A Guide to Prague and the Towns and Cities of Bohemia and Moravia

A GUIDE TO PRAGUE AND THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA 2013/12014

A GUIDE TO PRAGUE

AND THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA

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A GUIDE TO PRAGUE AND THE TOWNS AND CITIES OF BOHEMIA AND MORAVIA WITH RECOMMENDED TOURS INCLUDING MAPS

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Cover page: town Litomyšl

5 – 30 walking tours around Prague

31 – 51 Brno, Olomouc, Lednice, Třebíč, Žďár nad Sázavou, Litomyšl, Telč, Kutná Hora, The Association of Spas, Mariánské Lázně, Karlovy Vary, Kroměříž, Třeboň, Turnov, Pilsen

52 – 59 art galleries, museums, theatres (incl. black theatres), exhibitions, concerts, musicals

60 – 63 hotels, guest houses, camping

64 – 69 restaurants, cafés, pubs

70 – 71 Shopping Centres, boutiques, glass, jewellery

72 clubs, discotheques, casinos

74 –75 car rental, traffic information, public transport tickets, taxis, guarded parking

THE USTÍ REGION Come with us to the Gate to Bohemia, which opened to the general public by means of the four cornerstones that make up the region‘s most interesting tourist spots, which, for many, have yet to be discovered. These are Bohemian Switzerland, the Czech Central Mountains, the Krušné Mountains and the Lower Ohře. Let‘s give them a brief introduction.

Bohemian Switzerland The territory‘s origins lie in the distant past, many millions of years ago a sea covered what is now today’s Bohemian Switzerland. When the sea retreated, a wondrous world of sandstone rose from its sandy bottom. A world of rock towers, bridges and gateways. In this area you will find some of the rarest fauna and most remarkable plants. After the retreat of the sea, processes, which are still continuing to this day, began to transform the resulting sandstone sheet. Thus was born a landscape of rock formations, towers, walls, gullies and canyons. The national park has extremely valuable natural areas, which are under protection due to the rare animals living in them and because they are virtually untouched. The inaccessible rocky and woody corners provide a home to many endangered species of animals.

The Czech Central Mountains As a wine region the Czech Central Mountains represents an area that is great for spending a holiday or as a destination for excursions and leisure activities. Every year Wine-growing Litoměřice invites wine lovers to visit the wine-growing shows, competitions and, above all, the wine harvests and their accompanying cultural programmes in all the major wine-growing centres – Litoměřice, Roudnice nad Labem and Velké Žernoseky. You can also head for Mount Říp, where, according to legend, the forefather of Czechs stood, for Stadice, from where Přemysl the Ploughman, founder of the Přemyslid Dynasty, set off for his princely seat or for Peruc, where Prince Oldřich first set eyes on the voluptuous Božena and made her his princess.

The Krušné Mountains Recently the Krušné Mountains have become popular with athletes of all kinds. In the summer they are a popular destination for hikers and cyclists, in the winter their slopes are criss-crossed by skiers and snowboarders, whilst cross-country skiers traverse the ridges. But few know that the Krušné Mountains also hide lots of cultural treasures, and still maintain regional traditions and crafts with roots stretching back into the distant past. Even today you can still marvel at the traditional hand-made production of wooden toys in Nová Ves v Horách. You can also visit the tourist attractions in the Krušné Mountains and their foothills, such as the towns of Chomutov, Jirkov, Most, Litvínov, Teplice, Duchcov and Osek. A ride on the Moldaváček train promises to be a great experience for the whole family. It has been running from Most to the mountain village of Moldava for nearly 120 years.

Lower Ohře The whole area has a deep tradition in agriculture, viticulture, and the associated processing industry. The towns on the River Ohře, many of which are listed and protected, are picturesque and the River Ohře itself, with the Nechranice Dam, is a big attraction due to its wide offer of sports and all kinds of active rest. Head for a landscape full of hop gardens and beautiful towers in the conservation zones of Klášterec nad Ohří, Kadaň, Žatec, Louny, Podbořany and Postoloprty. The territory stretches all the way to Panenský Týnec and Libochovice.

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WALKING TOURS AROUND PR AGUE This tour takes you through the historic city centre. It starts at the Prašná brána (Powder Tower), at the site of the one-time Royal Court from where the coronation processions set off, then proceeding through the Old Town, across the Gothic Charles Bridge towards Prague Castle and St. Vitus’s Cathedral. The tour is divided into two

parts, each of which can take either 30 minutes (if you don’t look around you too much), two hours (if you stop at the recommended sites) or four hours (if you decide to look around the corner or enter some of the buildings).

The history of the Old Town of Prague dates back to Romanesque times.

The walls surrounding the town were erected in the 1230s, under King Wenceslas I.

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ROYAL ROUTE

PART I OF THE ROYAL ROUTE – FROM PRAŠNÁ BRÁNA TO CHARLES BRIDGE

Powder Tower

Prašná brána (Powder Tower) was built in 1475 by King Vladislav Jagiello on the site of a 13th century fortified tower. It was supposed to be an official gateway of sorts to the Old Town. The Royal Court where the kings of Bohemia used to stay from the late 14th century on was situated where the Art Nouveau Obecní dům (Municipal House) stands today. When the king moved back to Prague Castle, construction of the tower stopped.

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It was later used to store gunpowder and has since been referred to as the Powder Tower. Originally built in the Late Gothic style, it was rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 19th century.

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Celetná is the artery of the Old Town of Prague and a textbook of architectural styles. Examples of the earliest, Romanesque, style may be found in the basement of virtually every house on this street (currently used as wine bars and restaurants) because over the centuries the ground level sunk by several metres.

Palác mincovny (Mint House; Celetná 36/587) was built in the baroque style in the 18th century, and from the late 18th century housed Prague’s military headquarters.

Ovocný trh (Fruit Market) nearby is where Prague’s oldest theatre, namely Stavovské divadlo (Estates Theatre) of 1783, stands. It was the venue of the world premiere of Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, conducted by the composer in person in 1787.

Not far from here stands the Carolinum, once a college of Charles

Josef Gočár and built in 1911-12. It houses a permanent exhibition of Czech Cubism.

Menhartovský dům (Menhart House; Celetná 17/595) consists of several medieval structures, rebuilt in the Renaissance style and turned into a single compound around the year 1700, with Gothic portals, Renaissance vaults, and baroque sculptures in the courtyard. (A passageway lead from here to St. James’s Church. one of Prague’s most beautiful baroque churches, built in the 13th century but rebuilt in the early baroque style at the beginning of the 18th century.)

Caretto-Millesimo Palace (Celetná 13/597) is a blend of several styles, from the Romanesque to the baroque. The remains of the original 12th-century house have been preserved in the basement, while the facade dates from the 18th century.

Hrzánský Palace (Celetná 12/558) is the result of a radical rebuilding of an earlier structure in the baroque style by the architect Alliprandi after 1700 for Count Zikmund Hrzán of Harasov.

House signs, typical of Prague in the

Old Town Square

University founded by Charles IV, comprising several buildings in the Gothic style.

Dům U černé Matky Boží (House at the Black Mother of God; Celetná 34/569) is one of the best-known examples of Cubist architecture in Prague, designed by the architect

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past, have been preserved on some houses on Celetná street to date. They are the houses U bílého páva (At the White Peacock; Celetná 10/557), U černého slunce (At the Black Sun; Celetná 8/556) and U bílého lva (At the White Lion; Celetná 6/555). The house At the Black Sun was where the wedding of

Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) is the most important square of the oldest part of the royal town of Prague and the centre of its eventful history, which included royal weddings, the election of the King George of Poděbrady (1458), but also executions, with the most tragic one being the execution of 27 leaders of a failed antiHapsburg rebellion of the Estates in 1621.

The event is commemorated by the 27 crosses in the pavement next to the Old Town Hall. Coronation processions used to pass through the square which was also the venue of major rallies in the country’s more recent history. The Jan Hus Memorial was erected here as a symbol of those happy and sad events in 1915, designed by the architect Ladislav Šaloun.

Astronomical clock in the Old Town Square

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Josefina Hampacherová and Josef Dušek took place. It was with the Dušeks that Mozart stayed when in Prague.

Probably the best preserved historic houses on the street are the parsonage (Celetná 5/601) and the house U tří králů (At the Three Kings; Celetná 3/602). In both, the original Gothic brickwork has been preserved including the 14th-century gables. The latter was once inhabited by the young Franz Kafka.

Memorial to Jan Hus (John Huss)

Old Town Hall The town hall as a symbol of the selfgovernment of the Old Town of Prague was built in 1338 and in the course of the following centuries was gradually expanded. The astronomical clock (Orloj) dating from 1410 has figures of the twelve apostles appearing in the tiny windows on the hour during the day, and mechanical figures of Vanity, Greed, Death, and a Turk in the upper part.

The monumental spires of Chrám Panny Marie před Týnem (Church of Our Lady before Týn) is separated from the square by Týnská škola (Týn School) whose Gothic arcade is one of Prague’s oldest. The church itself was built on the site of an earlier church in the 14th and 15th centuries, and later rebuilt in the baroque style. Inside the church are Late Gothic and baroque altars and the grave of Tycho de Brahe, a famous astronomer of the time of Emperor Rudolph II. The tympanum on the northern portal is a copy of the original 14th-century piece by the Peter Parler workshop. If you have time, pass through the Renaissance gate to the Ungelt, also known as Týn, once an inn for merchants in transit through Prague. Some of the houses built next to the perimeter wall are fine examples of the Renaissance style.

Return to the Old Town Square and stop at the monumental medieval structure of the house U kamenného zvonu (At the Stone Bell; Staroměstské

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náměstí 13/605) which in the 14th century was one of Prague’s most decorative buildings and was probably owned

by Queen Eliška Přemyslovna.

probably the most interesting. It houses an art gallery with exhibits also on display in the well-preserved Romanesque basement.

The adjacent Goltz-Kinsky Palace (Staroměstské náměstí 11/606) was built in the second half of the 18th century and is the birthplace of the first Nobel Peace Prize winner Bertha von SuttnerKinsky. It later housed the German Gymnasium (secondary school) attended by Franz Kafka.

Opposite it stands the huge Clam-Gallas Palace (Husova 20/158), a fine example of high baroque architecture, built on the site of a medieval palace after a design

by J. B. Fischer von Erlach in the early 18th century. The expressive sculpted decorations are the work of Matthias Bernard Braun.

The memorial plaque on the house U kamenného beránka (At the Stone Lamb) with a fine Renaissance portal (Staroměstské náměstí 17/551) recalls Albert Einstein’s stay in Prague in 1911.

Other interesting houses on Karlova include the house U zlaté studny (At the Golden Well; Karlova 3/175) with rich stucco decorations on the facade.

U minuty (the house At the Minute)

The corner house U bílého koníčka (At the White Horse; nebo U zlatého jednorožce (At the Golden Unicorn; Staroměstské náměstí 20/548) with a Late Gothic vault in the passageway and a Romanesque basement bears a memorial plaque recalling the piano school where the great Czech composer Bedřich Smetana once taught.

Passing by the Old Town Hall and by the Renaissance house U minuty (At the Minute; Staroměstské náměstí 2/3) you arrive at the Malé náměstí square in the centre of which stands a fountain with a Renaissance grille. Then take Karlova street with many medieval houses among which house No. 156 (Husova 19) with Venetian Renaissance gables is

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In the opposite corner stands the house U zlatého hada (At the Golden Snake); Karlova 18/181) with a beautiful house sign. This is where Prague’s first café Deodata Damajana was opened in the early 18th century.

On the right side of the street stands one of the city’s largest compounds, namely the Clementinum, construction of which started in the mid-16th century and took almost two centuries to complete. It was originally a Jesuit college which was gradually expanded into a large university compound, including many religious buildings. The Mirror Chapel (Zrcadlová kaple) is the venue of concerts, the Church of St. Clement is used by the Greek Catholic Church,

Memorial to Charles IV.

only in the late 17th century and was designed by J.B. Mathey. The memorial in the centre of the square represents Charles IV as founder of Prague’s Charles University. It was erected here on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of its foundation in 1848, and the four female figures surrounding the ruler represent the university’s four faculties.

PART II - FROM CHARLES BRIDGE TO PRAGUE CASTLE Old Town Bridge Tower (Staroměstská mostecká věž) The bridge tower on the Old Town side of Charles Bridge was built at the same

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Charles Bridge

and the Vlašská kaple (Italian chapel of the Assumption of Our Lady) by the recently restored Italian Congregation.

The facade of the Church of St. Saviour (sv. Salvátor) decorated with sculptures

by J.J. Bendl overlooks the Křižovnické náměstí square.

The square is named after the only Bohemian religious order, namely the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star, founded in the mid-13th century

by St. Agnes of Bohemia. Shortly after its foundation the order moved near the then Romanesque bridge and has resided there ever since. The Church of St. Francis replaced an earlier one

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time as the Gothic bridge by Charles IV in 1357 as not only a fortified tower but also a symbolic triumphal arch on the Bohemian kings’ coronation route.

This is attested by the rich sculptural decorations on its eastern facade.

Inside the tower is an exhibition of old musical instruments from the National Museum collections.

Charles Bridge was built in 1357 to replace an earlier Romanesque bridge from the second half of the 12th century and known as Judith bridge after a Bohemian queen. Judith Bridge was destroyed in a flood in 1342.

Although the Gothic bridge was more solid, it was also damaged by floods and had to be repaired several

Malá Strana (Lesser Town) side of the bridge was built in the second half of the 15th century under King George of Poděbrady, after the example of the tower on the opposite side of the bridge. It is connected by a gate with Judith tower, the only remaining part of the Romanesque bridge destroyed in a flood in 1342. The tower exhibition is dedicated to the eventful history of the bridge.

