Discover Kovárov: Windsurfing and village history

If you choose a place for your stay based on specific interests, Kovárov offers two distinct points of interest: activities on the water and a village history shaped by the past. For your planning, options range from windsurfing to a cycling route; records of the village’s development date back to the 14th century.

Water sports and cycling route

If you are planning to windsurf on Lipno, the activity is concentrated in two areas, including Kovářov. Wind direction is relevant to your plans: with a particular wind direction, Kovářov is considered the most suitable windsurfing area on Lipno; it is also home to the largest area on Lipno. If you are a beginner, watch out for large waves. Since suitability depends on wind and water conditions, take the conditions at the time into account when planning this activity.

If you are planning to cycle, the Lipenská magistrála cycling route passes through Kovářov. If you are comparing cycling and windsurfing as part of your travel plans, their connections to the area differ: the route passes through Kovářov, while Kovářov is one of two windsurfing areas on Lipno. At the same time, if you are planning to windsurf, it depends on wind and water conditions. When comparing the two options for your travel plans, one has a specifically named route, while the other is an activity that depends on conditions.

If you include the Yacht Club in your plans, it offers sheltered mooring for 45 boats. Note that capacity may change if the facility is redeveloped. If you are considering mooring as part of your plans, check in advance for the latest information. A stony road leads directly down to the water in Kovářov; since its surface may change over time, check the condition of the route before your visit. If you include this stony access to the water in your plans, a water rescue service is located nearby.

Village history and historic occupations

If you are interested in the history of the name, Kovářov, known in German as Schmiedschlag, was first mentioned in 1379 in the Rožmberk urbarium as “villa Smydslag vel Kowarzow ad Frymburk”.

If you are interested in earlier working life, the remaining small cottages are part of that history: they were built in the second half of the 18th century as homes for forestry workers, who also rafted timber in summer. To picture the village layout at the time, before the First World War the irregular village square consisted of seven stone Šumava farmsteads of the square type, with a chapel in the middle. Comparing the forms, the irregular village square contrasts with the square type of the farmsteads. This gives you a concrete picture of the settlement’s earlier layout. For context, the cottages were built in the second half of the 18th century, while the village square existed before the First World War.

To put the agricultural history in context, historical accounts say that flax was extensively grown, cultivated and processed in Kovářov. Considered together, flax work, from growing the crop to processing it, adds an agricultural dimension to forestry and timber rafting.

Discover more destinations: Milná, Lojzova Paseka.

Go to the main travel overview: Friedberg.