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Saturday, 28 March 2009 17:03 |
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The time of boring lectures full of dates and names is a thing of the past. The castellans at Czech castles and chateaux put their heads together and came up with interesting programmes for this year for children as well as adults. They start in spring with Easter fairs, followed by musical festivities in summer, wine festivals in autumn, and closing out the year with celebratory Advent fairs. Moreover, some of these historic sights have a never-ending season, staying open throughout the year. This year, the Křivoklát Castle in Central Bohemia celebrates an unbelievable 900 years since its foundation. To mark the anniversary, Křivoklát, one of the oldest royal castles in the Czech Republic, is opening for its visitors a new sightseeing tour of the
castle called “A Journey through Royal History”. The tour will show visitors those parts of this Gothic building that were previously inaccessible. Seven hundred years ago, the city of Český Krumlov was established, and the local castle will certainly play a part in this year’s spectacular celebrations. Among the numerous interesting events, we would like to invite you to the Early Music Festival (9–16 July 2009), which will fill the magnificent castle premises with the works of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque composers. Music and entertainment was always a part of the life at castles. The Czech Castles festival has become an unforgettable castle celebration of modern times. During five weekends in the summer holidays (from 10 July to 8 August), the festival will visit five castles (Točník, Kunětická Hora, Švihov, Bezděz and Rožmberk). These buildings, which are several hundreds of years old, will come to life with contemporary music and will be filled with audiences of all ages who greatly appreciate the pleasant atmosphere of this event. Our predecessors certainly did not trouble themselves with diets, and thus an invitation to gastronomic festivities at castles and chateaux promises an interesting experience. On 23 and 24 May, you will be able to judge and taste samples exemplifying the eating habits of people from the Middle Ages up to the present day at the romantic castle Velhartice in the Šumava Mountains. The Baroque chateau Nebílovy in the region of Pilsen once again lures visitors to the festival of asparagus (16–17 May) and to the chateau wine festival (12–13 September). Have you ever been to a honey festival? No? Then don’t miss this year’s honey festival held at the Medieval castle Rabí on 27 June. In addition to various kinds of honey, you can also taste other products made with honey, such as gingerbread or mead. If your darling has a secret desire for a wedding, satisfy her yearning with a tour of the chateau in Kroměříž on 1 May. The first of May is a day for lovers in the Czech Republic, and on this day the interiors of the Kroměříž chateau will be decorated with wedding gowns and flowers. The Baroque chateau, famous for its valuable collections of fine arts, is a UNESCO heritage site, and the wedding gowns will certainly fit the bill. A visit to the Sychrov castle offers you a small excursion through the history of living. This sightseeing tour, which shows the development of the noble interiors from the Renaissance up to the period of historicism, will be presented in a new form. Sychrov is interesting not only inside but also outside. On the last weekend in August (29–30 August), here you will feel as if you were in Scotland, as Scottish games and dances, competitions, and, of course, Scottish bagpipers all will be featured! This is but a small preview. In the Czech Republic, the gates to nearly 200 castles and chateaux open every season. |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 13:52 |