Mostecká connects Charles Bridge with Malá Strana’s central square. In the early Middle Ages there was a Romanesque court at each side of the square. On the right side stood the bishop’s, later the archbishop’s, court which was destroyed in the Hussite wars in the 15th century. Only a tower has survived, accessible from the house at Mostecká 16/47). Opposite it, the commandery of the Knights Hospitalers was established after 1158. The baroque Church of Our Lady under the Chain at the end of the bridge is actually only the presbytery of an earlier church. Parts of the brickwork and the tower have been preserved from Romanesque times and from the reconstruction in the Gothic style. Most of the houses on Mostecká have Gothic or Renaissance ground plans, and some have house signs on their baroque facades.

Lesser Quarter Bridge Tower

times. It is decorated with 30 statues and sculptures added gradually from the end of the 17th century (the earliest statue being that of St. John of Nepomuk from 1683). Some of the sculptures date from the 19th century and the youngest one is that of St. Cyril and Methodius from the time shortly before World War II. The most valuable originals are currently being replaced by copies.

Malá Strana Bridge Towers (Malostranské mostecké věže) The taller one of the two towers on the

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St. Nicholas‘ Church

Among the palaces at the lower end of the square two other baroque structures merit attention. The Sternberg Palace (Malostranské náměstí 19/7) and the adjacent Smiřický Palace (18/68) are a part of the compound housing the Czech Parliament.

The western side of the upper end of the square is occupied by the Liechtenstein Palace (Malostranské náměstí 13/258) with remains of earlier architecture. The building houses the Academy of Music and is often the venue of concerts.

The Marian Column in the middle of this part of the square is an early 18th-century baroque structure with statues of Bohemia’s patron saints.

Take Nerudova street leading up to Prague Castle. The lower part of the street (up to the Church of Our Lady)

Marian Column

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Lesser Quarter Square

Malostranské náměstí square is the central square of the Lesser Town of Prague, known as Malá Strana. The town was founded by Přemysl Otakar II, nicknamed “king of iron and gold”, in 1257 on the site of an earlier settlement. The Church of St. Nicholas was built in the centre of the square as early as the 13th century. The present-day church is an 18th-century baroque structure, built by Christoph Dientzenhofer and his son Kilian Ignaz. It is one of the finest examples of Bohemian baroque. The church belonged to a Jesuit college, and the two buildings actually divide the square into two distinct parts.

Most of the buildings here are in the Renaissance and baroque styles, because the town was almost entirely destroyed in a huge fire in 1541.

Nearly all the houses and palaces at the lower end of the square have arcades. Probably the most interesting are the early 18th-century Kaiserstein Palace (Malostranské náměstí 23/37) with a memorial tablet commemorating the stay here by the famous Czech singer Emmy Destinn and the corner house of the former Malá Strana town hall (Malostranské náměstí 21/35). Behind the corner stands yet another architectural gem, namely the Church of St. Thomas, whose Gothic ground plan attests to its foundation in the 13th century. It was beautifully rebuilt in the baroque style. The high altar is decorated with two Rubens paintings (the originals have been replaced by copies and are deposited at the National Gallery).

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U dvou slunců (At the Two Suns)

was once a part of the medieval town, while the upper part was joined to Malá Strana only by Charles IV. The houses here have an eventful history, with some remains of the Gothic period, but most of the burghers’ houses were rebuilt in the Renaissance style and some replaced by huge baroque palaces. The most remarkable among the latter are the Morzin Palace (Nerudova 5/256) and Thun-Hohenstein Palace (Nerudova 20/214), both designed by the baroque architect Johann Blasius Santini. The former palace is decorated with sculptures by Ferdinand Maxmilian

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Brokoff and the latter by Matthias Bernard Braun (who also made some of the statues on Charles Bridge).

The Church of Our Lady at the Gaetans was built on the site of a medieval town gate in 1711 and was originally a part of a monastery compound extending as far as Prague Castle.

The opposite Hansturkovský dům house (Nerudova 17/248) still has remains of medieval fortifications within its walls. The burghers’ houses on Nerudova boast beautiful house signs, a trademark of sorts of this part of the city. The house U dvou sluncí (At Two Suns; Nerudova 47/233) bears a memorial plaque recalling that leading Czech author Jan Neruda after whom the street was named lived here.

PRAGUE CASTLE Turn right at the end of Nerudova street and you have arrived at Prague Castle.

The tour of Prague Castle takes two hours provided you do not enter the buildings and the gardens. A thorough inspection of Prague Castle may take the whole day, but without the art galleries, 4-5 hours suffice.

Earphones for a guided tour are available at the information centre.

The seat of the rulers of Bohemia was built on a hill overlooking the River Vltava probably as early as in the 9th century and was gradually expanded over the centuries, bearing traces of all historic periods.

Enter Prague Castle’s first courtyard through the main gate from Hradčanské náměstí square. This is the youngest part of the castle, dating from the 18th century. Then take a trip against the flow of time, with the second courtyard dating from the times of Emperor Rudolph II in the 16th century, but also with examples of the earliest building activity at Prague Castle, namely the remains of a late 9th-century church discovered by archeologists in the passageway next to the Castle Picture Gallery.

The Castle Picture Gallery (Hradní obrazárna) has a collection of works of art started back in the times of Rudolph II. It is housed in the former stables. The exquisite castle halls on the upper storey also date from the

period of Rudolph II. Take the passageway with the remains of the medieval fortifications to the third courtyard with its centrepiece, St. Vitus’s Cathedral. Its main facade was completed only in the 20th century, but the cathedral was founded back in 1344, when the Prague bishopric was elevated to archbishopric. The cathedral’s first builder was Matthias of Arras, who designed the circumferential chapels in the east. Peter Parler continued the construction from 1356 until his death in 1399. He built the first half of the church including the Zlatá brána (Golden Gate) with a unique vault. The mosaic, rare in central Europe, and its placement attest to the significance assigned by Charles IV to his seat, as do the interiors, especially the decorations in the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, Bohemia’s patron saint. The chapel stands above the grave of the saint which was here already at the time of the original 10th-century church that was later rebuilt. The current cathedral is the third structure on the same site.

The Královský palác (Royal Palace)

Černínský Palace

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Hradčany Square

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Vrtba Gardens

has also evolved in the course of several centuries. The upper storey with the Vladislav Hall dates from around the year 1500, the lower storeys are even older.

An example of the Romanesque style at Prague Castle is the Church of St. George. It was built in the 12th century on the site of an earlier church belonging to Bohemia’s oldest convent, namely the convent of the Benedictine nuns, established in the mid-10th century. The church currently houses National Gallery collections.

The Zlatá ulička (Golden Lane) in the north-eastern part of the Castle consists of the tiny dwellings of the castle sharpshooters built next to the town walls under Rudolph II in the late 16th century.

Prague Castle has several gardens, a tour of which can start at the Old Castle

interconnection of the gardens are, for the most part, the work of the architect Josip Plečnik. Next to the main castle entrance is the Na baště (On the Bastion) garden. Walking along the Jelení příkop (Stag Moat) across the Prašný most (Powder Bridge) you arrive at the Royal Garden (Královská zahrada). Its history can be traced back to the Renaissance times and the reign of Ferdinand of Hapsburg who had the Letohrádek královny Anny (Queen Anne Summer Palace) built here, a unique example of the Italian Renaissance on Czech territory. The famous Zpívající fontána (Singing Fountain) dates from the mid-16th century. The other Renaissance structures here, including the Velká míčovna (Large Ball-game Court), date from the times of Rudolph II. The gardens are open in the summer season.

TOUR OF THE TOWN OF HRADČANY The town of Hradčany was founded as the third town of Prague after 1320, under the reign of King John of Luxembourg, but was granted the full rights of a free royal town only under Emperor Rudolph II. The tour may start at Pohořelec and may be followed by the tour of Prague Castle, or vice versa.

Without an inspection of the interiors, two hours will suffice, interiors included it may take half a day.

Golden Lane

Staircase (Staré zámecké schody) and end at the lookout ramp at the end of Nerudova street. The landscaping and

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Pohořelec is one of the three squares of this smallest of Prague’s towns and its Czech name alludes to the local frequent fires. The memorial of two astronomers, Johann Kepler and

century and was still not completed in the 18th century. From the mid-19th century on it was used by the military, and since the creation of the independent Czechoslovakia in 1918 to date it has been home to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Passing by the palace gardens we arrive at Nový svět, once the suburbs of Hradčany whose tiny picturesque houses are now inhabited mostly by artists.

At the end of the street stands the Church of St. John of Nepomuk, dedicated to the saint in the year of his canonisation in 1729. At that time it belonged to the Ursuline Convent, dissolved by Emperor Joseph II. It was then used by the military.

Also on the square is the Capuchin Monastery with the Church of Our Lady Angelic built in 1600.

The entire western side of the square is occupied by the Černínský palác (Černín Palace), one of Prague’s most monumental structures. It started to be built in the second half of the 17th

Loreta

St. Vitus‘ Cathedral

The house in the opposite corner is usually referred to as the dům pážat (Pages’ House; Kanovnická 3/69) and has been preserved in its Renaissance form.

Take the U kasáren street leading to Loretánská. On your left stands the Martinic Palace (Loretánská 4/181), currently home to the Castle Guards.

It was built in the early 18th century after a design by the Roman architect Carlo Fontana.

At the end of the street stands the Hradčany town hall (Hradčanská radnice; Loretánská 1/173). It was built in the Renaissance style in the late 16th

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Tycho de Brahe, was erected here in memory of the house where the latter once lived. He died in Prague in 1601 and is buried in the Church of Our Lady before Týn.

The Strahov Cloister and grounds were created in the middle of the 12th century as a fortified complex of buildings even before the founding of the city of Hradčan. The Norbertines came here then and except for a period of time during the communist regime, still remain today. Evidence of hundreds of years of building can be found here – including remains from the Roman, gothic and baroque eras.

The local cloister picture gallery and library are accessible to visitors.

Loretánské náměstí (Loreto Square) is named after the Loreto, a baroque compound of structures including the the Church of the Nativity (Narození Páně), gradually built around a copy of the alleged house of the Virgin Mary which stood here from 1626. The architects who worked at the compound included the two Dientzenhofers. Part of the Loreto treasure is the Diamond Monstrance decorated with 6,222 diamonds. The famous carillon dates from the late 17th century.

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century when the town was granted the full rights of a free royal town by Rudolph II. Hradčany’s coat of arms is above the entrance, and on the righthand side is the “Hradčany elbow”.

On your right, the baroque Radniční schody (Town Hall Staircase) leads to Nerudova street below. It is overlooked by the Carmelite convent with the Church of St. Benedict. The church dates from the 14th century, but became a monastic church only in the 17th century, when it belonged to the male order of the Barnabites. The Carmelites came here at the end of the 18th century, bringing with them a mummy of the founder of Prague’s first convent which is still in the church.

On the opposite corner stands the Toskánský palác (Tuscany Palace; Hradčanské náměstí 5/182). Its early baroque reconstruction was designed by the architect J.B. Mathey, the sculptural decorations on the attic are from the workshop of Johann Brokoff, and the Archangel Michael on the corner opposite the town hall is the work of O. Most.

The Martinic Palace (the second of its name) stands in the corner of the square (Hradčanské náměstí 8/67). It was only in the 1970s that its Renaissance decorations from the

Lederburg Gardens

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turn of the 16th century were fully uncovered and restored.

The Schwarzenbersk ý palác (Schwarzenberg Palace; Hradčanské náměstí 2/185) is yet another example of Renaissance architecture, dating from the mid-16th century and currently housing the Museum of Military History.

A baroque Marian Column from the early 18th century, the work of Ferdinand Maxmilian Brokoff, stands in the park in the square in front of the palace.

The Šternberský palác (Sternberg Palace; Hradčanské náměstí 15/57) was built at the turn of the 17th century in the northern part of the square, next to the Jelení příkop (Stag Moat). It has been used since the 19th century as a picture gallery, and at present houses the National Gallery collections of old European art.

The entrance to the picture gallery is somewhat obscured by the Arcibiskupský palác (Archbishop’s Palace; Hradčanské náměstí 16/56).

The original residence of the archbishop in Malá Strana was destroyed by the Hussites. The archbishop’s seat was restored in Prague only in 1562 and this is when the palace was built.

It was then reconstructed in the 17th and 18th centuries.

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TOUR OF MALÁ STRANA The tour of Malá Strana includes visits to the gardens and inspection of other places of interest and takes between half a day and a whole day.

To see everything it offers it is best to make the tour between April and late October, starting at the Malostranská Metro station or walking from Hradčanské náměstí square down the Zámecké schody (Castle Staircase).

In Valdštejnské náměstí (Wallenstein Square) is the entrance to the garden of Ledeburský palác (Ledebour Palace; Valdštejnské náměstí 3/162).

This early-18th-century garden is one of the ring of palace gardens on the southern slopes below Prague Castle.

The others are the Pálffy, Kolowrat, and Fürstenberg gardens (the last mentioned one belongs to the Polish Embassy and is closed to the public).

The baroque gardens are a specific feature of Prague’s architecture. They are terraced thanks to which beautiful views can be had from them of the

entire city. From Valdštejnské náměstí, you can walk through the compound of Valdštejnský palác (Wallenstein Palace) which Albrecht of Wallenstein, general of the imperial army, had built here in the 1620s. The palace has richly decorated interiors and a large garden. The palace is partly home to the Czech Senate, and its historic rooms will be accessible to the public after restoration is completed. The Valdštejnská zahrada (Wallenstein Garden) is connected with the palace by a sala terrena decorated with painted scenes from the Trojan war.

