Susice and the Green Roof of Europe

Susice and the Green Roof of Europe

I am currently in the outlook-tower of the town of Susice in South Bohemia, from which I can see all the way to Austria and Germany. Today, Susice forms one of the natural gateways into the heart of the Sumava Natural Park and the Sumava Mountains. It spreads along the banks of the Otava River at an altitude of 465 metres above sea level and has a population of over 11.5 thousand. Zdenka Reznickova is the head of the Sumava Museum in Susice:

"There is very little documentation of when the town was founded. The first real record of its existence was in 1273 when Susice, which was known as Susicko at the time, became part of the Czech Kingdom. The growth and development of the medieval town ended in 1322 when King John of Luxemburg agreed to have it surrounded by walls."

When you say the name Susice to a Czech today, he will immediately think of matches. At the end of the nineteenth century, the town was home to the greatest safety match factory in Austria-Hungary, which beside its competition in Sweden was the biggest of its sort in the world. It functions until today and currently employs about two hundred people, exporting its products mostly to India and the South African Republic.

"The Susice match factory was established in 1839. Luckily, it was never closed down and the tradition continues until today. One can say that this is a good thing because the company was the first of its kind to be established in Bohemia and the only one to continue working until today. There was a time when Susice even had two match manufacturers. But what's interesting is that the match-making craft was introduced to the town by a woman called Marie Urbancova who learned the secret to the production of matches from the Viennese chemist Stephan Romer. Thanks to her, for many years, the match making craft was known to be a woman's job."

Susice was once a settlement of Slavic gold prospectors on the banks of the Otava River. In 1257, Czech king Premysl Otakar II acquired the region and began to build a royal town. It soon benefited greatly from its strategic position along the Golden Trade Route leading from Prague to Passau in Germany. And while many Czechs believe that Susice was named after its match factory, Mrs Reznickova says it is its gold-bearing history that gave the town its name:

"They say the name Susice comes from the verb Susiti, which means to dry. This is because it is here where people used to wash gold from the Otava River. It was washed by digging out the alluvia, which overflowed on the river bed, and allowing it to dry in the sun. Another theory comes from the town's German name, Schuettenhofen, which means a court on sand. So it also is related to material deposited by running water - a place or habitation on alluvia."

Those visiting Susice today will agree that the little town, thirty kilometres away from Germany, has a special atmosphere that thanks to its beautiful countryside offers visitors unforgettable experiences. A walk in the forest park along the Otava River is a relaxing pass-time for both tourists and locals. The park furthermore has a natural swimming area, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a football stadium, a winter stadium and a children's play-ground.

Susice's Sumava Museum, located on the town's main square, has a permanent exhibition of the history and production process of matches, an exhibition of Sumava glass making and holds the Cin Treasure.

The Chapel of the Guardian Angel on a hill overlooking the town is above all a lookout place today. It was built in the style of pilgrims' chapels by the Capuchin order in 1682 and was consecrated a year later. In 1735, ambulatories were added; in 1882 the corner-chapel was rebuilt in Romantic revival style, and in 1936 underwent re-construction into its present appearance.

But as the Mayor of Susice, Jirina Rippelova points out; the town also has a few things it cannot be very proud of:

"The town of Susice is celebrating its 730th anniversary this year and part of our celebration was the opening of a new water filter. This is a very significant step because the town mostly got its drinking water from the Otava River. This water went through rather primitive cleaning and its quality always depended on the weather. Whenever there was a little more rain or a little less water in the river, the water was bad and it had to be boiled before drinking."

And the town faces another burden. Towards the end of last year, the Czech Army undergoing reform cleaned out its barracks in most of Southern Bohemia. Mrs Rippelova says in Susice, the barracks were left completely devastated. They were taken over by the town, which now faces large expenses to reconstruct the place and try to attract some entrepreneurs and investors. But according to Mrs Rippelova, the town's biggest problem is a lack of job opportunities:

"When I received the latest unemployment figures - the current unemployment rate in Susice is 10.9 % - I knew the situation is very serious. So, another important part of our anniversary celebrations is the opening of a stock and production hall here in Susice called Geo-style Pub, an Italian investment of about 250 million Czech crowns, which will create some thirty more jobs. This is a welcoming development because a glassworks recently shut down in the region, leaving sixty Susice inhabitants unemployed. The problem with insufficient job opportunities is rather serious, especially because many young people leave the town after graduating from high school or university, which of course is not a good thing."

But with Town Hall making an effort to make Susice an even more attractive place, turning it into a little, picturesque centre of tourism, its inhabitants continue to be proud of their hometown. Those who left for bigger cities to acquire jobs come back regularly to spend time with friends and family and gain back energy through the large selection of rest possibilities that the town has to offer. Its beautiful nature has been called the Green Roof of Europe for a clear reason.