World War I memorial in Pohoří na Šumavě

World War I Memorial in Pohoří na Šumavě

A modest monument to the local men who died in the First World War stands next to the church in Pohoří na Šumavě, right on the old main road through the settlement. It is one of the few structures still standing in a place that has had no permanent residents for decades.

Where exactly does the memorial stand?

The memorial stands beside the church, along the road running through the former village, in the Český Krumlov District of the South Bohemian Region, close to the Austrian border. Its coordinates are 48.603903, 14.697563. Next to it lies a partially preserved, partially restored churchyard cemetery.

What does the inscription say?

The memorial bears the German inscription "Nie wieder Krieg!" — "Never again war!" This kind of wording was common on memorials raised in German-speaking border villages after 1918: a tribute to the local fallen paired with an explicit rejection of war.

What happened to the village itself?

Pohoří na Šumavě (German: Buchers/Puchers) was once an inhabited village, but it was depopulated during the 1970s and, as of 2021, has no permanent residents left. The church and the memorial are among the few remaining traces of the settlement's former life — a fate shared by many villages along the South Bohemian border with Austria.

Is Pohoří na Šumavě the same place as Pohorská Ves?

Not quite. Pohoří na Šumavě is a hamlet forming part of the municipality of Pohorská Ves, in the Český Krumlov District. That is why maps and databases often list the memorial under Pohorská Ves as the administrative unit, even though the memorial and church themselves carry the historical name Pohoří na Šumavě.

Frequently asked questions

Is there anything else to see next to the memorial? Yes — the church stands right beside it, together with a partly preserved and partly restored cemetery.

Can visitors find accommodation or services in Pohoří na Šumavě? No. The hamlet has no permanent population, so it offers no tourist infrastructure on site — it functions as a stop along a hiking or cycling route rather than a base for a stay.

Why was the village abandoned? Like many settlements along the South Bohemian border with Austria, Pohoří na Šumavě lost its population in the second half of the 20th century; it has had no permanent residents since the 1970s.

Editorial note: draft description — available sources do not confirm the memorial's year of construction or its form/material, so these details have been left out.