The ingeniously landscaped garden is adorned with copies of bronze statues made by Adrien de Vries (the originals of which were taken away as booty by the Swedish army at the end of the Thirty Years’ War).

Exit the palace compound at Klárov and take U lužického semináře street to Vojanovy sady, Prague’s oldest gardens. As early as in the second half of the 12th century, this space was a part of the bishop’s court. It remained in use after the palace was

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Leave the island at the Church of St. John at the Laundry, whose name dates from the time when it was used as a laundry having been abolished by Joseph II. It regained its status as a church and its current appearance is the result of several reconstructions. However, the church stood here as early as in the 12th century, even before Malá Strana was founded.

Čertovka (a side arm of the Vltava)

destroyed and in the 17th century was integrated as a garden into the Carmelite convent. The Carmelites had two chapels built here. The garden later served as recreation ground for young girls attending the school of the Order of English Virgins, and in the 20th century became accessible to the public.

U lužického semináře street (named after the Lusetian seminary once housed in No. 13/90) takes you to the Kampa island formed next to Charles Bridge by an arm of the Vltava River and also referred to as the Venice of Prague.

The island’s current appearance dates from the 16th century when remains of the Malá Strana houses destroyed in the 1541 fire were dumped here, raising the ground level. Thanks to this, a part of the island was firm enough for houses to be built on it. The other half of the island is formed by gardens, open to the public since the 20th century.

Some of the mills that once stood here have been preserved to date, among them the Štěpánovský mlýn mill in the Renaissance style, or the Velkopřevorský mlýn with a huge wheel visible from Charles Bridge. Further upstream of the Čertovka arm of the Vltava River stands the Huť mill with a smaller wheel. The Sovovy mlýny compound is currently being restored and will then be used as an art gallery.

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Take Říční street where a memorial plaque on house No. 11/532 commemorates the stay of Karel Čapek, one of the greatest Czech authors, and his brother Josef Čapek, a leading painter who died in a concentration camp during World War II. You are now in Újezd and have two options: 1. Either take the funicular railway or walk up Petřín Hill, with the Hladová zeď (Hunger Wall) perimeter wall from the time of Charles IV, a wooden church moved to Prague from Sub - carpathian Uk raine in the 1920s, the Štefánikova Observatory (Hvězdárna), the mirror Maze (Bludiště), and Rozhledna, a downsized copy of the Eiffel Tower built in 1891. From there you can either return back to Újezd or walk to the Strahov Monastery in Pohořelec.

2. Or you may decide to leave out

Statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague

rations by Matthias Bernard Braun, and the frescoes in the sala terrena the work of Václav Vavřinec Reiner, the three men having been leading artists of their time. Take the narrow Prokopská street to Maltézské náměstí square.

The St. John the Baptist group of statues stands in front of the Church of Our Lady below the Chain, the main church of the commandery of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem dating from the 12th century. The house U zlatého jednorožce (At the Golden Unicorn; Lázeňská 11/285) bears a memorial plaque commemorating the stay here of Ludwig van Beethoven.

At the other end of Lázeňská street you may enjoy the unusual calm of Velkopřevorské náměstí square with several Renaissance and baroque buildings. Walk past the Velkopřevorský mlýn mill back to Kampa island or up the stairs to Charles Bridge.

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the tour of Petřín, take Újezd street to Karmelitská, passing by the small Church of St. Lawrence (sv. Vavřince) in Hellichova. This church, too, is older than Malá Strana itself, and used to be the parish church of the one-time settlement of Opatovice back in the 12th century. It has been restored recently and is used for concerts. The Church of Our Lady Victorious in Karmelitská was originally a Lutheran prayer house, given to the Carmelites at the time of re-Catholicisation. The church is famous especially for the statue of the Bambino di Praga (Infant Jesus of Prague), donated to the church by Polyxena of Lobkowicz in 1628. Also in Karmelitská stands the Vrtbovský palác (Vrtba Palace; Karmelitská 25/373). Behind the inconspicous facade is a great surprise. Take the passageway to the Vrtbovská zahrada garden, one of Prague’s most beautiful baroque gardens. It is also a terraced garden, designed by František Maxmilian Kaňka with sculptural deco-

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in the Jewish ghetto is the Staronová synagoga (Old-New Synagogue).

Although it is one of Prague’s earliest Gothic structures, it may still have had a predecessor. The Early Gothic synagogue consisting of a nave and an aisle dates from the 3rd quarter of the 13th century and has preserved its original appearance in spite of later partial reconstruction.

Spanish Synagogue

THROUGH THE OLD TOWN OF PRAGUE AND JOSEFOV This is a tour to be made if you are staying longer in Prague. It consists of two parts of which the first is dedicated to the former Prague Jewish ghetto (and takes 4-5 hours), and the other is a tour of other places of interest across Prague’s oldest town, complete with a tour of the National Gallery collections (it takes another 4-5 hours).

Josefov is the name of Prague’s former Jewish Town, established as an independent fifth district within the territory of the Old Town of Prague following the emancipation of the Jewish population after 1850. It was named after Joseph II, under whom Prague’s Jews were at last granted some civil rights. The former ghetto used to be one of the poorest parts of the city and a large part of it was demolished at the turn of the 19th century. The only preserved structures are the synagogues, the town hall and the old Jewish cemetery. They survived through World War II simply because Hitler had wanted to set up in Prague a museum of the “former” Jewish nation.

Probably the most valuable structure

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Opposite it on Červená street stands the Vysoká synagoga (High Synagogue) from the time of Rudolph II when the ghetto flourished in the late 16th century. The former Jewish town hall (Židovská radnice; Maiselova 18/250) on the corner dates from that time and has a clock with a Hebrew face. Both buildings underwent several reconstructions.

The U židovského hřbitova street takes you to Klausova (Klaus) Synagogue built in the early baroque style in the

Old Jewish Cemetery

late 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th century.

Next to it stands the Old Jewish Cemetery (Starý židovský hřbitov) compound with the Pinkasova (Pinkas) Synagogue, built in the late 15th century in the Late Gothic style, and later rebuilt in the Renaissance style. In the course of the recent restoration, a Jewish ritual bath (mikvah) was discovered in the basement.

Inside the synagogue is a memorial bearing the names of 77,000 Czech Jews who died in the Holocaust. The earliest tombstone in the Jewish

Old-New Synagogue

cemetery dates from 1439. Because of lack of space the cemetery has several layers. The 12,000 tombstones have been erected here in the course of 350 years. The best known is probably the tombstone of Rabbi Löw, allegedly the creator of the Golem.

When this cemetery was closed down in the late 18th century, the New Jewish Cemetery was founded outside the limits of the then Prague (near the present-day Želivského Metro station) where Franz Kafka, Prague’s greatest Jewish author is buried. Weary visitors find themselves comfortably seated in the kosher King Salomon Restaurant (Široká 8, see p. 132).

Maiselova (Maisl) Synagogue (Maiselova 8/63), named after its founder, was built in the late 16th century in the Renaissance style but since rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style.

Most of these buildings at present house valuable collections and organise exhibitions. The Old-New Synagogue still serves its original purpose. Španělská (Spanish) Synagogue is located outside the centre of the former ghetto, on Dušní street, and was built in the late 19th century.

Along the banks of the Vltava River there are also many Christian structures as well as modern buildings in pseudo-historic styles, the Art Nouveau and the Cubist style of the turn of the 19th century. Čechův most

Continue along the embankment past the hospital with a long history to the large complex of the Convent of St. Agnes (Anežský klášter; Na Františku 811). It was founded at the same time as the Old Town of Prague in the 1230s by King Wenceslas I, his wife Cunigund, and his sister Agnes of Bohemia, who became its abbess.

It was originally a convent of the Poor Clares and a monastery of the Friars Minor, and also the first ever Gothic structure on Bohemian territory. A large-scale reconstruction of the complex for the National Gallery was completed in the 1980s.

The border between Prague’s two historic towns, namely the Old and the New Towns, runs along Revoluční street across náměstí Republiky square, Na příkopě and Národní streets. Most of the buildings here date from the 19th and 20th centuries and are a textbook of modern styles.

Walking along this border at the lower end of Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square), you reach Můstek, named after a bridge which in the Middle Ages spanned the moat between the two towns and the remains of which can be seen on the basement level of the Metro station of the same name.

The short street Na můstku takes you to yet another of Prague’s towns, namely the New Town of St. Gall (Havelské Město), whose independence, however, was only shortlived. Located between Ovocný trh (Fruit Market) and Uhelný trh (Coal Market), it was founded at the time when the Old Town walls were built.

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bridge, not far from the former ghetto, is the shortest bridge across the Vltava River, the first of Prague’s 20th-century bridges (built in 1906), and the only one in the Art Nouveau style. It is remarkable for its rich decorations and illumination. This way to the Les Moules Restaurant, well known for its excellent cuisine (see p. 132).

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memorates the stay in Prague of Ferencz Liszt.

The Fruit Market

As early as in the 13th century it was integrated into the surrounding town (and is recalled only by several regular streets, uncommon in this part of the town).

In the centre of the settlement, the Church of St. Havel (St. Gall) was originally a parish church built in the Gothic style, but rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries in the baroque style. It then became a part of the Carmelite monastery, until Joseph II’s reforms in the late 18th century.

Not far from here stands the Church of St. Martin in the Walls so named because the 12th-century Romanesque church which once stood in the centre of a settlement was partly integrated into the town walls. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style and served as a parish church. The Brokoff family of leading baroque sculptors were buried in the adjacent cemetery which, however, no longer exists.

Husova street, the communication axis of this part of the town, has a history dating back to the Romanesque period but archeological excavations suggest that it may be even older than that. As the terrain was gradually raised, the ground floors of the Romanesque houses are now in the basement of the current houses. The many churches and chapels which once stood here but of which only very few have survived attest to the

In front of the church, a roofed marketplace (kotce) was built in 1362 which extended as far as Uhelný trh and, though in a different form, has survived here to this date. The neoRenaissance building of the Česká spořitelna savings bank (Rytířská 29/536), designed by the leading architect Antonín Wiehl, was built here in the late 19th century.

On the opposite side of the street, the house U modré růže (At the Blue Rose; Rytířská 24/399) is a Gothic house rebuilt in the baroque style.

At one end of Rytířská street stands the Estates Theatre (Stavovské divadlo), at the other end is the Uhelný trh (Coal Market) square with the house U tří zlatých lvů (At the Three Golden Lions) with a memorial tablet commemorating the stay here of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. On the corner of the opposite house known as Platýz, a memorial plaque com-

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Church of St. Martin in the Wall

then density of the population. Right on Husova street stands the Church of sv. Jiljí (St. Giles), originally a parish church, then a chapter church, and eventually a monastery church. The medieval church was rebuilt in the baroque style and decorated with frescoes by Václav Vavřinec Reiner who is buried in the church.

NEW TOWN OF PRAGUE Betlehem Chapel

In the nearby Betlémské náměstí (Bethlehem Square) stands the reconstructed Bethlehem Chapel (Betlémská kaple), which was built in 1391 and where Master Jan Hus preached for several years from 1402. His execution by burning at the stake on July 6, 1415 in Constance (Germany) became a milestone in Czech history.

Martin Luther called him his teacher and there is an exhibition in the chapel on the development of the nonCatholic Churches and thinking.

The tour of this part of Prague takes a whole day, with half a day dedicated to the town itself and 2-3 hours to an inspection of Vyšehrad.

National Museum

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Rotunda sv. Kříže (Rotunda of the Holy Rood) on Karoliny Světlé street is a Romanesque church which has survived to this date. There used to be many more churches like this here. It dates from the 12th century and is still used for religious purposes.

The tour ends in the Smetanovo nábřeží embankment, Prague’s oldest one, dating from the 1840s and named after leading Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. A beautiful view can be had from here of Prague’s famous skyline.

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The New Town of Prague is the fourth, and last, of Prague’s towns which closed the medieval development of Prague. The town, founded in 1348 by Charles IV, was actually fully built-up only as late as in the 19th century. Its network of streets with three large marketplaces has been preserved to this day. Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square, originally the Horse Market), is now the centre of the city. The buildings in the square are from the 19th and 20th centuries, but the square has been here since the Middle Ages. At the lower end of the almost 1-kilometre-long square begins the Old Town, at the upper end stands the National Museum (Národní muzeum) built in the late 19th century in the neo-Renaissance style after a design of Josef Schulz.

Right in front of the museum is a memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc, two young men who burnt themselves to death in 1969 in protest against the Soviet occupation of the country.

The equestrian statue of St. Wenceslas surrounded by the country’s patron saints is the work of Josef Václav Myslbek from the turn of the last century.

Not far from the National Museum stands another 19th-century structure, namely the State Opera (Státní opera), designed by the Viennese architects Hermann Hellmer and Ferdinand Fellner.

Wenceslas Square divides the New Town into “lower” with the parish

State Opera

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Franciscan Gardens

Church of St. Jindřich a St. Kunhuta (St. Henry and St. Cunigund) on Jindřišská street, and “upper” with the parish Church of St. Štěpán (St. Stephen) on Štěpánská street.

You can then take the busy Vodičkova street with the neo-Renaissance Wiehlův dům house on the corner (Václavské náměstí 34/792).

