Across the south of the Czech Republic are three delightful small medieval travel wonders all featuring magical central squares and rich histories. Only an hour by bus from each other, the alliterative Třeboň, Telč and Třebíč (from west to east) can be covered in a couple of days.
Třeboň is constructed on marshland with an ingenious usage of canals, dykes, medieval artificial lakes and fish ponds to manage flooding. With a stunning main cobble stoned square of traditional pastel-painted buildings (great viewing by climbing the town hall tower), the town is best experienced by cycling a path around the canals through a series of historic mini-villages and forests, highlighting the success of the historic fishing industry. There is a pleasant short walk around the intact city walls with its five gates and protective bastions. The black peat from the marshes is used in spa treatments that are accompanied with the usual medicinal claims for ailing joints and respiratory systems. More medicinal is the fine fish soup, impossibly fresh fish dishes or beer from the local Regent brewery.
Telč is a small town with little more than one long medieval cobble stoned street of stunning facades in a multitude of pastel-colours linking the majestic main square with the lavish Water Chateau (highlighted by a superb gilded ballroom). It is one of the finest squares in all of Europe, meriting UNESCO world-heritage listing. On each side of this village are artificial fish ponds built over six hundred years ago providing both food and defence. Virtually nothing has changed in over 250 years in this tiny town, giving a wonderful restful feel. Munch on a calorific pastry from one of the several bakeries on the square.
Třebíč is a treasured historic town that mixed a Jewish and Christian population for centuries. Aside from the huge main square with its typical pastel-coloured facades, it is the evocative Jewish Ghetto and cemetery and the oversized Gothic basilica (originally a monastery) that is the highlight of the town and has attracted UNESCO listing. Unlike the tourist madhouse of Prague’s Jewish quarter, Třebíč’s peaceful narrow cobblestone lanes and quiet houses feel frozen in time with almost none of the population surviving World War Two. The nearby cemetery leaves an almost eerie feeling with the numerous headstones, darkened over the centuries with algae and dirt, poking up at all angles like a horror dental job, surrounded by rough shrubs and bushes.
These three small Czech towns are best enjoyed exploring the narrow lanes, peering in the historic buildings, chatting in the street-side cafes and walking the rivers and lakes. Select at least one stopover on the way to Slovakia and enjoy the peaceful ambiance of a Czech village.
Other Czech PostsCzeching Out the Capital (Prague)
Czech Out the CastlesDrinks Around the World - Becherovka
A group of travel bloggers are in their third month of celebrating a drink of the month.
With a recent focus on the Czech Republic with a tour of
Prague and a guide to seven of the
best Czech castles, this months offering comes from this popular central European country.
Becherovka is a drink based on a bewildering array of secret herbs and spices including cinnamon and aniseed. It has an intense fragrant flavour that is slightly bitter. Many enjoy it with tonic or soda water though I preferred it neat. Though previously difficult to find, it has started to appear on occasional shelves in Sydney and undoubtedly other countries around the world.
To add mystery to the product, only two people are rumoured to know the secret recipe handed down through the last two hundred years.
So here is a
na zdraví to all those international drinkers at our mid-year cocktail party.
Other Drinks Around the WorldChimay Beer (Belgium)
Pisco Sour (Peru and Chile)
The Czech Republic has the most castles per square kilometre of any country in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. This article features four impressive castles near to
Prague to be added to the three UNESCO-listed
Czech castles featured in part one.
Konopiště Castle (top photo) was home to the Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose shooting in Bosnia began World War 1 (the actual bullet is on display in the castle). Though built in the 14th century, it is furnished around 1900 and includes the modern conveniences of the time including a flushing toilet, running water and a lift. Somewhat morbidly, the Archduke was a passionate hunter credited with killing over 300,000 animals. The castle including numerous hunting trophies, a shooting gallery (with moving targets), stunning gardens and forests and an extensive collections of medieval arms.
Karlštejn Castle is a photogenic Gothic castle just outside of Prague. Built by Charles IV (the same Charles who has numerous structures named in his honour in Prague) in the mid-1300s to hold the Bohemian crown jewels (now in Prague Castle). The interior of the castle is dull with the exception of the striking Holy Cross Chapel in the Great Tower (the tallest building), guarded by four metre thick walls. The chapel contains pictures of all Czech saints and is richly decorated in gold leaf and in-laid gemstones. Visiting the chapel is difficult and needs advanced purchase tickets.
Hluboká Castle is a gleaming white almost-fairytale Gothic castle in the south of the Czech Republic near České Budějovice (Budweis in German, where the original Budweiser Beer was created and brewed). The interior is typically regal with sumptuous but impractical furnishings and decorated with striking tapestries and paintings.
