The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as Šumava (pronounced [ˈʃumava] ⓘ) and in German as Böhmerwald, is a low mountain range in Central Europe.

The designation Šumava has been attested in the late 15th century in Antonio Bonfini's work Rerum unganicarum decades.

Folk etymology connects the name's origin with the Czech words šum, šumění (literally 'hum, humming') denoting the noise of trees in the wind.

The most accepted opinion among linguists derives Šumava from a theorized Proto-Slavic word *šuma 'dense forest', cf.

Serbian šuma as it adjoins regions populated by Sorbs of Lusatia and surrounds (North Eastern Bavaria and Saxony).

These unique circumstances led to the preservation of unspoilt nature and forest ecosystems relatively unaffected by human activity.

However, park administration is not always successful in its task, and many believe the rapid growth of tourist accommodation and services is destroying the former calm of the Šumava region.

According to archaeological findings, the Bohemian Forest area was not significantly populated during the Paleolithic era – the Stone Age (dates back to 9000 BC).

The initial settlements of a more permanent character appeared in the southwest of Bohemia during the Bronze Age (3,000 to 1,000 years BC).

[2] The Celts were however gradually forced out by the Germanic tribe (the Marcomanni), who left the Celtic agricultural settlements desolated.

The borderline virgin forests receded, making way for fields and pastures, and thus in the 13th century, the colonisation of the Bohemian borderland began.