Březník, Mountain hermitage in Modrava, Czech Republic

Březník is a former forest lodge and settlement in the wide Luzenský potok valley, 7.5 km southeast of Modrava. The rebuilt Schwarzenberg lodge stands above the confluence of the Luzenský and Březnický streams, where the Modravský potok forms, at 1,133 m elevation. A small tavern and a Karel Klostermann exhibition occupy the building.

The first written mention dates from 1787. Around 1800 the Chinitz-Tettauer Schwemmkanal made timber floating possible, and in 1804 the forest house Pürstling was built on the Golden Path. The forest house operated until 1951, when border fortifications forced its abandonment; border guards stayed until 1969, and the building was rebuilt from 1998 to 2002.

The name Březník comes from the German Pürstling, after the forest lodge built in 1804. The lodge now houses a small restaurant and an exhibition on Karel Klostermann, whose 1891 novel Ze světa lesních samot is partly set here.

The marked trail from Březník to the state border, opened in 2009, joins the Modrý sloup crossing and continues to the Lusen summit; it skirts the protected area along the flank of Špičník rather than following the old Golden Path. Snow lies up to 140 days a year and night frosts are possible in every month, so bring warm, waterproof gear.

The confluence of the Luzenský and Březnický streams just below Březník forms the Modravský potok, the main source stream of the Vydra. In 1922 the site recorded 2,132 mm of precipitation, well above its long-term average of 1,552 mm.