The film “The King of the Bohemian Forest” was directed by Karel Kachyňa and based on the novel of the same name by Rudolf Kalčík. The story takes place in the summer of 1948. The rugged nature of the Bohemian Forest serves as the backdrop for a thrilling tale of people who, especially after February 1948, became the uncrowned kings of the border zone. A border patrol unit based in Hamry (Kvilda), led by Lieutenant Kot (Radovan Lukavský) and new member Constable Karel Zeman (Jiří Vala), tries to eliminate the smugglers who know the forest and treacherous bogs perfectly and help people cross the border in both directions. The film was seen by more than 4 million viewers.
For the character of the King of the Bohemian Forest, Rudolf Kalčík was inspired by a real Šumava legend – Kilián – Franz Nowotny. Franz Nowotny came from a German family with a smuggling tradition, from Staré Hutě (Kaltenbach). In 1946, like many Sudeten Germans, he was expelled to Bavaria and settled in the town of Röhrnbach. Already during the First Republic, he earned money by smuggling across the border and continued to return to his homeland even after expulsion. According to the testimony of Josef Peka in his book “Chronicle of the Forests of Šumava,” Kilián’s route was later marked in the files of the State Security (StB) as “Channel 54.”
On June 19, 2004, a ceremonial unveiling of the monument to the Kings of the Bohemian Forest was held in Františkov. The monument stands directly along the former Channel 54 route, on an elevated spot just a few dozen meters from a wooden bridge over the Teplá Vltava – the weakest point of the entire route. From the nearby “Biertopf” (a rock above a prominent meander of the Teplá Vltava), State Security agents had a perfect view of the bridge and the escaping individuals with their guides.
