Monday, April 16, 2012

Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

Český Krumlov is a small town in South Bohemia.  It was founded in the Middle Ages.  It's about 245 km (152 miles) from Brno.


Its old town is well-known for its architecture, much of which dates back to the 1800s.  During communism, the town fell in to disrepair but a lot of money has been spent on renovations since the Velvet Revolution.  In 1992, Český Krumlov was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After a Saturday morning brunch, Nat and I went with John and Katie to Český Krumlov.  Poor Nat...having to put up with three Americans.  Driving there took a bit longer than it should have because the GPS was telling us to take a highway in Bohemia that is still under construction.  But after a few detours John managed to get us there.

The Vltava River runs through the center of the town.  I'm told that a popular Summer activity is to take a canoe trip on the river from Prague all the way to Český Krumlov.


We went to the visitor's information center and booked a guided evening tour.  We noticed that there seemed to be a lot of Thai people in town.  It turned out that earlier in the day our guide gave a tour to the Thai princess.

Yesterday morning we took a tour of the castle which is the second largest in the country after the Prague castle.  The castle dates back to 1240.

Inside the castle is a Venetian ballroom.  Photography isn't allowed inside of the beautiful theater but I managed to sneak one.

Here's a Rick Steve's video I found on YouTube which shows more about the town and the castle.   

©Rick Steves

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