1390 to Trutnov Hlavni Nadrazi
Deutsche Bahn is not making it easy for its passengers. To the east of Nuremberg there are works between Amberg and Schwandorf, Schwandorf and Regensburg and Weiden and Hof. The regional trains to Schwandorf at least are running, albeit probably with a delay. To be sure I take an earlier train. The connecting train to Prague only runs every couple of hours.
Pendolino train to Schwandorf in Nürnberg Hbf
Indeed the earlier train is late on arrival in Schwandorf. No worries, I have plenty of time for the departure of the Alex train to Prague. And Schwandorf is one of the few small towns in Germany which still has a well kept and functional station. There is a bakery and lockers. They even provide for toilets if you pay. Otherwise there are plenty of waiting trains at the platforms with free toilets.
Alex in Schwandorf
There have been long discussions about a good, fast and reliable train connection from Bavaria to Prague. The Alex trains provided such a connection, but for unknown reasons they are not satisfied with it. The direct Alex connection from Nuremberg, which had offered a perfect link between the rail network in south-central Germany and the Czech capital has been canceled years ago. The Alex trains to Munich linger on, for the moment only because nobody has found a better solution. Which probably will have a fancy name, but be less reliable, less comfortable and more expensive.
The station of Schwandorf
Today there is no Alex from Munich since the line from Regensburg to Schwandorf is closed for works. The Alex ends here and waits at the platform in Schwandorf for its hopeful departure. Except the engine the train is operated by the Czech CD who provide the coaches.
Railcar of the Oberpfalzbahn which provides most of the connection in the area
Czechoslovakia is one of those countries where the borders are clearly defined. Mountains and to the South of Slovakia the river Danube marked the limits of a region which was a constant as a political entity for many centuries. Named Bohemia it was a part of the German empire and the Habsburg Austro-Hungarian empire. Independence came only briefly with the disintegration of the latter, but was rudely terminated with the Pan-Germanic ideas of the Nazis who used the presence of a German minority as a motivation for the greed of expansion.
Alex stopping in Furth im Wald
The different ethnic groups lived together under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian emperor with few rivalries. You could say they all had a common enemy although the empire managed pretty well regarding its diversity. After the disintegration of the empire after the first world war there was swift ethnic cleansing in Slovakian part of the area by expulsion of the Hungarian part of the population. In the Czech areas the first tensions between the Czech and German part of the population were heated up by the Nazi propaganda from neighboring Germany. Only after the first world war the term "Sudetenland" was created for the areas mainly inhabited by people of German origin. As a consequence of the events during the Nazi rule during World War II the German part of the population was expelled from the Czech area. Afterwards re-established Czechoslovakia was a satellite of the dictatorial UdSSR. Further disintegration happened when the Moscow dictatorship and the Czech and Slovak parts separated peacefully in 1993.
Deutsche Bahn brutalist architecture
Sitting in a train it is easy to know when you pass the border between Germany and Czech Republic. Looking outside you will soon notice a difference. The last German border station, Furth im Wald, with its impressive station building once was a bustle of activity. Today there is nobody. The building is separated from the tracks, condemned to uselessness, the track-side disfigured in the most appalling way by high concrete platforms, fences, an enormous elevator and overgrown freight tracks. The planners and architects working for Deutsche Bahn have only one goal, functional security for the lowest possible price. Bad taste seems to be a job requirement.
Guard in Domaslice
Its Czech counterpart, Česká Kubice is a neat idyll. However, the Alex does not stop there. While it passes through, the guard, dressed in a neat shirt and his official red cap, waits watchful at the curb of the platform. The next station is named Babylon. The hotel Praha next to the station offers a spectacular view above the surrounding mountains.
Alex and other trains in Domaslice
The next stop is in Domazlice. Also there the station building is kept nicely, there is a waiting room with a ticket counter and a toilet. Various trains stop at low platforms which can be easily accessed by everybody so that an elevator is not even necessary. If somebody needs help to get on a train there is a guard who carefully watches the proceedings. Different generations of trains wait for their destinations to Germany, towards Pilzen and Praha and for the long branch lines to Tachov and Klatovy. A vendor with a cart boards the train to sell refreshments and snacks for the remaining trip to Prague.
Market square in Domaslice
What Domazlice station misses is a luggage storage facility. And my knowledge of the Czech language is so faded that I would not be able to ask. For a brief inspection of the lovely old town I have to carry my bag. It is always good to travel lightly on interrail.