A passageway connects Vodičkova street with the Františkánská zahrada (Franciscan garden) which once belonged to the Franciscan monastery. The Church of Our Lady of the Snows was founded by Charles IV in the mid-14th century but was never completed. Only the presbytery was built which, however, is the tallest church in Prague (33 metres).

The interiors are in the early baroque style.

Take the passageway back to Vodičkova street and opposite you stands the Lucerna Palace (Palác Lucerna; Vodičkova 36/704), a large multi-functional compound built here by the grandfather of former Czech President Václav Havel.

The U Nováků house (Vodičkova 28/699) is yet another early 20thcentury structure, designed by the architect Osvald Polívka in the Art Nouveau style.

The Vyšší dívčí škola girls’ school (Vodičkova 22/683) was designed by Ignaz Ullmann in the 19th century in the Czech neo-Renaissance style, typical of which is rich sgraffito decoration.

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High School for Girls

Karlovo náměstí (Charles Square; originally the Cattle Market) is Europe’s largest square covering an area of 80,500 sq m and is best seen in its entirety from the tower of the Novoměstská radnice (New Town Hall) in the north-eastern corner of the square. The town hall began to be built in the 1370s. A large part of the Gothic structure has survived in spite of the later reconstruction in the Renaissance style.

In the middle of the square, at its eastern side, stands the Church of St. Ignác (St. Ignatius) built in the early baroque style in the second half of the 17th century. Most of the interior furnishings date from that time.

At the opposite side of the square, Resslova street leads towards the Vltava River. It has two churches one opposite the other. Part of the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius

New Town Hall

is a Memorial of Reconciliation, in memory of the men who assassinated Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich at the time of the Nazi occupation and then were in hiding in this church.

Opposite it stands the Romanesque Church of St. Wenceslas.

Michna summer palace – „Villa America“

St. Ignatius‘ Church

Return to Karlovo náměstí square and in the south-western corner take U nemocnice and then Kateřinská streets to Ke Karlovu where the baroque Michnův letohrádek (Michna Summer Palace), also known as Villa Amerika, designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, houses the Antonín Dvořák Museum (Ke Karlovu 20/462).

At the end of this street stands the Church of Our Lady and Charlemagne,

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also known as the Na Karlově Church, and once a monastery church. It was rebuilt several times but its original architecture from the time of Charles IV has been preserved. It is an octagonal structure, reminiscent of the Aachen church dedicated to Charlemagne.

Most of the other buildings on this street are hospitals. The tour may then continue back to Karlovo náměstí or across the Nuselský most bridge, past the Congress Centre to Vyšehrad.

Easter 1372. The monastery was seriously damaged at the end of World War II, during an air raid on Prague. As if by a miracle, the mid-14th-century wall paintings in the ambulatory survived.

The corner building at Karlovo náměstí 40/502, known as the Mladotův or Faustův dům (Mladota/Faust House) has a baroque facade on a Gothic palace dating from the 14th century.

Several of its owners had devoted themselves to alchemy, and the Prague version of the Faust legend is linked to this building.

Vyšehradská street leads to the Botanical Gardens of Charles University, moved here 100 years ago from the opposite bank of the Vltava River, where it had been founded by the Empress Maria Theresa back in the 18th century.

The opposite Church of St. John on the Rock (sv. Jana Na skalce) is one of the finest examples of the Bohemian baroque, and was built in the first half of the 18th century by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer.

Continue to Vyšehradská street and through the gate at No. 49 enter the Emauzy (Emmaus monastery) compound of what was once a Benedictine monastery where services were conducted in the Slavonic language. It was founded by Charles IV and officially consecrated during

Memorial to František Palacký

Emmaus Monastery

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Trojická street with the Baroque parish Church of the Holy Trinity (Nejsvětější Trojice) leads to the embankment. From here, you may either go left to inspect several Cubist houses at the foot of the Vyšehrad hill, or go right to the Palackého náměstí square with a memorial to František Palacký, a Czech historian, which is an early-20th century work by the sculptors Stanislav Sucharda and Josef Mařatka.

Dancing House

facade ressembles the waves of a river, the house’s silhouette a pair of dancers.

In Jiráskovo náměstí square stands a memorial to Alois Jirásek, a Czech writer who lived in one of the houses in the square.

The nearby water tower used to be a part of the onetime mills, most of

which have since been demolished.

Just like the other water towers in Prague, it dates from the late 15th century, but was rebuilt several times. Next to it, the Mánes building, which belongs to the artists’ association of the same name and was built in the Functionalist style, is used for exhibitions.

Masarykovo nábřeží embankment, dating mostly from the early 20th century, is a display of architectural styles. Probably the most interesting here is the Hlahol house (Masarykovo nábřeží 16/248) which belongs to the Hlahol choir, and was built in the Art Nouveau style by architect Josef Fanta.

Some of the islands on the Vltava River have become oases of greenery in the city. Slovanský ostrov (Slavonic Island) has been the venue of concerts and balls since the 19th century.

Národní divadlo (National Theatre) was a symbol of Czech emancipation in the then Czech-German Prague and was built in 1868-1881, financed from a nationwide collection of funds. The neo-Renaissance building designed by the architect Josef Zítek was destroyed in a fire shortly before it was scheduled to open and had to be built from scratch again.

Construction then took only two

National Theatre

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At the end of the row of houses on Rašínovo nábřeží embankment stands the Tančící dům (Dancing House; Rašínovo nábřeží 80/1981), completed in 1996 and designed by architects Frank O. Gehry and Vlado Milunič. The

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years, and was designed by architect Josef Schulz. Bedřich Smetana’s opera Libuše opened the first season on November 18, 1883. Decorations in both the interior and exterior of the theatre are by leading Czech artists of the time. In the 1980s, when the theatre underwent largescale reconstruction, several modern structures were built in the vicinity, one of which is now home to the Laterna Magika theatre.

Vyšehrad – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

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VYŠEHRAD NATIONAL CULTURAL MONUMENT The tour of the complex takes 2-3 hours and Vyšehrad is best accessible from the Vyšehrad Metro station on the C line.

A beautiful view of Prague can be had from the terrace of the Congress Centre from where you continue towards the fortress’s walls. Vyšehrad has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In the 10th century, there was a Prince’s mint here, and in 1070, the chapter at the Church of St. Peter was founded. Shortly afterwards, the first King of Bohemia, Vratislav I, moved to Vyšehrad, and some of his successors also resided here. Charles IV built a new royal palace and had the entire Vyšehrad fortified. Most of the Gothic structures were destroyed at the time of the Hussite wars and though partly reconstructed in the 15th century, they never regained their previous significance. A new baroque stronghold was built in Vyšehrad in the 17th century which survived until 1911. Because of its close links with Czech history, Vyšehrad has become a symbol of the Czech national tradi-

tion and the National Cemetery was founded here.

Enter the compound through the Táborská brána gate, built in 1655 and named after the town of Tábor in South Bohemia because the road leading there passed through the gate.

St. Martin‘s Rotunda

Continue past the remains of the Špička Gothic gate with fragments of 14th-century town walls.

On your left stands the early-20thcentury building of the Jedlička Institute, the first institution for handicapped children in the AustroHungarian Empire which is still in operation today.

Leopoldova brána gate with a former moat is an entrance to the inner fortress. Right in front of you stands the St. Martin Rotunda, the only surviving witness to the 11th-century Romanesque past of Vyšehrad.

Take the path on your left at the end of which archeologists discovered the remains of a medieval Church of St. Lawrence (sv. Vavřince). They first unearthed the foundations of an 11th-century Romanesque basilica, and later the foundations of a still earlier structure from around the year 1000.

Other remains of Romanesque architecture include a bridge from the time of the King Vratislav which was a part of the fortification surrounding the royal compound. It is to be seen in the adjacent park where there are four sculptures of mythological figures from Czech history. Sculptures by Josef Václav Myslbek originally stood at the two ends of the Palackého most bridge. During an air raid on Prague in February 1945 the bridge and the statues were damaged and later transferred to Vyšehrad as the bridge was enlarged.

Other remains of historic structures within the royal compound include the foundations of houses and parts of the Gothic walls, including the ground floor of a medieval defence tower, later rebuilt for residential purpose, and currently the venue of various exhibitions.

Sculpture by Josef Václav Myslbek

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View of Vyšehrad

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New or Brick Gate

Vyšehrad’s landmark is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style at the turn of the 19th century after a design of Josef Mocker. The adjacent parish cemetery has since 1861 been used also as National Cemetery. The Slavín memorial is the burial ground of major Czech scientists and artists (like Emmy Destinn, Rafael Kubelík, his father Jan Kubelík, and others).

Altogether, some 600 scientists, authors, poets, sculptors, painters, actors, musicians, and architects have been buried in the cemetery, including Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, and Karel Čapek, among many others. Because of their significance, the tombstones are usually sculptures made by other leading artists.

Walking across the cemetery towards

Bertramka – Mozart Museum

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the neo-Gothic Provost’s house you arrive at the Nová or Cihelná brána (New, or Brick Gate) with an exhibition dedicated to the history of Vyšehrad and the entrance to the accessible part of the casemates, or secret military passageways in the fortress. The underground corridor takes you to a large hall with the originals of some of the scultpures from Charles Bridge on display.

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BRNO

TRIPS OUTSIDE PRAGUE

Brno is a city offering a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere, colourful festivities; it is a city entwined by grapevines and influenced by ancient wine-growing traditions. The Czech saying “small things are nice “ holds true here. A quick tour of the historic centre takes only a few hours and you will still have some time left to explore interesting sights and exchange a few words with people you meet along the way. In short, falling in love with the city – bitterly, sweetly and forever – is not hard.

Villa Tugendhat The Functionalist Villa of the Tugendhats with its unconventional lay-out and unique technological equipment, is a masterpiece of the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from the 1930’s and was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001. The tour of the villa interior is in great demand and must be booked in advance; however, the garden may be visited without any previous arrangements. www.tugendhat.eu

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Brno Underground Three parts of the Brno underground that have been open to the public offer a look below the surface of roads and squares.

The largest of them is the Labyrinth under the Vegetable Market, historically the oldest public space in the city offering an interesting tour. You can also descend into the underground when visiting the Mintmaster‘s Cellar in Dominican Square and the Ossuary under St. James’ Church. The largest ossuary in the Czech Republic and the second largest in Europe holds the remains of more than 50 thousand deceased. The tour of the modern tunnels for utility lines is quite an experience too. www.ticbrno.cz

Information centre Photo: M. Schmerková, Z. Kolařík, Š. Vrzala, D. Židlický, archiv TIC

PRAGUE

BRNO

Brno Tourist Information Centre IC Radnická 8 Tel.: + 420 542 427 150 E-mail: info@ticbrno.cz www.ticbrno.cz Tourist Information Centre – South Moravia Radnická 2 Tel.: + 420 542 427 170 E-mail: info@ccrjm.cz www.south-moravia.cz www.brno.cz

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Špilberk Castle The royal castle, dating from the 13th century and rebuilt into a Baroque fortress in the 17th and 18th centuries, used to be the most notorious prison in the entire Habsburg Monarchy and was known as the “Jail of Nations”. It presently houses the Brno City Museum with permanent exhibitions dedicated to the history of the castle and of the city and occasional art exhibitions. The public can also visit the casemates – gloomy spaces in the bulwark originally designed as a shelter for soldiers and later used as a prison for felons. The castle is surrounded by a vast park giving wonderful views of the city. www.spilberk.cz

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OLOMOUC Olomouc is one of the most important centres in the Czech Republic. Today’s city of one hundred thousand is the fifth largest in the Czech Republic. It is the regional capital, the centre of the Moravian bishopric and archbishopric and the place of the second oldest university in Bohemia, founded in 1573.

Its more than 900 year history makes Olomouc one of the Czech Republic’s biggest architectural jewels, second only to Prague. In the heart of the city is the second largest heritage site in the CR, which is the best preserved ensemble of town planning in Moravia.

In 2000 Olomouc was entered on the UNESCO world heritage list thanks to its baroque Holy Trinity Column, which, at 35 m, is one of the largest in the republic and a dominant feature of Olomouc’s square. The city’s his-

tory reaches back to the 10th century, when this Moravian town stood on an important trade crossroads. Olomouc is also known as the birthplace and work place of many famous people (K. Svolinský, W.A. Mozart, gen. Lafayette etc.) and it has hosted more than one crowned and elected head of state (Wenceslas III., Matyáš Korvín, Frantz Josef I.).

Information centre 258 km

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Horní náměstí – city hall 771 27 Olomouc Tel.: +420 585 513 385, 585 513 392 Fax: +420 585 220 843 E-mail: infocentrum@olomouc.eu http: www.tourism.olomouc.eu Open daily: 9–19.00

LEDNICE

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The first mention of Lednice comes from the year 1222 when the Latinized name. “Izgruobiâ€? (later, “Eisgrubâ€?), is first seen. The Lichtenstein family got control of Lednice in the 14th century and governed here over 600 years. Lednice is located 9 kilometers from the district city of BĹ™eclav and is situated on the western edge of the domain of Vienna. Today’s version of Lednice is the result of neo-gothic construction from the years of 1846-1858 and is the work of the Viennese architect, Jiří WingelmĂźller. During this most recent reconstruction, great improvements were made to the appearance of the city. There was a transformation of the square and construction of many neo-gothic buildings (rectory, city hall, school, station). With its magnificent palace and extensive park with architectural landscaping art, it forms a locale which is exceptionally attractive to tourists from the world over. The Lednice-Valtice district was justly added to the list of cultural and natural world heritages of UNESCO in 1996.

State Palace – This is the work of the Viennese architects, J. Wingelmßller and J. Heidrich.

