Article Lenora
Glass village on the Vltava river
Eighteen kilometers southwest of Prachatic is the village of Lenora. This originally glass-making settlement was established in 1834 at the confluence of Teplá Vltava and Řasnice (Gravy Vltava). Today it is an important destination for tourists and boaters.
Municipal bread oven
Probably the most famous monument in the village is the municipal bread oven from 1837, which has been registered as a cultural monument since 1958.
The oven served poor citizens who could not afford their own oven to bake bread together. There were several similar furnaces in the village. However, only this one, which was in operation for several years after the Second World War, survived. Today it is beautifully restored and well worth a look. In 1998, local citizens renewed the tradition of communal baking, and on selected Saturdays, public baking of bread and other baked goods takes place here.
Well done
Under the road in front of the eastern edge of the village, a covered wooden bridge with a shingle roof (the so-called rechle) spans the Vltava. This important building-technical monument was built in 1870. The main function of this device was the retention, counting and discharge of driftwood. The footbridge is less than 28 meters long, and in the Czech Republic a similar structure can only be found in Český Krumlov.
Reconstructed footbridge
In 2014, the important monument underwent a reconstruction, during which a maximum of the original elements were preserved. Therefore, the hollowed-out holes for inserting the joists to hold the floating timber are clearly visible in the floor.
Glassworks
Stocks of wood and plenty of water were the reasons why glassmaker Johann Meyr founded this youngest glassmaking settlement in Šumava in 1834. She was named after Prince Schwarzenberg's wife, Eleonora. Later, the name was honored to its current form. Despite the events of the war, the glass factory operated here until 1995, when it was closed after unsuccessful privatization, and the extensive area has been dilapidated ever since. Today, this tradition is commemorated by a glass museum in the premises of the municipal office.
Castle
On the western edge of the village, by the road, there is a mansion built in the 1840s by the co-owner of the local glassworks. Two empire-style buildings with a common courtyard and landscaped park are undergoing a complete renovation. It is in private hands and not accessible to the public.
