remote part of the country, they had to take care of their bread and butter in the first place. New settlers cut and stumped the forests and m founded small fields or pastures on the newly acquired land, built first simple homes for themselves and their livestock. Keeping of livestock was utterly unnecessary for farming, mainly of cattle. The farmers were growing oat, rye, even winter wheat, potatoes and cabbage, in the surroundings of Kvilda. The village was nevertheless gradually transforming from an agricultural settlement into the village with the predominant number of craftsmen and workers.
The World War I and the economic crisis of 1930's slowed down the village development. In spite of that Kvilda still belonged to the most significant villages of the central Šumava in the period before the World War II. Its social structure as well as economic character made Kvilda remind more of a town than a village. There was a surprising number of different shops - two general stores, four butcher's shops, four baker's shops and confectioneries, unbelievable eight tailors, one cloth shop, six shoemakers, one Baťa shoe shop, tobacco shops, barbers, taxi service and a carter's business. Lodging inns with boarding were prepared to accommodate the first tourists who discovered Kvilda after the World War I. Kvilda also maintained busy club and social life including the clubs of firemen, P.T. clubs and music bands.
The faith and religion, mostly the Roman Catholic one, were accompanying the locals from their birth to the death. The oldest sanctuary in Kvilda was the Chapel of St. Stephen built in 1709. Establishment of the first church and cemetery was a significant contribution to all the faithful in the region of Kvilda. The then lord of the estates of Velký Zvíkov, which included the village of Kvilda, let build a timbered church consecrated to the memory of Discovery of the Body of Saint Stephen in 1765. In July 1889 a great fire broke out in centre of the village, which in a short time destroyed the church, the presbytery, the school and 18 houses. In 1892, construction of a new stone church in Kvilda was initiated, which started to serve the faithful within two years already.
The school started the first classes in 1768. Obligatory school attendance for children between 6 and 12 years of age was established by the General School Rules issued in 1774. In 1790, there were 52 pupils attending the school of Kvilda. A new timber school building next to the church was completed in 1810, which was attended by 160-200 pupils in course of the inter-war period. The Czech State Ungraded School was established here as of 1st September 1936. At the end of the school year 1946/1947, only 13 school children remained in Kvilda after the displacement of the German inhabitants. Even this small number was still decreasing and in 1953 only three pupils remained at the school. The number started to increase again after 1955 with the arrival of re-settlers. The maximum number of school children (55) was achieved in the school year of 1964/1965, but then started to fall again. Tuition was terminated at the Kvilda school after 226 years in 1994.
Gradually growing German nationalism, propaganda of the Henlein's party and monstrous ideology of the fascist Germany caused deep rift in the coexistence of the Germans and the Czechs in the border areas. After the Munich Agreement of 1938 and the establishment of Sudetenland, Czech population of Kvilda left the village. After the outbreak of the World War II on 1st September 1939, large numbers of German men fit for work were gradually leaving for the front line from Sudetenland. The situation at manufacturing companies, forest plants and in agriculture became critical. German authorities organized feeding of the workforce from the defeated and occupied countries - both the captured soldiers and civilians from the East, so-called "osterbeiters". Several POW camps and labour camps wpresbyere established for that purpose.
63 Kvilda inhabitants fell victim to the World War II and 24 more were missing. The Kvilda Administration Commission indicated into the questionnaire of Prachatice District National Committee of 29th August 1945 that the total population of Kvilda as of the day of the end of German occupation comprised 1450 people, of which 1435 were of German and 15 of Czech nationality. Till August 1945, 226 German citizens escaped from Kvilda and 15 persons of Czech nationality moved in there. The total of 649 residents of German nationality were displaced in 11 transports between 24th May to 8th October 1946. One of the consequences of the World War II consisted in that only 238 inhabitants remained in Kvilda by 1950.
The after-war development of Kvilda was hugely influenced not only by displacement of German inhabitants and re-settlement of a small number of people from varying social groups and places but also by establishment of the borderline zone, which was subject to the strict regime, especially along the frontier with West Germany. The unit No. 9 600 of the Border Patrol of the National Security Corps was established on 1st January 1949. The Border Patrol took over the powers of the Financial Guard in the whole customs borderline zone as of the same date, thus leading to the effective dissolution of the Financial Guard. Kvilda was even a part of the borderline zone in the period between 1951 and 1954. From 1952 the Battalion Command of Kvilda Border Patrol seated in the village and on 1st January 1966 the Platoon of Border Patrol was established here, the operation of which was terminated in 1990.