Arcades along the market square in Domaslice
The border also created a line of distinction to the architecture of the towns in the Upper Palatinate part of Bavaria. The old town of Domaslice with its arcaded main square is archetypical for the layout of many Czech towns. While the inhabitants on the German side of the border have to go around their business exposed to the permanent rain their Czech neighbors enjoy the protection of those arcades.
Alex with electric engine in Pilzen
Snacks for the Alex
In Plzeň the engine is changed for a Czech electric engine. The station is beautifully restored. The departure signs are clearly visible and instead of the omnipresent commerce they have displayed an historic rail inspection car in the station hall. There is a modern luggage disposal and when you have the time you can use a break between two trains to visit the town center or try one of the world famous beers.
Pilzen main station
The old town is a pastel colored jewel of ornamented art-deco houses. You reach it by either passing through an ornamental and deserted subterranean passage – always my favorites – or along an assembly of brutalist socialist architecture ornamented with the Czech variety of fast food stands.
The tunnel between station and town center
Czech fast food
Brutalist and historic architecture in Pilzen
Alex 355 arrives in Praha Hlavni Nadrazi on time. I have most of an hour to change for FT 949 to Hradec Kralove Hlavni Nadrazi. Upon the reconstruction of Praha’s biggest station a clear separation has been made between a commercial underground passage which is as crowded, commercial and traveler unfriendly as anywhere and the historic part above the ground. Most people seem to prefer to scuttle around like rats between the shops in the underground bowels of the station. Upstairs the station houses two of the nicest cafes anywhere in Europe. The large former waiting room offers a quiet art deco cafe, where you can watch the platforms through big windows while seated in comfortable arm chairs sipping good coffee and enjoying a slice of cake. Sugar for the coffee comes in an ornamented jar full of cubes which you can pick up with pliers.
Historic interior of Praha Hlavni Nadrazi station...
.. and the art-deco cafe
FT 949 has comfortable coaches with compartments where the windows can be opened. Sweat drying in the wind is the best way to cool down and survive at outside temperatures above 30°. The train quickly passes through the flat, agricultural landscape of central Bohemia. On the way it stops at tongue breaking places named Podebrady or Chlumec nad Cidlimou. Most have no underpasses. The trains stop before the level crossing to allow people to board. The platforms are narrow. However, there always is a guard who watches that everything goes right and who can assist in case of need.
Stop in Chlumec nad Cidlinou
In Hradec Kralove I have to change from FT 949 to 1390 bound for Svoboda nad Ubou. It is a modern railcar with working air condition which will need roughly an hour to bring me to my destination, the station of Turnov Hlavni Nadrazi. While the weather was hot but nice all day the sky has turned a threatening black in the direction of my destination. Soon the clouds burst and there is such a deluge that the landscape outside disappears behind a gray veil.
Typical Czech platform
The mountains along the border around Czech republic are full of natural wonders. The northeastern corner is characterized by formations of sand stone rocks which form mazes which resemble cities of rock. There is České Švýcarsko, which is the Czech part of the sandstone world of the Elbsandstein and Zittauer Gebirge in Germany, Český ráj, the Bohemian paradise further to the south and Broumovsko at the border to Poland. Trutnov is the gate to Adršpašské skály, a rock formation close to the little town of Adršpach. I have read an article about this area, which is one of the biggest natural attractions in Czech republic.
Bad weather and train approaching Trutnow
I had looked forward to some hiking but when I arrive in Trutnov I try to get into my hotel as quickly as possible. The streets are covered with puddles and drinkers having escaped from the outside terraces under the protection of parasols and awnings look clueless into their beer glasses. After checking in I climb down to the vaulted basement restaurant where the waiter puts a glass of beer on the table in front of me without even asking.
The old town of Trutnov
When I get out of the underground dungeon the rain has stopped and some late rays of sun are able to pass through the clouds and fog. I go for a walk around the historic city.
Market square Trutnov
Most of old Trutnov (Trautenau) was destroyed in a big fire in 1861. The remainder was threatened by the movements of the Prussian and Austo-Hungarian armies during the war of 1866. At least the Church of the Nativity of Mary from 1750-1782 was preserved.
Arcaded streets of Trutnov
The market square is surrounded by monuments built in historicist architectural styles after the great fire. Good examples are the Old Town Hall with its neo-Gothic tower and the neo-Renaissance Haase Palace.