After a complicated development, it received its present face after the latest reconstruction in the years 1846-1858. The Palace Park – A world-renowned work of garden art.

The first written documentation of the park comes from the time of Charles I.

City Hall – Originated at the time of the latest reconstruction during the years 1846-1858 when the city was extensively remodeled.

Information centre Minaret – The oldest romantic building in the Moorish style from the end of the 18th and beginning of the19th centuries. It is 60 meters high and stands in marshy land on wooden pilings. There is a fantastic view of the whole area from the top of tower.

=iPHFNp QiPÄŒVWt /HGQLFH 7HO ID[ E-mail: tic@lednice.cz www.lednice.cz

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TĹ˜EBĂ?ÄŒ The origins of the city are closely connected to the Benedictine monastery which was established in 1101. The city coat of arms – three black monk cowls on a silver bar placed on a black shield is taken from the order of Benedictines.

The monastery’s chapel, the world famous basilica of St. Prokop, which was added to the list of world cultural and natural heritages of UNESCO in 2003, comes from the first half of the 13th century. Also added to this prestigious list in 2003 was the Jewish Quarter and cemetery.

The settlement, founded on the opposite bank of the Jihlava River in the 13th century, received city rights in 1335. The development of TĹ™ebĂ­Ä? was arrested in the year 1468 by the invasion of the Hungarian King, MatyĂĄĹĄe KorvĂ­na, whose forces almost

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The monastery church – world famous Basilica of St. Prokop from the first half of the 13th century.

destroyed the city and monastery. Later, control of the monastery fell into the hands of Swedish lords. Today, with its nearly 40,000 inhabitants, TĹ™ebĂ­Ä? is the second largest city in the region of VysoÄ?ina.

In addition to the monuments on UNESCO’s list, the city offers a whole range of other attractions. Of these we might mention especially the view from terrace of the city tower at a height of 35 meters and the extensive collection of the VysoÄ?ina Museum (Muzea VysoÄ?iny) – which includes nativity scenes, pipes, and moldavite.

The city also offers expansive possibilities for enjoying culture and sports not just in the city itself but also in the vicinity in areas which are among the most ecologically pure in the Czech Republic.

Information centre

TĹ™ebĂ­Ä?

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Karlovo nĂĄm. 53 7ÄœHEtĂž 7HO E-mail: info@mkstrebic.cz www.visittrebic.com

Ĺ˝Ä?ĂĄr nad SĂĄzavou is a city of two aspects: it has a contemporary character as a modern, regional center and a historical counterpart as the quiet, religious site of a former cloister.

Its history dates as far back as 1252 when BoÄ?ek of ObĹ™any founded the Cistercian cloister at the boundary of Bohemia and Moravia. During the years 1606 to1638, the Ĺ˝Ä?ĂĄrskĂ˝ Cistercian cloister was closed and the estate together with the city of Ĺ˝Ä?ĂĄr were annexed first to the Olomouc bishopric and then transferred directly into the ownership of Cardinal Francis of Dietrichstein. In 1607, DietrichĹĄtejn gave Ĺ˝Ä?ĂĄr city status.

The cloister received its current appearance during extensive rebuilding by Abbot VĂĄclav Vejmluva (abbot from 1705 until 1738).

The reconstruction was carried out in the “Baroque-Gothicâ€? spirit according to plans drawn by architect Jan BlaĹžej Santini Aichle (1677–1723). In 1784, the cloister was closed

by Emperor Joseph II. Plague column on the square.

Baroque Exhibition.

Not far from the cloister, at ZelenĂĄ hora we find the most prized monument in the city, the crowning achievement of Czech Baroque-Gothic architectural style: the pilgrimage church of St. John NepomuckĂ˝.

The church was built in the years 1719 –1722 by celebrated architect Jan BlaŞej Santini Aichle. (UNESCO 1994).

PARDUBICE

Ĺ˝Ä?ĂĄr nad SĂĄzavou

Information centre ITC Starå radnice nåm. Republiky 24 äćiU QDG 6i]DYRX Tel.: +420 566 628 539 )D[ E-mail: ticzdarns@seznam.cz www.zdarns.cz ,7& äĆ$6 ¹ =iPHN äćiU QDG 6i]DYRX ¹ =iPHN Tel.: +420 566 629 152 )D[ E-mail: itc@zamekzdar.cz www.zamekzdar.cz

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ŽĎà R NAD Sà ZAVOU

TRIPS OUTSIDE PRAGUE

for your soul

Justlike classical spas focus on the treatment and recovery of the body, we consider Litomyšl the place where you can restore your mental strength.

www.litomysl.cz • www.lazneducha.cz

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TELČ

TelÄ? lies in the southwest of Moravia in the Czech-Moravian Highlands. It probably dates back to the first half of the 13th century. TelÄ? underwent a great boom in the 16th century during the time of the Lords of Hradec. It was then that the originally Gothic castle in the town was rebuilt in the Renaissance style and the houses surrounding the main square took on their current appearance with arcades. The Jesuits were based here in the 17th and 18th centuries and left behind a whole complex of baroque buildings. The historical centre of the town was entered in the UNESCO Heritage list in the year 1992.

TelÄ? Square – view of the Marian column and the stone fountain with a statue of Silenus.

Information centre

PARDUBICE

TelÄ?

nĂĄm. ZachariĂĄĹĄe z Hradce 10 7HOĂž Tel.: +420 567 112 407 +420 567 112 408 Fax: +420 567 112 403 E-mail: info@telc-etc.cz www.telc.eu www.telc-etc.cz

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Castle

KUTNÁ HORA

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Kutná Hora is a very old town, the foundation of which goes back to the 13th century. It developed gradually from a mining settlement. At the end of the 13th century it became one of the liveliest towns in the country, and silver mining and minting coins became increasingly important activities here. The resultant prosperity led to Kutná Hora becoming the second most important and second biggest town in the kingdom after Prague. In 1995, the old town, together with the St. Barbara’s Church and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Our Lady and St. John the Baptist in Sedlec, were entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.

St. Barbara’s Cathedral – a unique example of high and late Gothic architecture. Construction began at the end of the 14th century. The cathedral houses a gallery of late Gothic and Renaissance paintings.

Photo: František Renza

The Wallachian Court (Vlašský dvůr) - originally the central mint, it temporarily became the royal residence at the end of the 14th century. Besides the new eye-catching mint exhibit the royal chapel is open to the public with unique art nouveau decorations and a stunning audience hall.

The Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady and of St. John the Baptist in Sedlec is a former convent of the oldest Cistercian abbacy in Bohemia (est. 1142).

Together with the world-famous Sedlec Ossuary, it forms an integral whole of the oldest part of Kutná Hora. The treasury contains one of the rarest gems in Central Europe - the original Sedlec monstrance.

The Church of St. John of Nepomuk - a late Baroque building was designed by František Maxmilián Kaňka and built in the years 1734 - 1754. The remarkable ceiling painting displays the legend of St. John of Nepomuk. The series of statues called “Czech Heavens” is a celebration of Czech patrons.

Photo: Rossano B. Maniscalchi

Information centre Kutná Hora

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Palackého nám. 377 284 01 Kutná Hora Tel./fax: +420 327 512 378 E-mail: infocentrum@kutnahora.cz www.kutnahora.cz, www.guide.kh.cz

Since time immemorial KroměříŞ has been linked with the fertile local countryside and the Olomouc bishops who chose to make the town their summer residence.

They had a fundamental effect on both its appearance and overall importance.

Whenever you pay a visit you will be surrounded by the unrepeatable atmosphere of a peaceful town in which you’ll forget all your worries. Your eyes will be treated to gems of world art and architecture, cultural and natural monuments and unique collections. The historical legacy is complemented with the offer of picturesque hotels and guest houses as well as cultural, sporting and tourist facilities. It is not surprising that KroměříŞ earned the nickname HanåckÊ Athens and its monuments, entered on the UNESCO list in 1998, are some of the most visited in the Czech Republic. Come and see why with your own eyes.

Things you may not know about KroměříŞ ... • the local chateau gallery is the country’s second most important collection after Prague’s National Gallery. The more than 500 pictures have an extraordinary artistic value. Lucas Cranach the elder, Jan Bruegel, Anthonis van Dyck, Paolo Caliari or Veronese are just a few of the famous artists on display. The collection’s most famous and valuable work is the picture Apollo and Marsyas, whose author is the Venetian master Titian. • a number of famous fairy tales or films have been filmed here. The most famous is the Oscar winning Amadeus (1984) by Miloť Forman. The most recent include the fairy tale Hell with a Princess, the Gendarme Humor-

esques series, a new version of Angelika, a document about Catherine the Great or a BBC document about the Three Musketeers. • in the Flower garden’s rotunda you’ll find a Foucault Pendulum, which shows the earth spinning around its axis and is one of just four pendulums of its kind in the world. • you can become a moneyer or master of the mint, at least for a moment. Using original technology you can mint your own coins, which were actually made here in 1677 at the local Episcopal Mint, the only one of its kind still preserved in Moravia.

KroměříŞ - one day is not enough

Information centre

KroměříŞ

,QIRUPDWLRQ FHQWUH .URPČĜtĂĽ 9HONp QiPÄŒVWt .URPČĜtĂĽ

infocentrum@mesto-kromeriz.cz www.kromeriz.eu

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KROMÄšĹ˜Ă?Ĺ˝

LÉČEBNÉ LÁZNĚ MARIÁNSKÉ LÁZNĚ A.S. Located in the beautiful environment of spa parks and promenades, the best spa company in the Czech Republic in 2010 would like to offer you the following: • Comfortable accommodation in spa hotels Nové Lázně*****, Centrální Lázně****, Maria Spa Courtyard****, Hvězda****, Imperial ****, Pacifik****, Butterfly**** Vltava***, Labe***, Svoboda*** • Traditional spa treatments including 24 procedures per week and a laboratory examination • A Relaxational Wellness & Beauty programme

NOVÉ LÁZNĚ

*****

CENTRÁLNÍ LÁZNĚ

****

• Spa treatments using natural medicinal sources – mineral springs, natural medicinal Maria’s gas and peat to cure disorders of the locomotive system, kidneys and the urinary tract, the respiratory tract, gynaecologic and metabolic disorders • The historic area of the Roman style baths with pools, a mineral bath in the Royal Cabin and Maria´s dry carbonated pool

MARIA SPA COURTYARD

****

HVĚZDA

IMPERIAL

****

****

MARIENBAD KUR & SPA HOTELS Masarykova 22 353 29 Mariánské Lázně Tel.: +420 354 655 501-9 Fax: +420 354 655 500 E-mail: reservations@badmarienbad.cz www.marienbad.cz

PACIFIK

BUTTERFLY

****

****

VLTAVA

***

LABE

SVOBODA

***

***

www.marienbad.cz

MARIENBAD

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NOT JUST A SPA

The more than 140 mineral springs, all with a different chemical composition, and the crystal clean air predetermined the development of this town lying in the western part of the Czech Republic. There is the tried-and-tested quality of the traditional spa and likewise this town, set in the endless green of the local parks, pulses with HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, CULTURE AND SPORT. A number of important personalities have confessed to their affection for MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ›.

For instance, the English King Edward VII, whose name is associated with the gala opening of the local golf course, the oldest in the Czech Republic. In 2003 a munificent decision by the British Queen Elizabeth II entitled the golf club to use the title „Royal Golf Club“ (RGC).

An important event was the visit of his Royal Highness Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.

The RGC MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ› is an 18-hole course 787 metres above sea level, requiring a precise technical game.

The name of the Polish composer Frederic Chopin is a synonym for culture in MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ›. The Chopin Festival, celebrating its 53rd year, has a great tradition and reputation in the world of culture. Thanks to this personality, the city holds the number one spot in the number of commemorative plaques, monuments and buildings bearing the name of this musical luminary. The oldest body of its kind in the country - the West-Bohemian Symphony Orchestra

of MariånskÊ Låzně, founded in 1821, - also supports the town’s cultural events.

Poetry in MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ› is linked with the story of the late love of the German poet J. W. Goethe to the teenage Ulrike von Levetzow.

An exhibition commemorating his visit can be found in the City Museum – formerly a guesthouse for spa guests, where J.W. Goethe lived in 1823.

The town offers charming architectural gems, which the state declared a conservation zone in 1992 and in 2010 it declared the cast iron colonnade to be a national cultural monument.

MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ› is part of a trans-national group of European spa towns endeavouring to get on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ› is the only place where you can see the most important cultural monuments of the Czech Republic in the form of faithful replicas/perfect models at a scale of 1:25 in the Boheminium Park.

So please accept our invitation to a town with a unique atmosphere, a developed infrastructure and excellent services, one that is predestined to meet and surpass all of its guests‘ expectations. It is unique and offers a fully relaxed way of life, whose diversity can be admired in every season.

More information and a complete list of the cultural activities and other services on offer can be found at the MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ› website at www.marianskelazne.cz

Information centre MariĂĄnskĂŠ LĂĄznÄ›

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+ODYQt WĜtGD 0DULiQVNp /i]QČ 7HO )D[ E-mail: infocentrum@kisml.cz www.marianskelazne.cz

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A spa town like no other

The city’s main currency are the thermal springs, their discovery around 1350 led the Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV to establish the city.

Apart from the unique naturally therapeutic springs, whose effects are annually testified to by satisifed patients from more than 80 countries, you can find stunning scenery combined with beautiful spa architecture. The Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer, contributed the most to Karlovy Vary’s modern form providing the frontages to the Municipal Theatre, Sadova and Tržní Colonnades or the Imperial Spa. Thanks to Josef Zítek, the city can boast the unique Mlýnska Colonnade. Nor did Kilián Dietzenhofer take a back seat with his designs for the beautiful Baroque St. Mary Magdalene’s Church, which has tours of the crypt. The local Info Centre will arrange tours of the historical city centre.

