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Nowadays, most Czech castles and chateaux are owned by the state, even though many were returned to their original owners, whether aristocratic families or church institutions. These old-new owners have kept their property open to the public, frequently restoring the buildings to their original appearance. Publicly accessible castles and chateaux are a testament to the high level of onetime builders’ art and often come equipped with a wealth of artistic treasures. Their interior furnishings are complemented by valuable collections of pictures, weaponry, porcelain, glass, and fine crafts. Nearly 60 castles, chateaux and castle ruins are currently listed in the Register of National Cultural Monuments; several are included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. Prague's prime attraction is its physical face. The city centre is a haphazard museum of 900 years' of architecture - Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, 19th-century revivals of all of them, and Art Nouveau - amazingly undisturbed by the 20th century. This historical core of the city - Hradcany (the Castle District) and Mala Strana (the Small Quarter) west of the river, Stare Mesto (the Old Town) and Vaclavske namesti (Wenceslas Square) to the east, and Charles Bridge in between - covers about 3 sq km and is pedestrian-friendly, so you needn't go at break-neck speed to discover its most famous attractions You'll have to travel further afield to visit Nove Mesto (New Town), with its shops, cafes, museums and theatres; Vysehrad, where mythical Prague was born; and Holesovice, Smichov,Troja and Vinohrady. At least a dozen medieval chateaux and castles are only a day-trip away. Also high on Prague's attraction list is its entertainment: music from classical through to modern jazz and rock; opera and ballet; avant-garde theatre; excellent museums; and dozens of art galleries. Prague's greatest distraction, however,is that it is now one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, and choked with summer crowds. It's hard to imagine today, but in its time this town about 65km southeast of Prague was Bohemia's most important after Prague. This was due to the rich veins of silver below the town itself, and the silver groschen minted here was the hard currency of central Europe at the time. Today the town is a fraction of its old self, but is still dressed up in enough magnificent architectural monuments for it to have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1996. With a pastel-hued square dotted with cafes, medieval alleys with facades from Gothic to Cubist,and a cathedral to rival St Vitus, comparisons with Prague are hard to resist. Kutna Hora is certainly as densely picturesque as Prague, and blessed with warmer people and lower prices. The historical centre is compact enough to see on foot. Those who need their dose of 'culture' will have no trouble finding their cravings fulfilled by the fascinating sights on offer. For a truly macabre sight, there is a cemetery at Sedlec with a Gothic ssuary decorated with the bones of some 40,000 people. For some beautiful religious architecture minus bones, visit the Gothic Church of Our Lady, the St James Church, the 17th-century former Jesuit College, which has Baroque sculpture in front of it, the Cathedral of St Barbara and the Ursuline Convent, which houses an exhibition of antiques. If you are interested in the town's mining history, visit the Hradek Mining Museum and the medieval mine shafts. World famous for its regenerative waters, Karlovy Vary is the oldest of the Bohemian spas, and probably the second most popular tourist city in the Czech Republic, after Prague. It's also the most beautiful of the 'big three' spas in the republic and, despite the crowds, the most accessible. Though you can't just pop in for a sulphurous bath or gas-inhalation therapy, you can sample the waters till your teeth float. There are 12 hot springs containing 40 chemical elements that are used to medically treat diseases of the digestive tract and metabolic disorders, so whether you have diarrhoea or constipation, this is the place to come. In spite of its purging qualities, Karlovy Vary still manages a definite Victorian air. The elegant colonnades and boulevards complement the many peaceful walks in the surrounding parks, and the picturesque river valley winds between wooded hills. The spa offers all the facilities of a medium-sized town without the bother; after hustling around Prague, this is a nice place to relax amidst charming scenery. Krivoklat Krivoklat is a drowsy village beside the Rakovnicky potok, a tributary of the Berounka River. Half the pleasure of going to Krivoklat is getting there - by train up the wooded Berounka valley, dotted with bungalows and hemmed in by limestone bluffs. Krivoklat Castle was built in the late 13th century as a royal hunting lodge, and contains an exemplary late-Gothic chapel, impressive halls and the requisite prison and torture chambers. There's no hunting in Krivoklat anymore, as much of the upper Berounka basin, one of Bohemia's most pristine forests, is now the Krivoklat Protected Landscape Region and a UNESCO 'biosphere preservation' area. If you've got the gear and an extra day or two, consider a hearty walk along the 18km trail up the Berounka valley to Skryje. Along the way you'll pass the Nezabudice Cliffs (part of a nature reserve), the village of Nezabudice and Tyrov, a 13th-century French-style castle used for a time as a prison and abandoned in the 16th century. The summer resort of Skryje has some old thatched houses. You can also walk down the other side of the valley for a closer look at Tyrov. Moravian Karst If it's picture-postcard views you're after,the Moravian Karst is a beautiful heavily wooded hilly area north of Brno, carved with canyons and honeycombed with some 400 caves, created by the underground Punkva River. At Punkevni, groups of 75 people are admitted to the caves every 20 minutes. You walk 1km through the deepest caves, admiring the stalactites and stalagmites, ending up at the foot of the Macocha Abyss. There you board a small boat for a 400-metre ride down the Punkva River out of the cave. Other caves to be visited in this area include Katerinska, Balcarka and Sloupsko-Sosuvske. Traces of