On the market square the eleven-meter-high Trinity Column from 1704 also survived the fire. Many market squares in Austria-Hungary have such a column. Here it stands on the spot where the pillory used to be. The baroque column was erected in 1704 in gratitude for the protection from illness, in particular the plague. A statue of virgin Maria looks down on groups of 8 saints.
Statue of emperor Joseph II
In 1886 the column was joined by a statue of the Austro-Hungarian emperor Joseph II. The history of the statue is remarkable since it reflects the historical developments in the area in the last 250 years.
The emperor overlooking the market square and city hall
Joseph ruled from 1765 until his death in 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and the brother of Marie Antoinette. Joseph had visited Trutnov (Trautenau) several times, in 1766 after wars with Prussia, in 1771 during a famine, and in 1778/79. In gratitude for his support the predominantly German-speaking population erected the statue. However, in 1923, after the founding of Czechoslovakia, the statue was removed as consequence of anti-fascist and nationalist feelings. In 2009, an exact copy of the statue was re-erected at the same location. The original bronze, which is irreparably damaged, remains in the City Museum.
The Rübezahl fountain
A fountain dedicated to Krakonošova kašna (Rübezahl fountain) was added to the market square in 1892. Rübezahl is a mytical mountain spirit, who was renowned for playing tricks with the weather and people. For the poor and honest he was a helpful giant, for the greedy and evil a powerful enemy. He also gave the mountains towards the polish border their name, the Riesengebirge (giant mountains).
The art-deco candelabras on the market square are exact replicas of those introduced with the introduction of electric lighting after 1880. The originals were removed during the modernization in the 1960s. During the renovation of the market square in 2014 the four cast-iron replicas were installed again.
Arcades in Trutnov
Like in Domaslice and other czech towns the streets are lined by houses on arcades. From there the shops, restaurants and cafes but also the apartments or offices can be reached relatively dry during foul weather.
Arcades in Trutnov
Only around dusk the main square slowly filled with people. Most came outside to walk their generally starkly overweight dogs. Following the exodus of the German part of the population the number of inhabitants of Trutnov dropped from 30.000 to 20.000. Unlike neighboring Poland, there were no Czechs which were forced to relocate and had to search for a new home and it took a long time to motivate people to move into the Sudentenland. Many might have been wary to move into a property which might be reclaimed by its former owner. Only 40 years after the war the number of inhabitants had reached the pre-war level again. Meanwhile the number slowly decreases again.
Alley in Trutnov
The next day seems to be dry and good enough for hiking. I walk to the station. There is an open ticket counter and I buy a ticket to Adršpach. For 50 kc (2 €) I not only get a ticket, but also a print-out itinerary (47 minutes in the same train for less than 20 km), a receipt, a card payment receipt and a booklet with attractions and popular hikes in the area accessible by train. Unfortunately it is in Czech.
Trutnov station
The station is neat and well kept. There are plenty of benches for waiting passengers and flowerpots decorate the platform. There is a digital announcement for the departing and arriving trains and the classic railway station clock. A banister remains from the time when you had to show your ticket before leaving for the platform. Access to the low platforms is across the track. A guard in white shirt and red cap takes care that everything is going according to the rules and waves off the departing trains.
Trains in Trutnov station
While most of the trains of the Cesky drahy are in fresh blue and white, there is also a single green rail car departing from here. It turns out that it is the train which departs to Poland four times a day. It is not shown on the interrail planner. On the other hand it is the only train departing from Trutnov Hlavni Nadrazi according to Google which lacks all trains of CD.
Train to Poland in Trutnov
As soon as a train arrives a gang of cleaners is on their way to clean the cars. Consequently the well-used rail car for Teplice nad Metují which will bring me to Adršpach is spotlessly clean. It is an old train rebuilt for branch lines. Similar cars are used in Hungary and Slovakia. They are absolutely sufficient and cost efficient for their purpose.
The train to Adršpach and Teplice
Like in all other Czech trains a conductor is present and soon arrives to check the tickets. While other railway companies meanwhile employ criminals in combat gear looking for a fight, the conductors of Cesky Drahy still are personalities with authority that rule a train. You don’t get the impression that they loose control easily. Most sport spotless white shirts and wear a horse tail, ear rings and frequently some kind of hillbilly beard. One of the two girls facing me cannot produce her student card. For all I understand it is on her phone and she does not have a connection. Her friend has a physical card. While the conductor turns around for a wink she passes the physical card to her friend. However, the conductor is not fooled but also takes it with ease. Eventually the girl is able to produce it on her phone and he is satisfied.
