The first settlement of the village dates back to 1653, when two settlers started to live there permanently. Thirty-five years later, Johan Christian, the Ruler of Eggenberg, gave permission to build the village. Nowadays Nová Pec is primarily a wood settlement.
The village is closely linked to the Bohemian Forest National Park (Národní park Šumava) and the Bohemian Forest Protected Landscape Area (Chráněná krajinná oblast Šumava), representing the main focus of the village – hiking and cycling paths. Throughout the national park you will find hundreds of kilometres of cross-country skiing tracks, some of which can be found in Nová Pec near the Mountain Rescue Service.
Among the best-known and most interesting attractions offered by Nová Pec is a demonstration of timber floating on the Schwarzenberg Canal. Do not miss the seasonal bus connection from the village to Jelení Hills (Jelení Vrchy), from where the hikers can literally step into the vast, beautiful Bohemian Forest and enjoy its wildlife.
Near the village, on the north-western shore of Lake Plešný you can see the memorial of Adalbert Stifter, a local writer from Horní Planá. It has the shape of a slim, tall obelisk of 14.5 meters; it´s made of local granite and it has been standing at an altitude of 1311 meters below the top of mountain Plechý since 1877. From here you can also enjoy the breathtaking views of Lake Plešné.
It is also worth mentioning the Bear Trail (Medvědí stezka) - the oldest trail in South Bohemia, whose most important attractions include the Bear Stone (Medvědí kámen), the Schwarzenberg Canal Tunnel, the Deer Lake (Jelení jezírko) and numerous rock formations from the Pleknštejn granite. Not far from the village, you can also find the natural landmarks of Jezerní luh, Vltavský luh and Trojmezná hora, which are located 5 - 9 km west of the village.
Nová Pec also includes the settlements of Bělá, Dlouhý Bor, Jelení, Láz, Nové Chalupy and Pěkná.