Annín – Discover Glassmaking Tradition and Cultural Heritage

If you are looking for a hotel in Annín, the town offers several clearly distinct themes: glassmaking, sacred architecture and art history, and a museum dedicated to Czechoslovak fortifications. You can weigh up which aspects of the town’s history interest you most. The following attractions range from the glassworks to an educational trail focused on geology and natural history.

Glassmaking Tradition at Sklárna Annín

Sklárna Annín was founded in 1796 by Augustin Muller from Vatětice. It produced crystal glass and small glass beads known as Pateříky. The founding of the glassworks connects the town’s name with a specific craft tradition and the products for which it became known.

Visitors can explore original Czech lead crystal with traditional and modern patterns, the museum, the sales room, and the glassworks. A visit therefore covers several distinct aspects of glassmaking: the products, their presentation, and the place where they are made. If you would like to do more than just look at glass, you can choose your own decoration and blow an original glass object yourself. Please confirm that this activity is available before your visit.

Church and Ossuary in Mouřenec

The Church of St. Maurice in Mouřenec stands above Annín. It is one of the oldest churches in Šumava and was built after 1220 in the late Romanesque style. Rare 14th-century wall paintings were discovered in the church in 1993 and subsequently restored. The construction date and paintings thus point to different periods in the site’s history: the church was built after 1220, while the murals date from the 14th century.

Another historic building stands on the north side of the Mouřenec cemetery: an 18th-century Baroque ossuary. Together, the church, wall paintings, and ossuary offer different points of interest for those interested in architecture and sacred art. The late Romanesque architecture, medieval paintings, and Baroque ossuary are distinct features.

Schmid Chapel and the History of Glass

The Neogothic Schmid Chapel, which contains the Schmid family crypt, stands at the edge of the forest above the Annín glassworks. Inside are glass objects considered valuable evidence of the history of glassmaking in Annín and elsewhere in Šumava. The chapel thus brings together Neogothic architecture and the history of glass.

From the parking area by the glassworks, you can reach the chapel by walking uphill across a meadow or by taking an unmarked turnoff from the road to Mouřenec. The two routes described differ in how they are signposted: one crosses the meadow, while the other branches off the road without a marker. Keep these directions in mind when planning your visit.

Fortification History and Natural History

The Annín Museum of Light Fortifications is housed in an atypical bunker on a rock above the main road from Sušice to Kašperské Hory. It covers the reasons for building Czechoslovak pre-war fortifications, the defensive system of the installations, and their wartime and post-war history. Its focus is therefore quite different from that of the glassworks and sacred buildings: here, the emphasis is on the planning and history of the fortifications.

The Radešovské skály educational trail also starts in Annín. It focuses on geology and natural history, offering a different theme from the local cultural monuments. In other words, Annín offers both local and craft history and an educational trail with a natural-history focus. You can choose among the attractions according to your interests without confusing their distinct subject matter.

Discover more destinations: Břežany, Šimanov, Čachrov, Lukoviste, Mysliv, Prasily, Švihov U Klatov, Žichovice.

For the broader travel overview: Okres Klatovy.