Stop on the way
Through the forest the train slowly and with a lot of noise, cracking and bouncing climbs up the mountains. On the way people get off at wooden shelters in the middle of the forest and disappear down an unpaved trail towards an unseen village. Horses graze the meadows. The only sign of industrial agriculture here is that they collect the harvested grass in pink plastic balls.
The pink balls
Adršpach is the only renovated station along the line. In front of the station they are resurfacing a parking lot. Judging from the sheer size of the lots one can guess how many people come here on a summer weekend and that most of them come by car.
Crossing of railcars
A couple of wooden buildings house a tourist information where visitors have to buy an entrance ticket. A ranger also gives information about the possible hiking trails and their length in decent German. The most popular is a round-trip hike of 3.5 h on a well-prepared trail. There are quite a number of people and I am glad I did not come on a vacation day.
Entrance to the Adršpach Skaly
Behind the entrance is a lake which formed in the remains of a former quarry. Then the route slowly climbs uphill while the towering rocks close in from both sides. As usual names are associated with the most prominent rock formations like sugar hat, gothic gate, Rübezahl’s tooth, devils bridge, thunder rock or mayor and wife.
Rock columns at Adršpach Skaly
In my enthusiasm about the impressive rock formations I spend a long time in the lower part of the circuit. In fact I basically do it twice. When I finally continue to the next part it turns out that the best is yet to come. The eastern part of the circuit follows the course of a little creek. The path gets narrower and narrower until it just is a crack between two sheer rock walls.
Meanwhile the clouds start clearing away and the misty forest increasingly is illuminated by beams of sunshine. The gray rocks get a yellow hue. Sometimes a whole surface is covered with the yellow growth of lichens.
The trees in the ground have to form a spiderweb of visible roots to find a route into the ground. On the rocks, lonely trees sprout from a crack and long, thick roots grow along rock-faces like the arms of an octopus. Ferns cling to rocks without a visible crack.
For a long time the area of the rock city of Adršpach was not accessible. The locals thought it was a haunted place and did only go there to hide in case of emergency. In 1824 a great fire burned the hole area. Afterwards access routes to the rocks were cleared and visitors started to trickle in.
I have misjudged the loop route. The southwestern part is much more difficult to scale. There are long flights of stairs up and down and narrow passages where an adult just about fits through and oncoming walkers have to wait since there is not enough space to cross.
The jumble of rocks is confusing. The narrow path does not give an overview and only allows access to a small part of the area. Rocks lean at each others like late night drinkers. Others stand in groups like bowling pins. Some carry a ball on top which looks like it could fall down any time.
The reward when you get to the southern end of the loop trail are two water falls. The little fall sprouts from a well in the rock. When the first tourists came to this area it was described in bucolic, romantic words. Today this is where the visitors queue for their selfies even on a quiet day like today. The big waterfall has a height of 16 m.
The big and little waterfalls
Above the waterfalls is a hidden lake between the maze of rocks. Begin of the 18th century a local landowner installed a weir to facilitate floating down logs. A big crowd queue for the boat trip which is offered on the lake. Meanwhile the weather is perfect and so I decide to walk towards Teplice nad metuji skaly station instead of turning around.
The trail gets challenging
What I did not expect is that this requires to master the most difficult part of the trails in the Adršpach area. There are steep stairways formed from logs and boulders both up and down. The path is made even more difficult by the large groups of people returning from their boat trip. Most of the trail is too narrow for passing each other. In some downhill sections there is no handrail and I have to stumble down on both hand and feet. Regular emergency posts offer an orientation if there is a problem. In this area there is no telephone signal. Notwithstanding the crowds it is rather quiet and there is no rubbish along the trail.
The moment of relief
Fortunately the difficult section gives way to a boggy meadow after a while. Here the trail continues on a wooden walkway. The crowds have disappeared. This part is only used by few walkers.
Fortunately the main track slowly descends along a valley towards Teplice. The maze of rocks gives way for an open forest. However, there are more routes into the rock maze of Teplice which covers an even bigger area than the one of Adršpach. The trail ends at the gate of another entrance station. I ignore the inviting looking restaurants and cafes close to the exit and quickly proceed to Teplice skaly station to catch the next train.
