THE CZECH TOWN OF CESKY KRUMLOV
The jewel of Southern Bohemia
Cesky Krumlov is a town in which history is ever present. Sometimes , especially at night or in the Winter, one can almost believe oneself back in time - no wonder the town is popular as a film location. The centre of Cesky Krumlov has dozens of medieval, renaissance and baroque houses crowding its winding cobbled streets. Almost every other building features beautiful external decoration - frescoes, and sgraffito (where the design is scratched into the plaster), so much so that one can spend hours wandering around with one's mouth open. The Cesky Krumlov Tourist Information Centre hires out an audio tour of the town, which tells the tale of the different buildings and gives an insight into the history of the town, although the commentary was a little dull for our taste. The tour is available in a number of languages including English. Another way to find about the different architectural styles and decoration of Cesky Krumlov is to visit the newly opened Museum of Architecture and Craft . The Cesky Krumlov Regional Museum has a wonderful, detailed model of old Krumlov, which makes the museum worth a visit in itself, although there is far more to see.
Dating back to the 14th century, Cesky Krumlov's fairy-tale
castle is second only in grandeur in the Czech Republic to that of
Prague. It almost grows out of the rock cliffs that tower above
the Vltava River and the town. And at night viewed from
one of the riverside restaurants the castle has a mysterious air.
A visit to the castle is a must. Whilst you have to pay to go inside
the castle buildings, you can walk free through the castle courtyards
day and night, giving you access to the beautifully decorated
courtyards and stunning views of the town - take your camera. Children
will enjoy watching the bears in the castle moat. At one end of the
castle is the richly decorated renaissance tower (covered with
frescoes) at the other end you cross a statue-lined bridge to enter the
castle's lovely gardens. If you have to choose just one tour, we
recommend the guided tour
1, which ends at the amazing and definitely weird masquerade hall.
There are two theatres in the castle complex, the first is the baroque
theatre with all its original theatre machinery and decoration and the
second the revolving theatre in the castle gardens, which is used for
productions in the summer. Do walk up into the gardens, they are
beautiful and offer fine views of the town, views which inspired artist
Egon Schiele. Beyond the formal gardens with their clipped yew hedges
and flower beds you
will find a less formal wooded area. This is where the revolving
theatre is sited and where you can picnic beside a lake.
Artist Egon Schiele was one of Cesky Krumlov's most famous
inhabitants. Schiele produced a number of pieces of art inspired often
by the roofs of Cesky Krumlov or its female inhabitants. The Egon
Schiele Art Gallery contains a small collection of his work, but the
main attractions are the changing exhibition programme - with
exhibitions of other major artists' work in the summer of 2006 it was
Giacometti - and the stunning building itself (a former brewery
brilliantly converted). The bookshop and cafe are well worth a visit
too.
Much of Cesky Krumlov is pedestrianised, so the only way to
explore it properly is on foot. This gives one the opportunity to
stop and gawp and to dive off down side streets to avoid
any crowds. There are guided walks available and town plans (check
out the Cesky Krumlov Information Centre for details). Cesky Krumlov is
built on two huge bends in the Vltava River. Much of the old town is
contained in two circular areas bounded by the river - Latran which is
focused on the castle and the rest of the old town which is centred on
the town square. One of our favourite evening walks is along the
river banks under the walls of the castle. The Czechs are good at
waymarking footpaths, which they do with differently coded painted
lines to be found on walls and trees along the way. A number of such
footpaths radiate into the surrounding countryside from Cesky Krumlov
and offer
great walks amongst some beautiful scenery.
Other attractions include the Wax Museum, two museums of puppetry (great for the kids), tours of Eggenberg Brewery, and the Museum of Torture.
Cesky Krumlov is a great centre for classical music fans. Not only can you buy Czech label music CDs at low price, but there are live music performances throughout the year in the town and high quality ones at that. There are a series of music festivals - the Chamber Music Festival, the Early Music Festival, the Jazz Festival and the large International Music Festival. Lovers of opera and ballet can watch performances in the open-air revolving theatre in the Castle gardens. There are other festivals worth visiting, in particular the Celebrations of the Rose, when the town goes back in time to the renaissance. Again check out the Cesky Krumlov Information Centre for an up-to-date programme.
Cesky Krumlov is such a good place for buying unusual gifts and enjoying great food, that we have dedicated special pages to both (see below).