Horní Záblatí – Blanice, marble locality and hiking trails

Horní Záblatí between the Blanice and historic traces

Horní Záblatí combines a protected river landscape with archaeological and mining-history traces. This creates a destination where nature, local history and hiking routes are closely connected within the same area. The most distinctive features are the Blanice nature monument, the documented historic village centre and the “Mramory SV od Záblatí” geological locality. However, the protected area covers only parts of the Horní Záblatí cadastral area, not the entire cadastral area.

The Blanice and its protected habitat

The Blanice nature monument protects the habitat of a natural oligotrophic watercourse as well as the habitats of rare animals and plants. Oligotrophic means nutrient-poor and describes the character of the watercourse here. The riverbed substrate, meaning the bed of the watercourse, consists here of sand and gravel and describes the composition of the natural riverbed. From Horní Záblatí onwards, the Blanice flows through an increasingly deeply incised, wooded valley. This sequence makes the river not only a geographical point of reference but also gives the surrounding area a clear landscape character.

Marble, extraction and local history

The “Mramory SV od Záblatí” geological locality lies within the cadastral area. It includes a marble quarry wall, a spoil heap and a partially backfilled inclined excavation. The spoil heap and the partially backfilled inclined excavation point to earlier extraction activities. A walkable tourist trail provides access to this area; it lies more than 250 metres from the road.

The medieval and modern-era village centre of Horní Záblatí is also recorded as an archaeological site. Historical mining is also documented at “hořejším Záblatí u sv. Trojice”. The village centre and the mining site represent different historical focal points. The village centre encompasses the development of the settlement over several eras, while “hořejším Záblatí u sv. Trojice” refers to the use of the subsoil. The village centre thus spans a period from the Middle Ages into the modern era. The historical mining complements this settlement history with an independent connection to the use of the subsoil. Those who want to experience not only the landscape during their stay but also trace the development of a place through its visible and documented remains will find several distinct points of reference here.

Hiking with different points of reference

The “Okolo Prachatic” circular hiking trail leads from Prachatice to Horní Záblatí along a blue-marked hiking trail. A yellow-marked hiking trail and another path run along the right bank of the Blanice. The markings distinguish the two route connections and complement the natural and local history with specific hiking opportunities.

More local pages for your search

If you would like to continue planning your trip beyond Horní Záblatí, you can find more local pages here: Mahouš, Trhonín, Hradiště, Račov, Kratušín, Šumavské Hoštice, Zdíkov and Ktis.

For the overarching travel overview: Prachatice District.