The Prague Post
September 7th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions

Home » Archives » Summer Guide

Day tripping

Venturing beyond Prague

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
June 27th, 2007 issue

Easily seduced by Prague’s medieval majesty and Baroque glamour, travelers often bypass the Czech Republic’s outlying regions. Yet those who venture beyond the city limits are rarely disappointed, finding Bohemia to be a place where stern-looking cathedrals and cobblestone hamlets jostle for attention amid natural splendor. 

Photo courtesy of CZECHTOURISM
enlarge
Mělník

Tourist Information Center
Tel.: 315 627 503
Mělník Chateau
Svatováclavská 19
By train: Leave from Holešovice train
station. Trip takes about an hour

Even if you just need an excuse to escape the beer-thirsty tourist hordes milling around Old Town Square and Prague Castle, a day or two in the Bohemian countryside is an unforgettable — and economical — experience. The locals are friendlier, the cuisine more authentic and the beer more plentiful, lending these areas an intimate appeal that the capital lacks.
“You have to visit the regions if you really want to get to know the Czech Republic and the true mentality and lifestyle of the Czechs,” says Markéta Chaloupková, a spokeswoman for CzechTourism. “Prague is a busy place with an international flavor, but you can’t really learn anything about the variety of our country. In the regions, there are many more extraordinary places to visit, it’s not overcrowded, and the prices” are considerably lower than in Prague.
 
Český Krumlov
Although it’s no longer off the tourist radar, the UNESCO-protected Český Krumlov can charm even the most cynical traveler. Situated on a natural bend of the Vltava River, Krumlov’s soaring castle spires and cobblestone alleyways create a fairytale ambiance of Grimm Brothers proportions.
Photo courtesy of CZECHTOURISM
enlarge
Český Krumlov

Tourist Information Center
Tel.: 380 704 622
Český Krumlov Castle
Zámek 59
Web: www.castle.ckrumlov.cz
By train: Leave from Hlavní nádraží. Trip takes about three and a half hours
By bus: Leave from Florenc. Trip takes about three hours

The former home of a succession of Bohemian and Bavarian nobles, the 13th-century Schwarzenberg Castle is the high point of a trip to Český Krumlov — in more ways than one. Situated on a bluff overlooking the town, the castle’s exterior has a striking pastel color scheme, and its moat is now home to a fearsome family of bears. Enjoy a panorama of the town and its surrounding woodlands from the topmost tower. A two-hour castle tour takes you through the living chambers and the fresco-covered Masquerade Hall. At the rear of the castle, the attractive royal gardens await visitors. The focal point here is the Revolving South Bohemia Theater, which regularly hosts Czech-language versions of Shakespearean comedies.   
If history isn’t enough to keep you entertained, don’t fret. Sports lovers can indulge in horseback riding, rafting and boating. In fact, maneuvering the small dam below the castle without capsizing a kayak or canoe has become a popular rite of passage among locals and visitors alike.  
Don’t miss Krumlov’s cuisine, which is a welcome departure from the standard Czech pork-and-dumplings fare. Highlights include U dvou Marií, or At the Two Marys, a riverfront eatery serving medieval fare with surprisingly extensive vegetarian options, and the more carnivore-friendly Krčma v Šatlavské, where waiters in peasant garb serve fire-roasted meats to the accompaniment of minstrels.    
Kutná Hora
Once the nation’s second-largest city thanks to its silver deposits, Kutná Hora is famous — and infamous — these days for its spectacular churches. Although the silver mint closed in 1727, visitors can still observe the remnants of Kutná Hora’s glory days at the Italian Court and the adjacent mining museum at the Hrádek, a former fort.
Photo courtesy of CZECHTOURISM
enlarge
Kutná Hora

Tourist Information Center
Tel.: 327 515 556
Cathedral of St. Barbara (Barborská)
Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice Zámecká)
By train: Leave from Hlavní nádraží. Trip takes about an hour
By bus: Leave from Florenc. Trip takes about an hour and a half

Designed by Peter Parler, the architect also responsible for St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, the Cathedral of St. Barbara overlooks the southwest segment of the city. Its three spires resemble circus tents amidst a profusion of flying buttresses. Construction began in 1380, but remained unfinished until the 19th century; the ceiling frescoes depict silver-mining scenes.
Located in the neighboring Sedlec suburb, the gruesome Sedlec Ossuary, known by expats as simply “the bone church,” is not for the faint of heart. When the Black Plague left the town’s cemetery overflowing with corpses, town officials converted the chapel into a makeshift skeletal repository. Either out of boredom or temporary insanity, a local monk began fashioning flowers and other ornaments out of the remains. Several centuries later, Czech woodcarver František Rint picked up where the monk left off, fashioning crucifixes, candelabra and an enormous coat-of-arms from the bones of more than 40,000 people.
Mělník
Upon arrival, visitors to Mělník may wonder what all the hype is about. The surrounding region is largely industrial, and the town’s historical center is small.
However, an afternoon at the Mělník Chateau — with its Renaissance interiors and wine cellar — is worth the travel effort alone. The town lies at the intersection of the Labe and Vltava rivers, making it one of the country’s most important agricultural regions. Although most vineyards are located in Moravia, Mělník is the wine-producing capital of Bohemia. Production has taken place for centuries, and, each autumn, the town hosts a special festival to honor the tradition.
For a modest fee, you’ll be given a glass and permission to descend into the chateau’s cavernous wine cellar for a “tasting.” Afterward, be sure to admire the beautiful views of both rivers from the town park.
Terezín
The fortress town of Terezín was named after Habsburg matriarch Maria Theresia, also a notorious anti-Semite. It proved to be a gruesomely appropriate moniker, as the town itself was converted by Adolf Hitler’s Gestapo into a concentration camp, following the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1941.
Photo courtesy of CZECHTOURISM
enlarge
Terezín

Tourist Information Center
Tel.: 416 782 616
Ghetto Museum
Komenského 411
By bus: Leave from Florenc. Trip takes an hour

During the Holocaust, the walled city actually served dual purposes: that of a transit camp for 140,000 Jews awaiting deportation to Auschwitz and as an instrument of Nazi propaganda. Efforts were made to portray Terezín as a “self-administered Jewish settlement community,” and the actual tragic fate of most inmates was concealed in order to receive Red Cross delegations.
More than 30,000 people lost their lives due to overcrowding, malnourishment and execution in the Small Fortress, which visitors can explore freely. After passing beneath the entrance bearing the “Arbeit Macht Frei” epitaph, notice the decoy bathrooms and sleeping facilities en route to the barracks and eerie underground passages to the burial sites, where prisoners’ corpses were disposed after being worked to death. At the end of the tour, note the swimming pool — positioned just a few meters away from the execution site — that was built for families of Nazi officers.
The rest of the town’s museums are equally profound. Located in a former school, the Museum of the Ghetto features a moving exhibit on the paintings and poetry of imprisoned children, as well as artifacts, clothing and literature. The crematorium, where the remains of the executed were disposed, lies just outside the fortress walls.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at specialsection@praguepost.com


Other articles in Summer Guide (27/06/2007):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.