Teplice Skaly station
The station is not more than a wooden shelter and a makeshift platform built from slabs of concrete. A crowd of weary walkers waits for the next blue and white railbus.
Dumped engines and the replica of 210 901 in Mezimesti
I take the train to Brounov. To get there I have to change at Teplice nad Metuji Station. There are only a couple of minutes between the two trains but since there are no stairs it is easy to walk down the platform, cross the tracks under the eyes of a watchful guard at the designated point and board the other train.
The original 210 901 in Chomutov shed
Before reaching Brounov the train has to change directions at Mezimesti, a big station where another line crosses the border to Poland, albeit without passenger trains. The line from Mezimesti to Broumov once was part of a connection between Walbrzych and Klodzko in Poland paralleling the still existing track on polish territory between these towns, the so called Silesian mountain railway. There is a big repair facility in Mezimesti but the dumped Diesel engines rusting outside don’t look like they will ever run on their own power again. The little steam engine which is on display next to the track entering the station is a replica. The restored original is in the depot of the National Technichal Museum in Chomutov although it looks a bit different.
Arrival in Broumov
Broumov was called Braunau in German. It also had a big number of German residents before world war II. The population of 10931 in 1930 decreased to 6713 in 1950. Up to today it never again reached its pre-war size.
Broumov city hall
Broumov has a well preserved old town with a large rectangular market square between two parallel main streets which converge at both ends were the gates were located. Many of the numerous Burgher houses in the center have gothic origins but were rebuilt later. The 13th century city hall is one of the oldest in Bohemia. Some of the houses have names which go back to the German roots, like the beautiful Cafe Herzog and Hotel Birke. Unfortunately none of them serves their original purpose.
Cafe Herzog
Like Trutnov and many other towns the market place in Broumov has a beautiful virgin Mary column. Here the top of the column is occupied by the nest of a pair of storks and their offspring who disrespectfully shit down on the heads of virgin and baby alike.
The Trinity column in Brounov with its storcks
The exodus of Germans was not the first mass-emigration in the history of Braunau. After the Prussian-Austrian war many locals left for Chile and found “Nueva Braunau” north of Puerto Montt. When I visited Puerto Montt a while ago I was curious to visit the German club. The restaurant was very much like and maybe even better than the like in Southern Germany offering Schweinebraten, Schäufele, Schnitzel and similar German fare at German prices and original, imported German wheat beer. However, a visit to Nueva Braunau on Google Maps does not disclose any other obvious German roots. All the names of streets and businesses are clearly Spanish.
In the streets of Broumov
Its location close to the border between Bohemia, Poland and later Prussia had led to much unrest even earlier. During the 7 years war in the 17th century passing troops ransacked the town and surrounding area. The occupation of Silesia by Prussia led to a disruption of the trade connections and impoverishment of the city.
Door in Broumov
Before the town had joined the revolt of the Hussites. In the subsequent contra-reformation the catholic league closed the protestant church in 1617. Closure and destruction of other churches eventually led to the upheaval of the Protestants against the catholic Habsburgs and eventually started the 30 years war in 1618.
View of the Benedictine monastery
However, Braunau was a solidly catholic town. The skyline is dominated by the Benedictine monastery which was originally found by monks from the Benedictine Abbey of Břevnov in Prague. The monks colonized the area in the 13th century. After the town had recovered from the chaos of the 30 years war the monastery from the early 14th century was rebuilt in Baroque style in 1728–1738. Renowned father and son Dientzenhofer came over from Bavaria to make the plans. With the arrival of communism a monastery was not a thing of the time anymore and it was abolished in 1950. The monks, who were German, were expelled, went to Bavaria and found the abbey Braunau in Rohr.
Benedictine monastery
Most of the interior of the monastery can only be visited on a guided tour. When I buy a ticket for 2 pm the friendly chap at the counter tells me (in German) that it will have to be in Czech since all the other participants are Czech. They give me a booklet to get prepared.
Inner courtyard of the Benedictine monastery
I wait for 2 pm desperately looking for a shady spot close to the point where the tour is supposed to start to relax. When it is the time there is nobody but me. I look around thinking that I got the meeting point wrong but eventually the guy from the reception arrives. He is as surprised as me that there nobody else showed up but offers to do the tour for me alone and in German.
