Stifter Memorial: A Tribute to the Bohemian Forest Poet

The Stifter Memorial, also known as the Adalbert Stifter Monument, is a striking tribute to the Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter (1805-1868), who was celebrated for his prose and poetry inspired by the Bohemian Forest (Šumava). The memorial is located on the northwestern shore of Plešné Lake (Plekenštejnské jezero) near the top of Plechý (Plöckenstein), within the Šumava region of the Czech Republic.Constructed between 1876 and 1877, the monument takes the form of a slender, 14.5-meter-high obelisk made of local granite. The monument bears inscriptions including Stifter's name and a tribute to him as a poet of the Bohemian Forest. Quotations from his works are also inscribed on the sides. The memorial was unveiled on August 26, 1877. The stonemasons Adolf Paleczek, Johan and Franz Saumer, Josef Schröderer and Franz Stiny constructed the memorial, and their initials are engraved in blocks below the observation deck.Adalbert Stifter was born in Horní Planá and had a close relationship with the Šumava region. The location of the memorial near Plešné Lake is significant, as Stifter described the lake in his literary works. From the platform at the monument, visitors can enjoy views of the surrounding landscape, including Plešné Lake.