You can also combine your stay in Karlovy Vary with gastronomic experiences or music. You can likewise enjoy it actively. The city has more than a hundred kilometres of marked spa walks that are suitable for tourists as well as cyclists and offers a new rope park for all ages. Here lovers of adrenaline sports have the opportunity to test their courage whilst negotiating the obstacles on the rope runs suspended eight or thirteen metres above the ground.

The only navigable river in the region, the Ohře, flows through Karlovy Vary. You

Karlovy Vary

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can try out your boating skills anywhere from Cheb to Litoměřice almost all-yearround.

Thanks to the largest concentration of golf courses in the country, the Karlovy Vary region has become a golfers’ paradise, you too can visit these golf resorts with many years of tradition. There are at least four high-quality golf courses in the immediate environs of Karlovy Vary.

Thanks to its unique environment and architecture the city has been used as a backdrop for world class films, such as Casino Royal, Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and Gerard Depardieu and Shanghai Knights with Jackie Chan.

More at www.karlovyvary.cz.

Information centre Information centre Karlovy Vary T. G. Masaryka 53 360 01 Karlovy Vary tel.: +420 355 321 171 +420 777 686 972 /i]HĖVNi 360 01 Karlovy Vary tel. +420 355 321 176-7 +420 773 290 632 e-mail: infocentrum@karlovyvary.cz www.karlovyvary.cz

TŘEBOŇ – the pearl of Southern Bohemia

Aurora Spa

Bertina‘s Spa

Aurora Spa, in a large park on the shores of the pond Svět (World), is just 1 km from the historical centre of Třeboň and offers a wide range of services with a great many choices.

• Therapeutic and relaxation stays • Exotic wellness massage • Newly constructed * * * * rooms • A Wellness Centre, bowling, squash • A swimming pool complex, water attractions • Conference rooms • Restaurants, cafés, bars

Bertina‘s Spa Třeboň can be found in the heart of the town‘s historic centre close to the conservation zone.

In addition to classic therapeutic stays, which focus on treating the locomotory apparatus, it also offers relaxation and wellness stays.

• Therapeutic and reconditioning stays • Relaxation procedures, a swimming pool • A sport park (tennis, bowling, squash) • A restaurant, pizzeria, café • Conference rooms • Cycling trips

www.aurora.cz

www.berta.cz

How to plan a vacation at a Spa? – recommendations and advice A holiday in the Czech Republic around the interesting spa locations, whether by car, train or bicycle, is well worth it. The choice is solely up to you. You can plan a vacation around eight regions with spa locations; you can find all the latest news and information at www.jedemedolazni.cz Each spa is aimed at the treatment and prevention of specific diseases and health problems. However, in addition to traditional longer-term therapeutic stays, most of the spas also offer themed relaxation and active stays for shorter periods. Choose a spa according to your needs and go there to rest and take it easy in the relaxing atmosphere, beautiful countryside and cultural centres.

Mariánské Lázně

Karlovy Vary

The Czech Association of Spas Městský úřad Třeboň Palackého nám. 46/II 379 01 Třeboň E-mail: info@jedemedolazni.cz

www.jedemedolazni.cz Luhačovice

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The municipal peat spa for treating and reconditioning the locomotory apparatus. Come for some rest and refreshment in the town that reflects the silver of the surrounding ponds, where spa guests mingle with cyclists, tourists, boaters and mushroom pickers to admire the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

Come to visit Pilsen, the capital of beer and culture!

TRIPS OUTSIDE PRAGUE

The metropolis of Western Bohemia, Pilsen, is known throughout the world for its unique beer - Pilsner Urquell. Nowadays though, tourists are increasingly coming not just for its tradition of making a world-famous beer, but also for its monuments, exhibitions and festivals. You too can discover the historical and cultural gems and enjoy lots of fun in Pilsen, which will be the European Capital of Culture in 2015.

What not to miss in Pilsen. • The world-famous PlzeĹˆskĂ˝ Prazdroj brewery with its unique guided tour. • The picturesque historic centre with the Gothic Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, the Renaissance town hall and the Great Synagogue, the third largest in the world. • The brewery museum, the only one in the world housed in the original medieval brewing house.

• The Pilsen Underground – a guided tour through the maze of passages, cellars and wells.

Information centre QiP 5HSXEOLN\ 3O]HÄ– Tel.: + 420 378 035 330, Fax: + 420 378 035 332 E-mail: info@icpilsen.cz www.plzen.eu; www.pilsen.eu

KOTEROV – an interesting tourist destination Koterov village green, which is one of the important conservation zones in Pilsen, is finally opening as a new tourist destination. The city managed to get a European grant for its reconstruction. for a long time as they were always conservative in the countryside.

In 1714 new settlers joined the original fourteen; besides the miller they were mostly farm labourers. In all there were 23 parishioners and a village hall. The villagers had well-tended gardens and grew plums. The village had a miller, OndĹ™ej ÄŒechura, there was a smithy and an inn.

The relative wealth in Koterov at the end of the Frantiťek Bartovský the representative of the Koterov Sokol 18th century and start of the 19th century was reflected in the construction of farmsteads and The project is focussed on tourism and the cottages. Besides the gateways and entrances to promotion of Koterov. Part of the investment the farmsteads, Koterov was also famed for the is constructing a new surface on the green. It gables on its houses, which were ornately decoalso includes new lighting. In all it will come to rated with pillars and cornices, straight edges roughly thirty million crowns. The Deputy Mayor and baroque waves. The locals liked to put their is convinced that Koterov will become far more names and the date it was built on the building. attractive and that they will soon be adding Several architectural styles can be seen in the events that will help it gain more visitors. Apart buildings – renaissance, baroque and empire. from markets and fairs it also plans wine festivals The chapel on the village green is late baroque. and offers for cycle-tourism. The reconstruction The other, from 1700, is also baroque and stands should not threaten the trees that grow on the on the road to Starý Plzenec. green. Koterov has one of the prettiest and best conserved village greens in the Pilsen Region.

The first written record dates from 1369, though the village is even older. In the deed from 1369 it states that Koterov has 12 hides and also several settlements. Their number remained the same

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Gambrinus Brewery

Come and meet the legend that is Pilsner Urquell An excursion round the brewery is great fun, taking you through places where they have been brewing Pilsner Urquell since 1842. You can visit the unique exhibition of ingredients, the old and new brewing house or the modern bottling plant. The peak of the tour is a walk around the historical brewery cellars and a taste of the unfiltered, unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell drawn straight from oak barrels For over 18s only) Open daily. The brewery shop is definitely worth a visit as is the Na Spilce restaurant where you can best enjoy the great taste of Pilsner Urquell.

A tour packed with fun and games During your tour of the brewery, which has been brewing beer since 1869, you will see the craftsmanship that goes into making Gambrinus beer.

You’ll learn of the ingredients, the traditional procedures and the latest technology that are part of the process of making the most popular beer in the country. In the interactive Gambrinus Arena you will travel back in time on a historical lorry, play guitar alongside such Czech rock legends as Tři Sestry or Kabát, you can try out your skills at shooting penalties against the Gambrinus League goalies. It is all rounded off with a tasting of Gambrinus beers and a school for pouring and looking after beer, under the watchful eyes of beer experts. Open daily all year round. Tour times are given in the contacts.

U Prazdroje 7, 304 97 Plzeň Tel.: +420 377 062 888 E-mail: exkurze@prazdrojvisit.cz E-shop: www.eshop.prazdroj.cz www.prazdrojvisit.cz

U Prazdroje 7, 304 97 Plzeň Tel.: +420 377 062 888 E-mail: exkurze@gambrinus.cz E-shop: www.eshop.gambrinus.cz www.pivovar.gambrinus.cz

PILSEN’S HISTORICAL UNDERGROUND

THE BREWERY MUSEUM in Pilsen

Pay a visit to Pilsen’s Historical Underground, one of Pilsen’s most important symbols, and discover life below the city. We will take you through a labyrinth of passages, cellars and wells that has been under the city since the 14th century and is inexorably linked to the city’s past and present. We will reveal the mysteries of authentic discoveries and the nooks and crannies that the underground harbours. For those over 18 there is a tasting of Master beer. The entry to Pilsen’s Historical Underground is in the Brewery Museum. Open daily from February to December.

We invite you for a tour of the brewery museum.

Here you will learn the history of beer from ancient times to the past. The museum is housed in a uniquely preserved brewing house from the 15th century which is bathed in a medieval atmosphere. Here you can unlock the long past secrets of beer brewing, serving and drinking. Visit the gothic malthouse, the malt-kiln, the original roller, the beer cellars, a replica of a pub and a laboratory from the 2nd half of the 19th century.

For those over 18 there is a tasting of the famous Pilsner Urquell beer. Open daily all year round.

Open every day from February to December.

Veleslavínova 6, 301 14 Plzeň Tel./fax: +420 377 235 574, +420 377 224 955 E-mail: podzemi@plzenskepodzemi.cz www.plzenskepodzemi.cz

Veleslavínova 6, 301 14 Plzeň Tel./fax: +420 377 235 574, +420 377 224 955 E-mail: muzeum@prazdrojvisit.cz www.prazdrojvisit.cz

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Plzeňský Prazdroj Brewery

TRIPS OUTSIDE PRAGUE

LIBEREC PRAHA OSTRAVA PLZEŇ

VYŠKOV KOŠICE BRATISLAVA

Amusement park full of knowledge park.eu w w w.dino

DinoPark is a unique amusement park with educational elements. On your way to the Mesozoic you will meet dozens of life-size, static and moving models of prehistoric animals that make authentic sounds. The animals are set in the environment that they inhabited on our planet more than 65 million years ago.

In DinoPark Ostrava you can take the DinoExpress, which will take you to places where you dare not walk. In DinoPark Liberec you can experience a real Mesozoic storm including actual rain, or head to DinoPark Prague, located on the roof of the Harfa shopping gallery, where you can watch the Jurassic giants together with a spectacular view of Prague. And that‘s not all, in these and other DinoParks in Pilsen, Vyškov and Bratislava you can sit in the 3D cinema screening the film Triceratops, there is a palaeontological playground, a DinoGrill with refreshments and also the DinoShop for souvenirs.

DinoPark is simply a great tip for a day out for the whole family.

w w w.dinopark .eu 50

Come and visit Turnov – the heart of Bohemian Paradise and the town of precious stones. Ever since the mid 13th century the town has been the centre of precious stones and jewellery. The gems and Czech garnet have made Turnov internationally famous. Nowadays this charming town offers rich cultural and sporting experiences and is a great starting point for the unique landscape of Bohemian Paradise offering inexhaustible opportunities for days out and activities for all ages all year round.

Visit: • Old Bohemian craft fairs (May) • Turnov Synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery • Stones and jewels in Bohemian Paradise • The Bohemian Paradise Museum and Dlasek’s (July) Farmstead • Summer holidays offer – every day in July • The Garnet Gallery and Visitor Centre and August, in particular the guided tours • Valdťtejn Castle and Hrubý Rohozec Chateau of Turnov’s churches, or evening tours of • The themed nature trails the town by candlelight – Magical Turnov - Christmas markets (December) and much, Some of the traditional events to be enjoyed: much more... • Bohemian Paradise for kids – the start of the summer tourist season (April)

Information centre

Turnov

Regional tourist information centre QiP ýHVNpKR UiMH 7XUQRY 7HO

E-mail: info@turnov.cz www.infocentrum-turnov.cz www.turnov.cz

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TRIPS OUTSIDE PRAGUE

TURNOV

CULTURE

Z Z Z O R U H W D F ]

52

CULTURE

STRAHOV LIBRARY The Premonstratensian monastery at Strahov

A permanent exhibition of the historical bibliotheca (Cabinet of curiosities, Theological Philosophical Hall) Prague 1, Strahovské nádvoří 1 Tel.: +420 233 107 716, Tel./Fax: +420 233 107 749 www.strahovmonastery.cz Open daily 9:00 – 12:00, 13:00 – 17:00 Private tours tel.: 00420 602 190 297

53

The Rudolfinum Gallery is housed in the same building as the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, in the historic neo-Renaissance Rudolfinum in Prague.

RUDOLFINUM GALLERY DURING AN EXHIBITION OPEN DAILY EXCEPT MONDAY 10 am - 6 pm

CULTURE

Alšovo nábřeží 12, 110 00 Prague 1 tel.: +420/227 059 309 fax: +420/222 319 293 e-mail: galerie@rudolfinum.org www.galerierudolfinum.cz

The Gallery‘s exhibitions focus on contemporary art, with occasional excursions to more distant time periods. Many of the exhibitions are the result of broad international cooperation. The Gallery also has its own publishing activities (catalogues and publications), it organises lectures, seminars and numerous other accompanying programmes, including music and film shows. The Open Dialogue Club is intended for all fans of the creative arts. There is also a pleasant café and a shop selling publications, catalogues, art magazines and artefacts.

MUSEUM OF LEGO

Národní 31 Prague 1 Tel.: +420 775 446 677 E-mail: praha@muzeumlega.cz www.muzeumlega.cz

7KH À UVW SULYDWH 0XVHXP RI /HJR

Its size and the number of exhibits makes it the largest museum not only in the CR but also in the entire world.