prehistoric humans have been found in the caves. Moravske Slovacko Region For more folk art than you can imagine, visit Moravske Slovacko, one of central Europe's richest surviving repositories of traditional folk culture, and one of the most delightful places to stay in the republic. The region's special flavour arises not only from a mild climate (incidentally, perfect for the production of the republic's best wine!) but also from the character and temperament of the people - friendly, easy-going and full of life. The result is an extraordinary reservoir of colourful traditions in speech, dress, building and decorating styles, plus annual festivals all over the place, at which singing, dancing and music are the norm, and traditional food is washed down with ample supplies of local wine. The variety of colourful folk costumes is especially mindboggling, sometimes varying totally from one village to the next, and the houses in many villages are still painted in traditional white with a blue band around the bottom, many embellished with painted flowers and birds. The best time to see the costumes, and to hear the local music - some of it very impromptu - is at a local festival. Visit Blatnice,Straznice and Vlcnov for their festivals. One of the features of wine-growing areas is that sampling the product becomes a bit of a ritual; here it's made more interesting by the distinctive small household wine cellars, or vinne sklipky. In places such as Petrov (3km south-west of Straznice) they are partially underground; in Vlcnov they are more like huts. At Prusanky, 8km west of Hodonin, the wine cellars constitute virtually a separate village Sumava For large, tranquil forests, largely unpolluted and undamaged by acid rain, you can't go past the Sumava Mountains, stretching for about 125km along the border with Austria and Germany. Although only one small patch, the Boubin Virgin Forest, is regarded as completely untouched, the Sumava's pristine state still makes it a unique asset. The only wildlife left behind by past hunting are birds, though deer have been re-introduced. Wildflowers abound throughout the range. The oldest mountains in the Czech Republic, the Sumava - actually two rounded ranges with high plains and moors between them - are ideal for walking or trekking, and although the mountainous terrain rules out cycling on most hiking trails, the many dirt roads are good for an adventurous and challenging ride. The mighty Vltava rises in the Sumava, as do five other major rivers. Two canals scar the region and there are five major lakes, so boating is not out of the question. Conditions are perfect for skiing and ski-touring. Telc This charming 13th-century town in South Moravia was originally founded as a settlement around a Romanesque church. During its rule by the lords of Hradec, from 1339 until the end of their line in 1604, a castle and ponds were built, and after a huge fire in 1530 most of the town's houses were rebuilt in Renaissance style. This architectural unity probably contributed to UNESCO's decision to add the little town (population 6000) to its world heritage list. Dominating the centre of town are the Renaissance castle, the towers of St James Church and the Baroque Holy Name of Jesus Church. Among the square's charming Renaissance houses, don't miss the town's smallest house in the south-east corner, an object lesson in the use of space. Heading north out of the square is a narrow lane to the old town's Small Gate. Southwards down towards the Great Gate is the imposing Romanesque Church of the Holy Spirit from the early 13th century. Cesky Krumlov is one of Bohemia's most beautiful towns, with a well-preserved historical centre that was added, in 1992, to UNESCO's World Heritage List. The city's castle is the second largest in the Czech Republic, after Prague Castle, and it dominates the town from a hill overlooking a horseshoe-shaped bend of the Vltava river. The town's traffic-free historic centre is a magic area of narrow cobbled streets lined with Renaissance and Baroque facades. Half the townspeople dress in Renaissance costume to welcome the summer solstice with a procession, street theatre, mock duels and chess matches played with human pieces. Mikulov Picturesque but totally underrated, Mikulov and its castle sit precariously on a hill in the centre of the flat wine-growing region of Palava, a UNESCO-designated biospheric reservation. One of South Moravia's highlights, Mikulov has some very impressive monuments, but it should come as no surprise that Mikulov is most popular for its excellent white wines. It's very close to the border with Austria and is a perfect stop-off to or from Vienna. The castle, perched over the west side of the town, has been painstakingly restored after being burned by the Germans in WWII. The museum includes local archaeology and natural history, paintings and weapons, but the best displays are on regional folk traditions and wine making. In the cellar is the largest wine barrel in central Europe. Mikulov used to have a strong Jewish community and still has a synagogue, though it was damaged during WWII and neglected during Communist rule. There's also a 15th-century Jewish Cemetery. The town's main square has many Renaissance and Baroque houses and churches to linger over, including the town hall, the graffitoed Canon's Houses and the Dietrichstein Family Vault. Hiking enthusiasts will enjoy the good walks in the surrounding hills, with ruined castles and superb views of the Mikulov area. Zlata Koruna At little Zlata Koruna (Gold Crown) above the Vltava you'll find one of the country's best preserved Gothic structures - a Cistercian Monastery, founded in 1263 by Premysl Otakar II to demonstrate his power in the region. The village's main square is actually built inside the monastery. Originally called the Saintly Crown of Thorns, in later wealthier days the monastery was renamed the Gold Crown (hence the town's name). In 1420 it was damaged by the Hussites, and later restored. The Monastery Cathedral, completed at the end of the 13th century, is clearly Gothic despite its facelift. For literary types, the mostly Gothic frescoed walled complex also houses a Museum of South Bohemian Literature,but equally interesting is the oldest part of the monastery, the vaulted chapterhouse and the Gothic church. |
