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Published: October 11th 2017
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It was raining as we left St Wolfgang yesterday morning, headed for Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic. On checking out, the Receptionist apologised and explained that “this is Austria”. It was raining for most of the drive into the Czech Republic, and we arrived at our accommodation in the Old Town at around 2.00pm. With our accommodation being in the Old Town, there was of course, no parking available, however, our hosts kindly provided us with a parking ticket for one of the Public Car Parks for the duration of our stay.
We Czeched in to our accommodation and whilst the building itself was very old, our apartment inside was very modern. We set out, walking through the Old Town, checking out restaurants for dinner, enjoyed coffee and explored the Castle grounds, including the Castle Gardens.
Cesky Krumlov is a town in the South Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. Its historic centre, centred around the Cesky Krumlov Castle, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The town's name begins with Český ("Bohemian") to differentiate it from Moravsky Krumlov in Moravia, which forms the other half of Czech Republic. The Vltava River winds
its way through the Old Town, with several bridges spanning the river.
A settlement arose beneath the castle, which was erected from about 1240 onwards, by a local branch of the noble Vitkovci family.The fortress was first mentioned in a 1253 deed as Chrumbenowe. In 1302 the Vítkovci line became extinct and King Wenceslas II ceded the town and castle to the Rosenberg family. Peter I of Rosenberg (d. 1347), the Lord Chamberlain of King John of Bohemia, resided here and had the present upper castle erected in the early 14th century.
After the First World War, the Czechoslovak army had occupied the region, which became part of Czechoslovakia. In 1938 it was annexed by Nazi Germany, under the Munich Agreement. After World War II the town's longstanding German speaking population was expelled and it was returned to Czechoslovakia. The town, as was Czechoslovakia, was under Communist rule up until the Velvet Revolution of 1989.
Yesterday we booked in for a Walking Tour of Cesky Krumlov, and our guide ( I can’t pronounce his name) was very informative, leading us through the Old Town and up the steps into Cesky Krumlov
Castle, which towers above the town. After completing the Walking Tour, we enjoyed lunch in the town before heading back up to tour the Castle. Unfortunately, it was a Monday, and in Europe, most monuments are closed on Mondays, and we weren’t able to tour the rooms of the castle. We were, however, able to climb the Castle Tower, which provided panoramic views over Cesky Krumlov. After climbing down from the tower, we went to view the bear that inhabits a large enclosure outside of the main castle gate.
It was a little sad to see the bear wandering around aimlessly without any bear companions (two older bears that were sharing the enclosure had to be put down in recent months due to old age). Our guide had assured us that the bear was getting two new companions in the near future. We had found a little Vegetarian Restaurant called Laibon in a small laneway in the Old Town, where the Proprietor spoke a number of languages, and we enjoyed a simple yet (and safe for Kim) nourishing dinner for the two nights we stayed in Cesky Krumlov.
Tomorrow we head off to my
favourite big city in Europe, Prague, driving via Karlstejn Castle, which we unfortunately ran out of time to see on our last holiday in Czech Republic.
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