Our specialisation is the history of LEGO, which can boast the title of toy of the century. The museum has over 2500 original models on display (the oldest dating from 1955). It has 20 themed expositions made up of over 1,300,000 blocks of Lego. The museum also has two children‘s corners, where kids can awaken their imagination and build their own models. Naturally it also has a well-stocked shop, where you can purchase small or large souvenirs. We are the only place in Prague to sell replacement parts.

54

55 CULTURE

THE CITY OF PRAGUE MUSEUM OFFERS A PROGRAMME FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY The main building at Poříčí is an architectural building entered on the list of cultural monuments in the Czech Republic.

Permanent exhibitions at the City of Prague Museum: Prague in Prehistory - the history of the city and its inhabitants from pre-history to 1784.

CULTURE

Medieval Prague - an exhibition about the rise of Prague Castle and Vyšehrad Baroque Prague - an exhibition of a number of artistic gems and documents about the life of Prague’s residents.

Langweil’s model of Prague - a handmade cardboard model from 1826 - 1834.

3D cinema: a virtual trip around Langweil’s model of Prague - open: Tuesday - Sunday every halfhour from 9.30 to 17.30 hours, entry: Basic CZK 30, concessions CZK 15.

Museum for Children - the exhibition serves as a play room for children.

Primer for visitors to historical sights - a tactile exhibition for sighted and blind visitors.

Open: every day except Monday 9.00 - 18.00, extended until 20.00 on the last Wednesday of the month

56

Also pay a visit to Prague Towers The City of Prague Museum also administers: The Petřín Observation Tower Petřínské sady, Prague 1 The Mirror Maze on Petřín Hill - Petřínské sady, Prague 1 The Town Belfry at St. Nicholas´ Church - Malostranska Square 556/29, Prague 1 The Lesser Town Bridge Tower - Charles’ Bridge, Prague 1 - Mala Strana The Old Town Bridge Tower - Charles’ Bridge, Prague 1 - Mala Strana The Powder Tower - nám. Republiky 5, Prague 1 - Old Town Open: November - February. 10 - 18 hours, March: 10 - 20 hours, April - September: 10 - 22 hours, October: 10 - 20 hours.

The City of Prague Museum

Na Poříčí 52/1554, Praha 8 – Florenc, 180 00 Phone: +420 224 816 772 – 3 safe – phone: +420 221 709 674 E-mail: muzeum@muzeumprahy.cz www.muzeumprahy.cz

CULTURE

We play daily from 7 p.m. and 9.30 p.m.

Poetic black theatre performances On motives from Lewis Caroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” Music by Petr Hapka and scenes by Emma Srncová.

This non-verbal production uses the classical techniques of black theatre, laterna magika, film projections and unique technical tricks.

Over 6 000 runs in the Czech Republic and in 300 countries worldwide!

CASH DESK open daily from 11 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.., Tel.:+420 222 221 366-7 Advance bookings: Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tel.: +420 222 221 364 (369), e-mail: predprodej@tafantastika.cz NEW: ON-LINE SALES: www.tafantastika.cz

www.tafantastika.cz 57

The Railroad Kingdom

- the best fun in Prague for the young and old

CULTURE

If you are looking for an interesting place where the young and old can have a lot of fun, then you must pay a visit to the wonderful world of the Railroad .LQJGRP <RX ZLOO À QG OLWHUDOO\ KXQGUHGV RI PHWUHV RI track, dozens of models of trains and cars waiting at level crossings, models of famous buildings and places from the Czech Republic and you will experience a unique atmosphere as day turns to night.

In more than 3,100 m2 of entertainment for the young DQG ROG \RX ZLOO DOVR À QG DQ H[KLELWLRQ RI FRQWHPSRUDU\ LEGO, for kids there is the Pompo children‘s area with LEGO building blocks, screenings of the favourite LEGO movies, Thomas the Tank Engine, XBOX video game consoles, the largest Thomas the Tank Engine exhibition in Europe, Chuggington and lots more besides. From May 2011 there is also a separate exhibition of a model of Prague! At a scale of 1:1000, covering 114 m2, you can see an integral exhibition of Prague at the end of the 20th century. The model has recently been supplemented with special audiovisual technology.

Railroad Kingdom 6WURXSHçQLFNpKR 3UDJXH ² 6PtFKRY ZZZ NUDORYVWYL ]HOH]QLF F] Open every day from 9 am - 7 pm

AN EXHIBITION OF 1,200 BARBIE & MONSTER HIGH DOLLS DollsLand - the gallery of dolls An exhibition of a unique private collection of 1,200 Barbie and Monster High dolls, 3,000 of their accessories and 60 vehicles for Barbie and Ken. The gallery has an exhibition of all the Monster High dolls made to date. It is the largest such collection in the CR and Slovakia. The gallery also includes 360 Barbie collectors’ items with such gems as the limited editions of Barbie Tsarina Josephine, Queen Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette.

DollsLand can be found in the Centre of Prague, on Rytířská 6 close to the Metro station Můstek. The exhibition is open all year round Mon - Sun from 10 am – 6 pm. The gallery is accessible for mothers with prams and wheelchair users.

There is a kid‘s corner for small visitors.

Come to the exhibition to return to your childhood!

The Museum of DollsLand Rytířská 6, 110 00 Prague 1 Tel.: +420 731 606 369 Email: info@dollsland.eu www.dollsland.eu GPS: 50.0839950N, 14.4212300E

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THE JEWISH MUSEUM IN PRAGUE With over 600 000 visitors per year the Jewish Museum in Prague is persistently one of the most visited museums in the entire Czech Republic. Take a tour of its synagogues from various periods of history or the Old Jewish Cemetery as well as exhibits with an uncommon wealth of collectors items providing an exceptional cultural experience, one of the most powerful that Prague has to offer.

CULTURE

The Jewish Museum in Prague, which was established in 1906, is the largest museum of its kind in Europe, and takes care of one of the most extensive collections of Judaic studies in the world. It contains almost 40,000 items and 100,000 books, all coming from one single integrated territory, Bohemia and Moravia. Thanks to this collection we have an integrated picture of Jewish history in our region. The museum’s educational and cultural centre prepares music, film, literary and educational programmes for the general public. The educational programmes are designed for schools to acquaint the pupils with Jewish history, culture, and the history of anti-Semitism and the Holo-

The Spanish Synagogue

The Spanish Synagogue, interior with the Aron Kodesh

Tours of the buildings and exhibits

The Old-New Synagogue

The Maisel Synagogue with its permanent exhibition on the History of Jews in Bohemia and Moravia I. - from the First Settlements to the Start of Emancipation The Spanish Synagogue with permanent exhibitions on the History of Jews in Bohemia and Moravia II. from the Start of Emancipation to the Present and the Synagogue Silver in the Winter Prayer Hall The Pinkas Synagogue with its memorial to the Bohemian and Moravian Jews who fell victim to the Nazi persecution with a permanent exhibition of Children’s Drawings from Terezín 1942 - 1944 The Klausen Synagogue with the first part of the permanent Jewish Traditions and Customs exhibition The Ceremonial Hall with the second part of the Jewish Traditions and Customs exhibition The Old Jewish cemetery from the 15th - 18th Century The Jewish Cemetery in the Prague district of Žižkov from the 17th and 18th Century The Jewish Museum in Prague U Staré školy 1 and 3, 110 00 Prague 1 Tel. : +420 221 711 511, fax: +420 221 711 584 E-mail: office@jewishmuseum.cz Maiselova 15, 110 00 Prague 1 Tel. : +420 222 325 172, fax: +420 222 318 856 E-mail: education@jewishmuseum.cz Open daily except Saturdays and Jewish holidays Summer 9.00 - 18.00, winter 9.00 - 16.30

www.jewishmuseum.cz

Reservation centre U Starého hřbitova 3a, 110 00 Prague 1 Tel.: +420 222 317 191, fax: +420 222 317 181 E-mail: rezervacni.centrum@jewishmuseum.cz

59

ACCOMMODATION

HOTEL GALAXIE

• The Hotel is situated in a quiet residential part of Prague 6 - Suchdol, but is just 10 minutes drive from Prague Castle.

• The hotel is not only suitable for rest and relaxation (guests can use the hotel‘s sauna and whirlpool, as well as a masseur), but it also offers countless possibilities for organising your corporate events, conferences, seminars, training courses and dinner parties.

• You can find easy parking in the hotel grounds, which offer plenty of parking places (even for buses).

• The hotel‘s chef and his experienced team are ready to fulfil all your wishes, be that in the form of a reception, a banquet, a buffet, a menu or à la carte, though always taking your budget into account.

HOTEL GALAXIE, Suchdolské náměstí 801, Tel. 246 077 111 info@hotelgalaxie.cz, www.hotelgalaxie.cz 60

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, PRAGUE

ACCOMMODATION

ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION SERVICE CENTER

Hotel*** Jarov I. E Koněvova 198/93 130 00 Praha 3 recepce Tel.: +420 224 092 141 Tichá Miroslava Tel.: +420 224 092 197 E-mail: miroslava.ticha@vse.cz Buriánková Alice Tel.: +420 224 092 212 E-mail: alice.buriankova@vse.cz http://hotel.vse.cz http://suz.vse.cz

ACCOMMODATION IS AVAILABLE FROM 250 KČ PER BED PER NIGHT. 61

62

ACCOMMODATION

ARPACAY BACKPACKERS hostel is located in the picturesque Nerudova street right below Prague Castle.

Sleep in a unique historical building from the 16th century and enjoy an amazing view over the Lesser Town from your bedroom window!

Bed

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m

Facilities: • Reception 24H • FREE City maps • FREE Luggage room • FREE Internet & Wifi

• FREE Personal lockers • Buffet-style breakfast • Self-catering kitchen • Cosy stylish lounge

• Courtyard balcony • LCD TV & DVDs • Amazing view • Credit cards accepted

ACCOMMODATION

Book on-line on www.arpacayhostel.com )PUFM 3FTJEFODF 30:"- 45"/%"3%

A view from the windows

Offers cozy accommodations in luxury 2 bedroom apartments, which are known for their incredible view of Prague Castle and the Vltava (Moldau) River. Our hotel rooms are tastefully, yet comfortably and functionally furnished. The Art Nouveau house is a national monument of culture and was built in 1913 in the historic centre of Prague, on the bank of the Vltava River between the National Theatre and the High Castle (Vysehrad). Both metro and tram stations are located nearby. The location is ideal because of the easy access to the historical monuments and cultural buildings in Prague.

Hotel & Residence ROYAL STANDARD + Rašínovo nabřeží 38, Praha 2 T: (+420) 224 916 060 M:(+420) 603 596 727 F: (+420) 224 912 040 SKYPE: hotel.standard info@standard.cz www.standard.cz 63

CZECH COOKING

ARE YOU A GOURMET? Do you find that without good and interesting food a trip isn’t what you’d imagined? To be honest, so do I. I find that when we talk about what we got up to on the weekend at work, then a culinary experience is always part of the conversation.

Even if we happen to forget to mention something, at least one of my colleagues and friends asks: did you have something good to eat? And whilst describing some good fish, a dessert or a homemade mushroom soup a pleasant debate gets going that is just as important as describing the route, what sports we did or our cultural experiences. We are not afraid to admit that we are a nation that likes to eat and also likes to talk about food.

Thus, for the 20th anniversary of UNESCO, we bring you a description of local specialities, which are sure to make your stay more pleasant. So let’s set off for the UNESCO cities and sights remembering to use all our senses when travelling.

PRAHA ––––––––––––––––––––––––

Sirloin and Svíčkova sauce

caramel to the sauce. (Caramelise a soup spoon of sugar. When the sugar melts and starts to turn brown, add a little water and parboil.) Slice the meat across the grain into individual portions, put it back into the sauce and heat up. Serve with bread dumplings and cranberry sauce, decorate with a slice of lemon.

ŽĎÁR NAD SÁZAVOU ––––––––––––

Jahelník

EATING AND DRINKING

Millet baked with dried plums You‘ll need: 750 g beef Sirloin (or rear), 50 g fatty bacon sliced thinly, salt, ground pepper, 1 large onion, 150 g carrots, 150 g celeriac, 75 g parsnip, 5 whole peppercorns, 3 berries of allspice, 3 bay leaves, a pinch of thyme, lemon juice, 150 g butter, 100 g of whole mustard, 2 spoons of fine flour, 250 ml of cream for whipping or milk for dilution, sugar, sliced lemon, serve with cranberry sauce and bread dumplings.

Preparation: Unwrap and clean the meat, place the bacon on it, sprinkle on salt and pepper, cover in chopped onions, the cleaned grated vegetables, spices, sprinkle on lemon juice and pour the melted butter over it. Leave in the refrigerator for a day.

The second day, cover the meat with water so it is completely submerged, cover with a lid and steam in the oven until soft. Take the meat out of the broth and remove the spices, especially the bay leaf. Place a casserole dish with the vegetables on the stove and slowly bring to the boil. Add mustard, sprinkle on about 2 spoons of fine flour, sauté. Pour in the whipping cream and boil slowly over a low heat stirring from time to time. If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with milk. In the end strain it. Add salt to taste, add lemon juice or sugar as needs be. To highlight the flavour we can add a little

64

You will need: 200 g of millet, salt, 4 eggs, egg whites and yolks separated, 50 g of icing sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 100 g raisins, 200 g of prunes Preparation: Scald the millet with hot water and then pour it out into three quarters of a litre of salted boiling water and let it boil for twenty minutes, to form a thick porridge. Leave for a half an hour to cool slowly. Mix in the egg yolks, half the sugar, cinnamon, raisins and plums. Whisk the egg whites until thick, add the rest of the sugar and whisk until shiny.

