The ‘Golden Road’ (Goldene Straße / Zlatá cesta) was historically used by the Bohemian King Charles IV to visit his estates in the region, forging long and lasting links between the German town of Bärnau and the neighbouring Czech town of Tachov. Today, the social ties in the region are renewed and strengthened through an outdoor history museum.
- 25 November 2015
In the History Park Bärnau-Tachov, you do not visit a regular museum but you walk through a living replica of history. You find a Slavic village originating from around the year 1000 AD, an 11th century wooden castle and church, and a 13th century village. The houses on the open-air site of the History Park are built as one-to-one models; they are museum reconstructions made from the original materials.
Historical and Cultural ties
The aim of this project was to continue to foster the social, economic and linguistic links between the two towns and to provide an historical reference to the area in the form of the ‘History Park’. Opened in 2011, the History Park already attracts more than 20 000 visitors annually, not including the large numbers of delegates attending the various conferences held there.
Among the visitors are thousands of schoolchildren who visit the park to learn about everyday life in the times of Charles IV and of their shared Bavarian-Bohemian history.
Award-winning history
In addition to being featured regularly in both German and Czech media, the local groups organising the community and social events between the towns were awarded the Brückenbauerpreis (bridge-builder prize) and the transnational Euregio Egrensis Preis, further reinforcing the positive effects the Golden Road project has had on the regions.
In addition to the socio-economic benefits of the project, the History Park has become a nationally recognised museum in both countries, one which appears in publications throughout Germany and the Czech Republic, further raising the profile of the regions.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “On the Golden Road – History Park Bärnau - Tachov/Pernolec" is EUR 4 185 301, of which the EU's European Regional Development Fund is contributing EUR 2 948 575 from the Operational Programme "Bavaria - Czech Republic" under the priority axis ‘Economic Development, Human Resources and Networks’ in the 2007-2013 programming period.