Cesky Krumlov

Europe is an amazing place to visit because of the wide range of history that you can experience.  While some nations have been around for thousands of years, and some are just a few decades old, they all have been home to some amazing cultures at some point.  While time and war have taken their toll on many of these historic cities, thankfully throughout Europe there are still a few cities that help you to understand what Europe must have looked like five hundred years ago.  One of those cities, located in the southwestern corner of the Czech Republic is Cesky Krumlov.  The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site that makes you feel like you are walking through a town that was lost to time, and we're glad it was.

We were staying in Prague for the week, so getting to Cesky Krumlov for a day trip is a bit of work.  While we took a day trip organized by Prague Experience tour company, I have mixed emotions recommending it to anyone.  The bus ride from Prague is two hours, and the bus they use to drive you there has seats that would be great for an elementary school class, but not any adults.  People were sitting on the arm rails to fit, and if you are over six feet tall expect your knees to be in the seat in front of you.  The tour guide also went on a very odd rant about how much she missed communism, an odd addition to a tour full of mostly Americans and Australians whose capitalist and democratic systems helped to fund the tours she was giving.  Other than that they were a completely professional tour that included lunch in the price, and they picked you up and dropped you off at your hotel.  There is a train that can take you there, but while the Czech Republic does have a fully developed train system, it's not as fast as many other nations in Europe, so it takes even longer to get there by train.  In hindsight we would have tried the train, but if you don't want to worry about how to get there on your own this is a fine option.

The first thing you will notice when you get to Cesky Krumlov is the omnipresent Cesky Krumlov Castle.  Sitting on the highest peak in the city, this castle began construction in the middle 13th Century.  Reaching its peak in the 17th and 18th Centuries, this castle even has its own theatre with the original set pieces from the 1700's.  The castle is home to a small, but impressive museum that houses some neat pieces.  One of the pieces is the proclamation signed by Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II which created the realm of Krumau, and made the Eggenberg family the Dukes of Krumau.  Another interesting piece to the museum is the reliquary which holds the entire corpse of Saint Reparatus, whose body was dug up from the crypts of Rome and sent to the monastery that once was in the city.  They also have amazing pieces of Asian art that was collected in the 16th Century, and of course the necessary arms display showing some of the lavish weapons the Eggenberg family once owned.  When you are done with the museum take the walk to the top of the tower of a 360 degree view of the entire city from above.  Compared to many of the other towers in Europe, this one is easy to climb and the view is worth it.  On your way out, stop by the bear pits.  That's right, bear pits.  To show their wealth, in the 17th Century the Duke of Krumau purchased grizzly bears to live in the moat that circles the entrance to the castle complex.  This tradition has continued to this day.  The pit is now home to two very fat, slow moving bears who seemed more interested in looking for the watermelon they were being fed than they were in frightening would be invaders.  They are very cute though, and who doesn't love a cute bear?  

One of the other major sites in the city is the St. Vitus Church (not to be confused with St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague).  Building began in 1329 on this Gothic cathedral that sits impressively on the next highest peak in town, and many of the streets in town will guide you there.  Don't plan on spending much time there, as they do not let you wander through the cathedral.  You are allowed into one standing area and are allowed to look around.  You also are not allowed to take photos, so sadly I have nothing to share.  While it is worth a five minute visit, as it is very impressive inside, don't plan on it killing much time.  To make up for not having any pictures of this church, I will give you pictures of bears in a moat.  You're welcome.

From there walk down into the city, which is actually on a peninsula that juts out into the Vltava   River which cuts through the town.  The city, which has never suffered a major fire, is full of cobblestone streets that cut out in every direction.  One of the wonderful experiences when you get to a city like this is to just take a turn down a side street and see where it takes you.  These streets are often lined with small shops, bars, and restaurants that make them much more enjoyable than the crowded main roads.  The city is known for its wood work shops and their garnet jewelry, but it also is full of some amazing antique shops.  When you make it to the town square check out the column in the city of the square.  This plague column is of Mary, and is the town's tribute to God for not wiping them out with the plague.  I guess we should all be happy for that?

For our first day out in the Czech Republic we loved the time we spent in Cesky Krumlov.  While the people of this country may not have the outward emotions that are expressed in other countries, I suspect this comes from being under communist rule for fifty years, they are very nice people who are more than willing to help.  While there is not much else in this southern corner of the nation to visit, it could be worth a night to wander these streets after the buses of day trippers leave to truly take a trip back in time.  

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