From the birth of Charles IV until the completion of the A6
The Golden Road has nearly 700 years of history
14th May 1316 - Karl (Charles) IV
1353- The Palatinate family Wittelsbach pawned a territory to Charles IV from Hersbruck to Neustadt, which expanded ‘New Bohemia’ creating a transit route from Prague to Nurnberg. Charles IV made the journey along this route 52 times with his court.
1378- Charles IV death. His son Wenceslas IV was deposed as Kaiser in 1400 but continued his reign as King of Bohemia.
1414- Evangelical reformer Jan Hus travels the Golden Road to a council in Constance, where he is burned at the stake as a blasphemer.
1550 onwards- the shorter and less demanding route, ‘The Forbidden Road’ leading through Waidhaus steadily increased in popularity.
1618- The second Prague uprising, or ‘Fenstersturz’ which means ‘Window Fall’ which began with protagonists throwing their opponents out of the windows after a kangaroo court. This is considered to be one of the triggers that began the 30 Years War.
1628- The Upper Palatinate is annexed to Bavaria and the importance of an East-West connection is reduced as Bohemia becomes an Austrian Province.
1938- The German Wehrmacht marches through Bärnau into Czechoslovakia and occupies the so-called Sudetenland. One year later Hitler sends his troops into Prague and Czechoslovakia is completely under his control.
1945-48- The Iron Curtain is drawn, the road levelled and the crossing point at Bärnau is closed.
1989- After the Velvet Revolution Tachov and Bärnau are reunited.
21. December 2007- the European borders fall.
2008- the integration into the A6 – the Golden Road becomes part of the main European route from Paris to Prague.
New Bohemia’s Trade Route. For over 1000 years there has been a route joining Middle Franconia, the Upper Palatinate and Bohemia. This road, or more exactly combination of several roads which cross and part and meet again many times along its course was named The Golden Road after a successful marketing campaign started by Kaiser Karl IV. He favored the route through Bärnau and Tachau, but another route- the so-called Forbidden Road- leading through Waidhaus and Mies was also tolerated.
An author once wrote ‘No province or land in Germany is more fancy and free than that land we call Franconia’. He was called Matthäus Merian and was one of the first writers that ever wrote travel logs for the use of others following in his footsteps. He was referring to the region’s ‘Frank and Free’ nature. Kaiser Charles I promoted Franconia to the centre of his realm. In the following chapter we will be exploring the area beyond the town walls of Nuremberg and the Upper Palatinate. First stop on the road to Prague. Oberpfalz frank und frei zur Fränkischen Pfalz – erste Station auf dem Weg nach Prag.
Capital Road- New Bohemia’s Golden South
The wealth of the Upper Palatinate and Amberg with its official residence and importance at the centre of the mining industry influenced the architecture in the area greatly. Between the ‘Hammerschlösser’ (the mansions built by the aristocracy near their works) a union of the owners of the mines and iron works was established, the Hammereinigung (1387-1626), a fore-runner to the European agreements of today and a kind of mining union enabling the free trade and transport of the materials between signatories was ratified.
Golden South: From Amberg through Nabberg to the Pfreimdtal
Like a spider keeping watch over its web, Amberg is actually situated several kilometres south of the Golden Road behind its still almost complete town walls, but for the tradesmen en route, it would almost certainly have opened its gates. The detour to the residence of the Winter King is worth the trip. Upriver along the Vilstal, on which the barges carried ore to Regensburg, to Schloss Theuern the traveler will see a wealth of wonderful sights, a fascinating town, quirky facilities like a the Museum of Air, castles and some truly beautiful ancient land and river scenery.
The Right Way
It is at this stage of the journey that the Golden Road splits. The good took the ‘right’ way through Weiden and Bärnau, the bad through Wernberg and Waidhaus, which in the end proved to be the cheaper of the two. Despite the popularity of two routes the trade that Charles IV supported and promoted brought much wealth to many a town and the region in general. Majestic town halls sprang up in which the tradesmen could do business. Later during the baroque period the acanthus leaf found fame in interior architecture and decoration. The Ancient Greeks and the Romans used the motif widely, and it was ‘rediscovered’ and used in the embellishment of many an altar and church.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
Stiftland, Egerland and the Fraisch
Kaiser Barbarossa made Eger the seat of his Kingdom and the surrounding area was redesigned and refurbished, creating what was to be an example to all regions under the name of Provincia Egrensis. Later as Kaiser Ludwig of Bavaria had to give up the town to his rival and successor Charles IV the region retained its importance and its own parliament until 1806 when it became a part of Bohemia.
The neighbouring Stiftland, or as it was known the ancient province of Tirschenreuth, was under the jurisdiction of Cistercian monks in Waldsassen during this time and they kept a very close contact with Egerland.
The Forbidden Street
The Kaiser ordered the use of his own official route but was also very aware of the advantages of the ‘forbidden’ option. Charles IV sent his own Imperial Regalia on the forbidden street through Waidhaus, which shows that there was indeed good reason to circumnavigate the heights of Bärnau as proved by the routing of the A6, the modern alternative to the ancient trade route, which seems to follow the unauthorised path.
