Hinterschmiding - Info point town hall

TOLL STATION, HAULING TRADE, BLACKSMITH, CHAOS OF WAR, THE PLAGUE

"Schmiding", a crucial toll station for a long time

Imagine turning back time by 600 years. Back then, the almost unsettled "Nordwald" forest formed a natural border to Bohemia – trade, however, was already flourishing.

"Schmiding" was first mentioned in 1419 when pillaged and threatened to burn by the Hussites. The town, located at the important trade route to Winterberg, has probably existed earlier on. It has been a crucial toll station for many years, making it the last stopover before crossing the border. There, the sumpters and their pack horses were taken care of and shoed by the blacksmith (the eponym of the town). The town names Hinter- and Vorderschmiding have first been differentiated in a map by court painter Leonhard Abent in 1593. Schmiding has suffered more than once from the plague. According to the myth, two men from Winkelbrunn and Schmiding, indicated their survival through an open fire. To this day, a court of arms of Hinterschmiding (pack horse and horseshoe) recalls these exciting times.

Hinterschmiding, original version (1829) – Source of data: © Bayerische Vermessungsverwaltung (CC BY-ND 3.0 DE)
Model of a blacksmith showing his typical workflow – Museum Prachatice, Czechia
This photo was taken directly at today’s Scheibenweg, showing Hinterschmiding with its former school chapel, demolished in 1971
Two loaded pack horses recovering after a march lasting for hours, Säumerverein Grainet.
The Plague Column, showing the date 1646, at the church square in Hinterschmiding.

The Plague "the dreadful addiction to the Plague"

The Plague epidemic in the mid 14th century (1/3 of the population of Central Europe died)

  • 1552
  • 1570/1571
  • 1599
  • 1625
  • 1634
  • 1648/1649
  • 1713/1714