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Published: August 26th 2010
Nancy on the train to Sternberk
It was early morning, but we were awake.This morning the train pulled out of the station at 08:43 and arrived at Cesky Sternberk about 10:30. The trip is only 74 Kilometers, but the train made 21 stops. No question about it, this was a local. We really appreciate the excellent public transportation system in the Czech Republic. It seems there is no village that is not served either by train or bus. This is great for us foreigners. We do not have to own or rent a car, just find out what bus or train to take and away we can go.
The train station at Cesky Sternberk is simply a shelter where travelers can wait for the train, especially in rainy or snowy weather. Today was a sunny, hot day. For us the shade of the trees was a much more inviting place to wait for our return train to Prague. There is no ticket office. however that is no problem as you can always buy one from the conductor.
The Gothic Cesky Sternberk castle sits high above the village. Built in the 13th century it is the ancestral home of the Sternberg family. Surprisingly after all these centuries it is still owned by
Sternbeck castle from the river
A modern bridge spans the river that runs by the town. the Sternberg family.
Cesky Sternberk is not as well known Karlstein. The village below the Karlstein is overrun with tourists and the streets are filled with tourist traps. We appreciated the fact that Cesky Sternberk has not been turned into a tourist trap. It is still a village in the true sense of the word. There is a pension and several restaurants or pubs, but no open sidewalk stands with hawkers selling trinkets. Frankly, the village has not been spoiled. It is a real Czech village. There is a nice information center for those who visit to learn not only about this village but about surrounding hiking trails, river canoeing and other things which draw many Czechs to the area for pleasant camping and outdoor experiences. We sat and enjoyed a 'tonic' in the local pub before we climbed the hill and felt pleasantly 'at home' in this small town.
The walk to the castle is not difficult. There is a good steep path with stairs as well as a paved road to the only entrance. We were surprised at the number of people visiting the castle. The courtyard was full as were the tours of the interior.
Cesky Sternberk train station
Yes, it is a small village. We appreciate that even small villages have good public transportation, either by bus or by train. Every fifteen minutes a new tour group entered the castle through a door that was up a flight of stairs from the courtyard. Tours are available in Czech or in other languages. We followed a Czech tour with a English printed text in our hands. This was a less expensive tour than one guided by an English speaking tour guide. We got in line behind what we first thought was our group but were stopped at the door by an alert guide who saw the tickets in our hands and realized we were not part of the Russian language tour. Since my 'command' of Russian is equal to that of my Czech, it would have been just as well to join that group I am sure. As old age pensioners we were able to pay half price for the tour. Once again another sign that Czechs honor and respect their elders and have all sorts of good things for them to enjoy on limited budgets.
We ate lunch at the castle restaurant. The food was good, the prices were very moderate. They had an English parat of the menu if you are interested in knowing that. The atmosphere was
Sternbeck castle
Our first view of the castle from the railway path. very interesting. How often does a person get to eat inside a 13th century castle? Not often for us Americans. The tables were of various sizes and the benches on which you sit were wooden with leather strap backs. To make the wood more comfortable for sitting they had several sheep skins scattered around. I used one! The stove was especially interesting. It design is much like that of the ceramic stoves from centuries past. However, its construction is metal and is currently being manufactured in the Czech Republic. The small Jeneralka Restaurant, near the seminary, has a similar one, but not as large or as fancy. We know from experience that this type of wood stove produces a lot of heat and keeps a room toasty to warm the cold customer.
In the castle courtyard there was a man with several species of falcons and owls giving a nature talk on these native Czech birds. He held the rapt attention of listeners and answered all the questions people asked. We are pretty sure this was the same man whose demonstration of native Czech birds we enjoyed at the Prague Castle. Czechs are proud of there natural environment and
Cesky Sternberk village center
It seems that every place has a Plague memorial. The Black Plague was such a devastating and memorable event in European history. this is an example of trying to educate everyone about bird species they may not see on a daily basis.
The village of Cesky Sternberk is very small. I tried to imagine what life was like in times past when the serfs lived out their lives completely dependent on the good will of the Sternberg family that lived in the castle. I am sure it was a difficult life. The best life in those days was was difficult by our standards and this region is in the mountains where it is very cold in the winter and tons of snow fall.
Today was a warm day. Grain was being harvested in the fields. We saw a man, across the valley from the castle, working with his bee haves. Amazingly he wore no protective clothing. Either he is very tough, or Czech honey bees are much more docile than ones in the States.
We walked back down on the road to see what might be there that we hadn't seen. We saw a statue and an old stone foot bridge beside this modern street. Very interesting! Then we noticed a car park and a stream and a
Sternberk house with flowers
Nancy liked the flowers very much. path! We walked up the path and found a shrine but we don't know who was depicted on it.. Some priest or saint I am sure but with a very scary 'devil"? in front of him. A short distance ahead we found a pretty waterfall and then the path just began to be totally overgrown with weeds and briars. We walked back and then noticed on the other side of the stream there was a very wide and well used path. Most likely we will be lured back to this town to see where that path goes.
As the train made its slow way to Cesky Sternberk, people with backpacks or bikes jumped off at almost every stop headed for summer hiking, biking and fun. Obviously with a little research we can find other interesting places to visit in this area. Oh that summer and fall would extend all year long!
74 kilometers and 21 stops, that was a trip well worth taking.
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Bob Harrison
non-member comment
Next best thing to being there
I appreciated the castle photos that accompany your narrative. Also the picture of the toadstools/mushrooms. And the sense of slowing down to get where you're going. Stay and interesting travels to you both.