The non-renovated part of the Benedictine monastery
There were never more than 80 monks in Broumov. However, the monastery also housed a school and scores of lay brothers for the dirty work. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the premises were returned to the Benedictines. At the moment there are 8 monks in Prague. They rarely visit their huge monastery in Broumov. The order has received 10 million € from the EU which was just enough to renovate a third of the buildings. One floor houses a hotel, another rooms for conferences. There is also a museum. At the moment the library is under renovation and therefore cannot be visited.
One of the preserved stucco ceilings
The walls and ceilings of one room are decorated with frescos of sieges of different cities during the 30 years war. Originally most of the rooms were covered with such frescos or stucco. They were painted over after the monastery was used for other purposes. There was not enough money to restore more of the wall decorations.
Copy of the real shroud of christ
The richly decorated refectory houses the biggest treasure of the monastery. In 1999 somebody discovered a wooden box somewhere in the vaults of the church. It contained one of the 42 known copies of the real shroud of Christ. Only 5 have a certificate that the copy is a real copy. To everybody’s surprise the box also contained the mandatory certificate. My guide explains how you can distinguish the shape of Jesus’s body or marks of the wounds.
The basilika of the monastery
It turns out that he actually commutes every day across the border from Poland which he consistently keeps calling Silesia. His ancestors were among the few Germans who managed to stay after the war. For many years they were hiding their identity. Now there is little chance to practice German around here and he is glad that he can talk to me. There is a German club across the border, in Walbrzych. 10 members meet there regularly but he cannot attend since that is the time he has to work.
Roof of the basilika
Besides the richly decorated Monastery church there are four more churches in Broumov. Most were rebuilt during the Baroque. However, just outside the town there is the unique wooden Church of the Virgin Mary. It survived the different fires since it is in the middle of the cemetery. Originally the abundance of wood in the forests around Broumov was the reason that most buildings were from wood. Rare examples survive in some of the remoter villages.
The wooden Church of the Virgin Mary
I did not expect to be able to get into the church. A search in Google had revealed that it would be only open in the weekend and when I arrive there is a sign telling the same. However, when I round the church the entrance is open. The ancient woman bent over in a corner seems to be chiseled from a block of wood integrated into the church. She sells tickets almost without movement.
Interior of the wooden church
Already in 1171 there was a church at this spot. The present one was built in 1448 after the previous church was burned down by the Hussites in 1421. It is one of the oldest wooden churches in Europe. The entire interior of the church is covered with patterned paintings.
Decoration of the ceiling
Visits to old wooden church are rare and it is an entirely different experience inside. You smell the age. Centuries of smell of burning candles or incense, of the sweat of believers or their wet clothes after they have undergone a long walk for their regular visit to the service has been deeply absorbed into the wood. There is only a slight breeze outside but the building crackles and rustles, moved by either the wind or expansion caused by the heat of the sun. It feels like you are in the bowels of a living being.
Pulpit and altar
Most of the historic gravestones outside bear German names. The covered walkway around the church is used for keeping even older gravestones, memorial plates and panels written in difficult to decipher old German script relating anecdotes from the history of the community. A panel lists the prices of commodities in different currencies in 1812: a “seidl” (half a liter) of austrian wine costs 4 fl in “klingendem conventionsgeld” (coins) but 50 fl in “banco zetteln” (banknotes). Another recounts a big flood in 1570 when the water took away 15 houses and 4 stables.
The covered walkway around the church
With the industrial revolution the textile industry made Broumov wealthy. The hills around town are dotted with luxurious mansions which sometimes could use a solid renovation. A big area between the station and the old town is still occupied by Veba, probably the last textile company which did not move to Africa or Bangladesh. They also run the hotel where I stay. The main building also is in a beautiful mansion, but there is also a modern extension and a wellness and conference center.
One of the mansions in Broumov
The Veba hotel
Paul von Hindenburg, the President of the German Empire at the time the Nazis rose to power, thought all his life that Adolf Hitler was from Braunau in Bohemia where he had been once. Contemptuously he called him the „böhmische Gefreite“ (bohemian private). In reality Hitler was from Braunau at the Inn in Austria. Based on that Carl von Ossietzky asked in June 1930 in the magazine “Die Weltbühne”: “Why did no German government yet think of expelling “Herrn Adolf Hitler” from Braunau (Czechoslovakia) from this country”? Unfortunately Hindenburg not only did not expell Hitler, on the contrary, he was responsible of giving him the job of chancellor and the power for doing what he did.
Sources:
Rübezahl beer
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