Schaben Between History and Landscape

Schaben (Šabina) brings together architectural history, local residential architecture, and a mineral spring with a distinctive valley landscape. Historic buildings include Šabina Fortress, St. Anne’s Chapel, and a residential house dating from the late 18th century. The village is also set in a bend of the river on the valley floor, with deeply dissected slopes. This gives you the opportunity to explore different aspects of the place, rather than focusing on just one era or a single building.

Šabina Fortress: Architectural History and Use

Šabina Fortress is a rectangular, two-storey building. It originated in the Gothic period and was remodeled in the Renaissance style under Stolz of Simbsdorf. The façade bears a coat of arms. Its Gothic origins and later Renaissance remodeling mark two phases in the development of the same building. Its basic shape, number of storeys, and coat of arms are other specific features of its design.

The sequence of uses tells a story of its own: In the 19th century, the fortress served as a school until 1891, then as a poorhouse and later as a warehouse. The building’s changes can therefore be viewed along two lines: the remodeling describes the evolution of its architecture, while its successive uses reflect its different functions. Its time as a school ended in 1891; the poorhouse and warehouse came later.

In the Czech state archaeological register, the fortress site is classified as a significant archaeological site in category ÚAN I. The entry was updated on June 12, 2023. The archaeological classification is thus another part of the picture of the fortress, alongside its architecture and history of use.

St. Anne’s Chapel and Local Building Styles

St. Anne’s Chapel is a four-sided structure with a well next to it. It was built in 2001 as a replica of the original chapel. The original was demolished in 1960 during road construction. The two dates therefore refer to different events: 1960 marks the demolition of the original building, and 2001 the construction of the replica. This distinction separates the history of the original from the construction history of the replica.

House No. 9 complements the fortress and chapel with an example of local residential architecture. The house is built using a log construction method and has a half-timbered gable; the stable is built of masonry. These details refer to different parts of the building and show how different construction methods come together in one house. Log construction, the half-timbered gable, and the masonry stable define the house, which is considered a typical example of local vernacular architecture from the late 18th century.

Mineral Spring and Landscape

The restored Šabinská kyselka spring lies south of Schaben. It is a drinkable mineral spring with a pleasantly tart and refreshing taste. A path leads to the spring, and it can be reached by bicycle, though with some effort. If you are planning to visit the spring by bike, take this limitation into account: it is accessible, but the ride is not effortless.

Schaben lies in a bend of the river on the valley floor and extends up into deeply dissected slopes. The valley floor and the shape of the slopes define the landscape in different ways, adding another perspective to the village’s architectural features. When planning your trip, you can therefore consider whether you are most interested in the historic buildings, local vernacular architecture, the mineral spring, or the terrain. These areas of interest differ in their history and character, and do not have to be combined into a single sightseeing itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Wintersgrün, Unterneugrün, Neudorf Bei Tepl, Falkenau An Der Eger, Josefsdorf, Daßnitz, Elbogen, Teschwitz.

For the overview of the wider region: Falkenau An Der Eger District.