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Český Krumlov: Capturing Times Past

By Lora Meisner, E Com Communications

If you’ve enjoyed the chateau of the Loire in France or the castles along the Rhine in Germany, well, you ain’t seen nothing yet until you’ve been to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is full of fairy tale towns with castles towering over town squares.

Most travelers who have visited the Czech Republic go to Prague. Prague is regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe – and they’re right. It also has the largest castle in the Czech republic, Prague Castle.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed my four days spent touring this “city of 100 spires,” I was eager to see more of the Czech countryside and encounter real Czechs. So, I decided to visit Český Krumlov, a medieval town about 100 miles south of Prague, on my way to Austria.

After taking a bus almost the entire way, I walked the final distance into town along a pedestrian path and  was treated to a wonderful view of the city. It captured my imagination almost immediately. The town was crowned with a fairy tale castle surrounded by 15^th, 16^th and 17^th-century buildings. I felt as though I had landed in a Grimm’s fairy tale or on a movie set for a period piece. What a visual delight?

I had reservations at the Pension Barbakan located right at the entrance to the city’s pedestrian-only historical center. The pension is built across from the town gatehouse on a high outcrop of rock above the river Vltava, which winds through Český Krumlov. It has large rooms with private baths and is well located. It is also reasonably priced with doubles in low season starting at $40 and in high season $65.  They serve a hearty breakfast in a room overlooking an outdoor patio and the river.

As I meandered toward the town square, I couldn’t believe that this town, which exudes a sense of timelessness, has been relatively undiscovered by tourists until recently. Český Krumlov, called “the jewel of South Bohemia,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, universally recognized as a unique remnant of historic urbanism.

The old town preserves, virtually intact and still vital, an unequaled ensemble of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque structures. Among the attractions is the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic. The castle has the oldest working Baroque theatre in Europe, and an open-air theater with a revolving auditorium. The unique urban integrity of the town is that it contains more than 300 historical buildings and its atmosphere is absolutely incomparable.

I spent two days in Cesky Krumlov, with the first day devoted to touring the Castle complex. The Castle of Český Krumlov, one of the largest in central Europe, began its development in the 14th century and continued into the 19th.  It is well preserved in its architectural detail. It is a complex of 40 buildings and palaces, situated around five castle courts and a castle park. The complex of the castle is erected on the rock promontory, which has been sculpted by the Vltava River on the southern side. The castle towers proudly above the refined Renaissance and Baroque burgher architecture of the town below.

I took the guided tour and I was amazed that most of the furnishings are original to the castle. The aristocratic families of Rosenberg, Eggenberg, and Schwarzenberg who once inhabited the castle left their legacy behind. The guided tour takes just over an hour, covering only a small section of the castle that was once inhabited by these prominent families. The tour ends in the beautiful rococo Masquerade Hall where it’s easy to envision the plays and concerts that provided entertainment to the royal audiences.

Český Krumlov offers visitors a large selection of restaurants and in nice weather almost all offer patio or terrace dining.  Even fine dining is very reasonable – I had dinner on my last night at the Hotel Ruze, which has a very nice stone terrace overlooking the river. I never paid more than $20 or $25 for dinner including wine, tax and tip.

During the tourist season, there are concerts held in Český Krumlov’s town hall and museum. I attended a concert and saw an outstanding pianist at a price that was only slightly more than the cost of a Starbucks coffee.

Český Krumlov offers a myriad of cultural events – the town claims to offer more than 400 each year.  For example, it has a chamber music festival in June, a piano festival in July, an international music festival in August, as well as a jazz festival near the end of August. Several restaurants offer Czech/folk music as well as jazz in the evening. There’s always something to do.

On my second day I went to the visitor’s center on the historic town square, which offers an at-your-own-pace walking tour with an audio device. The tour starts with the history of Český Krumlov and continues with the history and stories about many of the historic buildings that make up this town. What makes many of the buildings architecturally unique are the drawings and artwork that decorate their facades. The tour includes the lovely Church of St. Vitus near the town square.

After lunch at a cafe along the river, I wandered through a park that provides green space along the River Vltava. There are several parks along the river, as well as the opportunity for canoeing and kayaking.  The river’s current is swift, therefore vigorous paddling is unnecessary.

Like a precious pearl, the town of Český Krumlov is situated in a valley surrounded by the Blansko Forest to the north and the undulating foothills of Sumava to the south and west. It is in a truly beautiful rural setting – a visitor’s delight, don’t miss it.

Tips for Riding the Bus to Český Krumlov

Having read that the best way to travel to Český Krumlov was via a bus, I checked the Internet prior to leaving the U.S. and found that there were no direct trains but many direct buses. The trick in the Czech Republic is to obtain bus tickets ahead of time (at Florenc, the main bus station in Prague). However, the bus I took left from the Andel station. Also, make sure that there is a seat number on the ticket.  Czech buses will sell tickets to anyone who shows up at departure, but without a seat number, you end up standing in the aisle. On a three-hour bus ride, I saw many passengers having to stand for an hour or more until others got off at the interim stops before our final destination of Český Krumlov.

However, Czech buses are reasonably clean and comfortable (by second-class standards) and the people who travel by bus are locals (real Czechs), students, backpackers, and adventurous travelers of all nationalities. After stopping in several Czech towns, the trip ended in a large parking lot in Český Krumlov (there is no station).  The heart of town is only a 5-10 minute walk on a paved pedestrian path that starts at the end of the lot.