The project of St Gunther’s Way, the Czech-German equivalent of the famous Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, was officially completed on Wednesday 8 June 2022 in the historic glassworks in Annín and completed near the Church of St Moritz in Mouřenec with the unveiling of the statue of St Gunther created by glass artist Vladěna Tesařová.
“The main motivation for building the St Gunther’s Way is to offer pilgrims not only knowledge of the history of our region and unique tourist experiences in the beautiful scenery of the Bavarian Forest and Šumava. There is also a strong spiritual overlay and each stage offers unique places for contemplation. I am convinced that this trail has the potential to attract tourists and faithful pilgrims not only from the Czech Republic but also from abroad,” said Libor Picka, Councillor for Culture, Heritage and Tourism.
The St Gunther’s Way project started in November 2018 and was co-financed from the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme; the Pilsen Region paid EUR 301,669. It is a joint work of the Pilsen Region, the Bavarian organisation Arberland REGio GmbH and the municipality of Hartmanice.
The trail begins in Niederalteich, Bavaria, in whose monastery St Gunther worked, and leads pilgrims to the town of Blatná in nine daily stages. It is possible to complete either the entire pilgrimage, or only the individual stages, the longest of which (Sušice - Horažďovice) is 22.2 km long and the shortest (Prášily - Hartmanice) is 14.4 km. The St Gunther’s Way also includes six circuits for families with game elements and the geo-location game Hidden Stories. Five symbolic resting places are built along the spine route with architect-designed stone sets with a forged Gunther’s pilgrim staff, inviting pilgrims to stop and meditate. In addition to the information benches, there is a stage guide to the route, and maps and leaflets for the hiking circuits.
St Gunther whose name the trail bears, was a Benedictine monk who lived at the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries. A German by origin, after wandering through the Bohemian Forest, he eventually settled in a hermitage on Březník Hill near Dobrá Voda, where he died in 1045. He is buried in the Břevnov Monastery in Prague.
All the information about the St Gunther’s Way can be found
HERE. Further information, including the story of Gunther himself, can be found on the regional tourism and travel website
HERE.