Šumava Železná Ruda / Hojsova Stráž Brčálník

Hojsova Stráž (German: Eisenstraß) is a village in the southern part of the Plzeň Region, in the Klatovy district, and one of the six parts of the town of Železná Ruda. It lies at an altitude of 890 m on the western slope of Můstek above the upper Úhlava valley, about 9 km north of Železná Ruda. Hojsova Stráž also includes the mountain hamlet of Prenet with St Kunigunde's Chapel, which lies on the historic trail known as the Světelská stezka.
The town of Železná Ruda lies in the valley of the Řezná (Regen) river and is surrounded on all sides by mountain peaks. It sits on the edge of the Šumava National Park, about 2.5 km from Bayerisch Eisenstein. The town also includes Alžbětín, Špičák, Pancíř and Hojsova Stráž. The original settlement grew up in the first half of the 16th century on the Řezná, on an important trade route from Bohemia to Bavaria, near deposits of iron ore – hence the town's name. In 1849 it became a market town, and in 1852 its new owner, Prince Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, enlarged the estate to more than 6,000 ha. At the end of the 19th century the town gained importance with the railway from Plzeň to Bavaria, which had the longest tunnel in Austria-Hungary at the time. Tourism has developed here since the end of the 19th century. The first mention of the village in historical sources dates from 1569.