Křivoklát Castle is a medieval castle set among scenic rolling forested hills, only a short distance west of Prague. Celebrating its 900th year, it served as a brutal prison in the middle ages with a torture chamber and a variety of nasty instruments still on display. A superb library of historic books, knight's dining hall and elegant chapel highlight the castle’s interior while its strategic defensive capabilities are evident throughout. In the courtyard, displays of middle-aged trades are displayed including blacksmithing, wood-carving and ceramics.
The Czech Republic spent centuries at the crossroads of cultures, empires and religions leaving a rich fabric of castles. Enjoy these seven travel wonders that are among the jewels of castles with superb architecture and fascinating histories.
The travel wonder of
Prague Castle and the spires of St Vitus Cathedral overlooking the Vltava River (top photo) is one of Europe's most enduring images. Central to a number of prominant Prague hotels and being at a focal point of European history, Prague Castle is only one of a number of enchanting, historic or ornate castles around the Czech Republic. This article highlights seven other castles sprinkled across the Czech Republic worthy of a visit - the first three heritage listed by UNESCO and the final four within a couple of hours of Prague.
Litomyšl Castle's detailed decorations are in a style called sgraffito where different coloured plasters are applied to the walls and then scratched to produce outlines of varying colours. The striking design gives the aristocratic feel of a French chateau. A still accurate 1728 sundial sits in the courtyard. Furthermore, the castle is treasured as the birthplace of the country’s most famous composer, Bedřich Smetana, known locally as “the father of Czech music” and which is sometimes played in the attached original Baroque theatre (one of only five in the world). The nearby main square is huge for such a small town and truly elegant with renaissance houses painted in a variety of pastel colours.
Lednice Castle was owned by the Princes of Liechtenstein until communist rule after World War 2. Denuded of all its furniture by the departing family, it has been restored to some of its former glory. The interior includes stunning oriental wallpapers and a staggering wooden staircase, hand-carved from one immense piece of hardwood with intricate railings. Outside is a huge park including the chance of a boat ride down the meandering river highlighting a towering out-of-place minaret (ready for a call-to-prayer) and a purpose-built ruined castle, purely for decoration.
Kroměříž Castle is the baroque palace of the local archbishops in the east of the country. The castle has a historic library and some fine paintings but the highlight is the surrounding formal garden complete with ornate symmetric designs, colourful blooms, crisply clipped hedges and elegant statues. The gardens have a lot of the style of the best of the French chateaux with their precision, creativity and floral opulence. The phenomenal garden has earned this castle its UNESCO heritage listing.
Four more
Czech castles are featured in part two.
Across the south of the Czech Republic are three delightful small medieval travel wonders all featuring magical central squares and rich histories. Only an hour by bus from each other, the alliterative Třeboň, Telč and Třebíč (from west to east) can be covered in a couple of days.
Třeboň is constructed on marshland with an ingenious usage of canals, dykes, medieval artificial lakes and fish ponds to manage flooding. With a stunning main cobble stoned square of traditional pastel-painted buildings (great viewing by climbing the town hall tower), the town is best experienced by cycling a path around the canals through a series of historic mini-villages and forests, highlighting the success of the historic fishing industry. There is a pleasant short walk around the intact city walls with its five gates and protective bastions. The black peat from the marshes is used in spa treatments that are accompanied with the usual medicinal claims for ailing joints and respiratory systems. More medicinal is the fine fish soup, impossibly fresh fish dishes or beer from the local Regent brewery.
Telč is a small town with little more than one long medieval cobble stoned street of stunning facades in a multitude of pastel-colours linking the majestic main square with the lavish Water Chateau (highlighted by a superb gilded ballroom). It is one of the finest squares in all of Europe, meriting UNESCO world-heritage listing. On each side of this village are artificial fish ponds built over six hundred years ago providing both food and defence. Virtually nothing has changed in over 250 years in this tiny town, giving a wonderful restful feel. Munch on a calorific pastry from one of the several bakeries on the square.
Třebíč is a treasured historic town that mixed a Jewish and Christian population for centuries. Aside from the huge main square with its typical pastel-coloured facades, it is the evocative Jewish Ghetto and cemetery and the oversized Gothic basilica (originally a monastery) that is the highlight of the town and has attracted UNESCO listing. Unlike the tourist madhouse of Prague’s Jewish quarter, Třebíč’s peaceful narrow cobblestone lanes and quiet houses feel frozen in time with almost none of the population surviving World War Two. The nearby cemetery leaves an almost eerie feeling with the numerous headstones, darkened over the centuries with algae and dirt, poking up at all angles like a horror dental job, surrounded by rough shrubs and bushes. 
