The Šumava river Vydra near Antýgl has been bridged by a new pedestrian bridge

photo: Pavel Pechoušek

Srní (Klatovsko) - A roughly thirty-meter bridge over the Vydra River, intended primarily for pedestrians, has opened today in Šumava near Antýgl by Srní. The two-meter-wide bridge, located near the popular tourist Turner Cottage, was built by the Šumava National Park administration for 2.5 million crowns. The project was funded by the State Environmental Fund, said park spokesperson Pavel Pechoušek today to ČTK.
     "This is one of the last major investment projects by the park administration this year. We had to halt part of the investments due to a lack of funds, but fortunately we managed to successfully complete this one," said Jiří Kvapil, the park’s deputy director.
     The bridge is located in one of the less attractive tourist parts of Šumava, not far from where Hálkova Cottage once stood. "It will replace the existing footbridge, which is about a hundred meters downstream and is no longer satisfactory according to structural engineers, having required several repairs and could pose a health risk to tourists in the future," Kvapil added. The footbridge will be dismantled by the park administration in the spring.
     According to the park director Jiří Mánek, the location of the arched bridge complies with strict nature conservation rules. Additionally, it will help nature by directing tourists' footsteps. The marked educational trail of Karel Klostermann ends at the site. Previously, tourists walked through the forest, along the bank to the old footbridge, and then across the Vydra. "Now they will cross the new bridge and will not walk uncontrollably on the unmarked trail through the strictly protected area of the first zone," Mánek explained.
     He reminded that the bridge is located where a footbridge once stood over the Vydra, which was also used by the Šumava writer Karel Klostermann. This spot lies on the trail connecting Modrava with the area around Čeňková mill.

The restored lattice bridge over the Vydra at Rechle (realization 2000 according to the project by Ing. Vaclík); photo David Braunstein