Then fold it into the millet mixture. Grease a baking tray, add the millet mixture and bake for an hour at 160 °C.

ČESKÝ KRUMLOV ––––––––––––––––

LEDNICE-VALTICE –––––––––––––––

Zelníky

Moravský vrabec

You will need: 400 g fine flour, 120 g of fat, 300 g of pickled cabbage, 2 eggs, 1 - 2 teaspoons of thick sour cream, a handful of greaves, salt Preparation: Sprinkle flour on a rolling board, add the pieces of fat, drained and chopped cabbage, one egg, sour cream and greaves and work into a dough. Break off sections and form patties from it using your hands.

Place the patties on a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper, brush them with the other egg and bake for 20 - 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 °C.

HOLAŠOVICE –––––––––––––––––––

South Bohemian “Kulajda” Soup

You will need: 600 g of pork shoulder, salt, pepper, 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of caraway seed, 3 onions, 500 g of pickled cabbage, 1 spoon of oil, potatoes, vinegar Preparation: Cut the pork shoulder into larger pieces, add salt and pepper, mix with sliced garlic and caraway seed and leave for about 2 hours in the fridge. Place the meat onto a baking tray with 2 onions cut into rings.

Briefly stew in the baking tray, pour in a cup of water and put in a preheated oven at 180 °C. Bake for about an hour until soft occasionally basting with the juices. Drain the pickled cabbage and chop. Heat up a spoon of sunflower oil in a pan, sauté the last finely chopped onion until translucent then add the cabbage and simmer for 15 minutes. Peel the potatoes and finely grate, thicken the cabbage and simmer for another 15 minutes. Finally, add vinegar and salt according to taste. Serve the dish with cabbage and potato dumplings.

TŘEBÍČ ––––––––––––––––––––––––

You will need: A handful of fresh mushrooms (penny-bun and orange-cap boletus). 4 - 5 large potatoes 1 pinch of caraway seed, 2 berries of allspice, 4 black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 250 ml thick sour cream, 1 tablespoon of fine flour, vinegar to taste, 4 fresh eggs, chopped dill Preparation: Clean and chop the mushrooms into large pieces and place into the salted water with the peeled, diced potatoes. Add the spices and boil until the potatoes are soft. Add the cream mixed with flour, stir and briefly parboil. Add salt to taste, vinegar and then add the dill. Break in the fresh eggs and gently add to the soup. Simmer on a low heat

and take off the heat for 5 minutes until the eggs are done.

EATING AND DRINKING

Potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat

You will need: 5-6 medium-sized potatoes, 2 eggs, salt, 50 g of semolina, 200 g of coarse flour (more if necessary), 300 g of cooked smoked meat diced, 2 spoons of butter, 2 onions Preparation: Boil the potatoes in their skins, cool, then peel and grate finely. Add eggs, salt, semolina, mix and add the coarse flour to form a pliable, though not too thin dough. Use the dough to make patties about the size of a woman’s palm, add two teaspoons smoked meat to each and form into balls. Place in boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Serve with finely chopped onions fried in butter.

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BRNO –––––––––––––––––––––––––

Patents - potato patties with plum puree and poppy seeds

You will need: 800 g of potatoes boiled and peeled the day before, 300 - 400 g of fine flour, 2 eggs, salt, 100 g of rendered pork fat, 200 g of plum puree (use water or rum if you need to dilute), 100 g of ground poppy seed, 50 g of icing sugar, salt, fine flour to line tray.

EATING AND DRINKING

Preparation: Grate the potatoes, add flour, eggs, salt and form into a dough that is in the shape of a cylinder. Split them into equal parts, hand work them into patties and roll them out into thin pancakes. Dry bake them on a hot Teflon griddle or stove on both sides until they form blisters. Once it is off the pan, brush with hot fat, spread on the plum puree (if it is too thick dilute with warm water or a drop of rum) and sprinkle on the finely ground poppy seeds mixed with icing sugar. Depending on regional customs, the pancakes can be rolled up or folded in two to form a pasty.

LITOMYŠL ––––––––––––––––––––––

Ferdinand rabbit or hare in wine and onions

You will need: 1 whole hare or rabbit without its head, freshly ground pepper, 150 g of whole mustard, 4 onions sliced into rings, 3 berries of allspice, 3 juniper berries, 125 g of melted butter, 200 ml of vegetable stock, 250 ml of dry red wine, fresh thyme, serve with potato croquettes or hairy dumplings.

Preparation: Divide the rabbit or hare into six pieces. Add pepper to all sides, brush on a thick layer of

66

mustard and place onto a baking tray. Cover with onion rings, allspice and the juniper.

Pour over the melted butter, and leave in a cool place (refrigerator) for at least two days.

After two days pour vegetable stock into the pan, bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour with the lid on. Turn the meat once. Remove the lid and put the pan in a preheated oven at 180 °C and bake for an hour and a half or until the meat is completely soft. Turn the meat whilst cooking and baste with the juices. Take the meat out of the pan and keep warm. Add wine to the juices and onion and boil briefly stirring all the time. Soften with butter, add salt to taste. Put the meat back in the sauce - serve together, garnishing with thyme, ideally with potato croquettes or hairy dumplings.

OLOMOUC –––––––––––––––––––––

Hanácké cakes

You will need: 500 g semi coarse flour + a floured board, 25 g of yeast 100 g of sugar, 250 ml of milk, 1 egg, 2 egg yolks, 150 g of butter, a pinch of salt, lemon rind, vanilla sugar For the quark filling: 200 g of quark, 80 g of sugar, 1 egg yolk, 50 g of raisins For the puree filling: about 500 g of plum puree, 50 g of peeled almonds, rum, 1 egg yolk, 1 - 3 spoons milk Preparation: Sift the flour into a bowl and form a hollow.

Add the crumbled yeast, sugar and pour on some lukewarm milk. Leave to rise in a warm place. Then add the egg, egg yolks, melted butter, salt, grated lemon rind, vanilla sugar and the rest of the lukewarm milk. Mix well and return to the warm place to rise. Prepare the quark filling by mixing the quark with the sugar, egg yolk and raisins. Make about 20 - 25 balls from the leavened dough, fill them with the quark filling and form them into rounds. Place them on a baking tray. After proving for a while press the rounds in the middle and fill the hollow with the second filling of puree flavoured with rum. Place an almond on top. Brush the surrounding dough with the egg yolk mixed with milk. Put the tray into a preheated oven and bake until golden. Other fillings can be used, for instance poppy seed or walnut.

TELČ ––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Apricot dumplings

minutes. Finally, add the sour cream, break 2 eggs into the soup, simmer and add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

KUTNÁ HORA –––––––––––––––––––

Pork - Dumplings - Cabbage You will need: 250 g of soft quark, 1 egg, 250 g of semicoarse flour, pinch of salt, ripe apricots, a sugar cube for each apricot, gingerbread for grating, icing sugar, butter for pouring.

KROMĚŘÍŽ –––––––––––––––––– Valašská Kyselica

You will need: 400 g of pickled cabbage, 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seed, 300 g of sliced potatoes, bay leaves, 2 berries of allspice, a handful of dried mushrooms • salt, pepper, a handful of herbs (marjoram, thyme, oregano), 30 g of butter, 100 g of onions, 100 g of sausage, 100 g of bacon, a spoon of fine flour, 100 - 150 ml of milk, 150 g of soured cream, 2 eggs, lemon juice to season Preparation: Cook the cabbage and caraway seed in one pot and the potatoes with the bay leaves, allspice, mushrooms, salt, pepper and herbs in another. When the potatoes are soft, remove the herbs, bay leaves and allspice and add the cabbage to the pot (including the water in which it was boiled). Fry the onions, sausage and bacon in the butter and finally add two spoons of fine flour. Stir milk in to the mixture, pour into the pot with the potatoes and cabbage and bring to the boil stirring occasionally for about twenty

You will need: 1 kg of pork, salt, ground pepper, crushed caraway seed, 3 - 4 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, 1 sour apple, 2 spoons of fat, whole caraway seed, strong stock as needed For the cabbage: pickled cabbage, whole caraway seed, salt, sugar to taste, 1 onion, lard and 1 spoon of semi-coarse flour for the onion roux.

For the potato dumplings: 1 kg of potatoes, salt, 2 eggs, 1 spoon of milk about 400 g of coarse flour, 3 spoons of coarse semolina Preparation: Salt the roast pork, add ground pepper, ground or whole caraway seed, crushed garlic and place into a covered roasting pot to be left in the refrigerator until the next day. Peel the onion, cut into half rings, slice the apple and put into the roasting pot in which the lard has been melted and bubbles with the caraway seed. Add the roast pork, cover and bake in the oven. Bake for about 3/4 of an hour, uncover and let it go pink on one side and then the other. Before turning over for the last time add the stock to the juices - the quantity depends on how much gravy we want from the roast. In the meantime, as the meat is cooking, prepare the pickled cabbage by draining, rinsing, cutting and cooking with a little caraway seed and salt. When the cabbage is done, sweeten to taste and thicken with the onion roux. Make the roux by heating the lard in a pan and gently fry the chopped onions until they turn pink, then add the semi-course flour and let it cook for a while. Then add it to the cooked cabbage. Sweeten according to taste.

Cook the potatoes in their skins the day before, peel, grate coarsely, add salt and mix with an egg that has been briefly whisked with a spoon of milk. Place the potatoes on a floured board and gradually add flour with semolina until the dough is no longer sticky. Form the dough into cylinders and cook them in salted water for about 20 minutes. Serve the sliced meat, dumplings and cabbage together, pouring the gravy from the meat over the dumplings.

67

EATING AND DRINKING

Preparation: Form a dough from the quark, eggs and flour (add flour if it is too sticky). Add a pinch of salt and roll out the dough, cut it into squares and then wrap the apricots in the dough. Stone the apricots beforehand and place a sugar cube where the stone was.

Place the dumplings into boiling water. As soon as they float to the surface, they are ready. Sprinkle with grated gingerbread and sugar, pour the melted butter over them.

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EATING AND DRINKING

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EATING AND DRINKING

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ORIGINAL JEWELLERY WITH CZECH GARNET FROM THE GRANÁT TURNOV COOPERATIVE’S ARTISTIC PRODUCTION

RETAIL OUTLETS: Prague 1, Dlouhá 28 a 30 Tel.: +420 222 315 612 , E-mail: prodej-dlouha@granat.cz Prague1, Panská 1 Tel.: +420 224 247 463 Prague 1, Pánská pasáž, Na Příkopě 23 Tel.: +420 242 451 068, E-mail: prodej-pasaz@granat.cz Turnov, nám. Českého ráje 4 Tel.: +420 481 323 598

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Liberec, Pražská 502/3 Tel.: +420 485 100 583 České Budějovice, Dr. Stejskala 9 Tel.: +420 386 358 068 Český Krumlov, Latrán 53 Tel.: +420 380 711 748

Granát, the cooperative of artistic production, Turnov Výšinka 1409, 511 14 Turnov Tel.: +420 481 357 216, E-mail:obchod@granat.cz, www.granat.cz, www.granat-shop.cz 70

Salesroom: Opletalova 37, Praha 1. Tel.: +420 225 375 800, e-mail: prodejna.praha@czub.cz

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Pilsner Urquell Galerie – Experience shop Every country has its symbols and legends and the Czech ones include Pilsner Urquell lager ƚŚĂƚ ǁĂƐ Į ƌƐƚ ŵĂĚĞ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ WŝůƐĞŶ ďƌĞǁĞƌLJ ďĂĐŬ in 1842. Learn the story of this legendary beer at the Pilsner Urquell Gallery – Experience Shop in Prague.

DISCOVER the story of the legend Learn about the history and success of the world-famous lager Pilsner Urquell through ĂŶ ŝŶƚĞƌĂĐƟ ǀĞ ŵƵůƟ ŵĞĚŝĂ ĞdžŚŝďŝƟ ŽŶ͕ ƚĂŬŝŶŐ Ă ůŽŽŬ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ WŝůƐĞŶ ďƌĞǁĞƌLJ ŽƉĞƌĂƟ ŽŶƐ͕ ƚŚĞ renowned Pilsen pubs and the countries in which Pilsner Urquell is sold.

TASTE Pilsner Urquell lager Enjoy a perfect pour of Pilsner Urquell on ƚŚĞ ƚŽƵƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŐĂůůĞƌLJ͘ ^ĂǀŽƵƌ ƚŚŝƐ ĚĞůŝĐŝŽƵƐ͕ ƌĞĨƌĞƐŚŝŶŐ ďŽƩ ŽŵͲĨĞƌŵĞŶƚĞĚ ůĂŐĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ŝƚƐ golden hue and snow-white head of foam. hz ďƌĂŶĚĞĚ ŐŝŌ Ɛ KƵƌ ďƌĂŶĚĞĚ ƐŚŽƉ Žī ĞƌƐ Ă ǁŝĚĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ WŝůͲ ƐŶĞƌ hƌƋƵĞůů ŐŝŌ ŝƚĞŵƐ ʹ Ă ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ĞĚŝƟ ŽŶ ŽĨ ŐŝŌ ͲǁƌĂƉƉĞĚ ďĞĞƌ ĂŶĚ ŐůĂƐƐǁĂƌĞ͕ ƚŚĞ 'ůĞŶͲ ŵƵŝƌ͕ ĂůůĂǁĂLJ ĂŶĚ EŝŬĞ ŐŽůĮ ŶŐ ƐĞƚƐ͕ ƚŚĞ WŝůͲ ƐŶĞƌ hƌƋƵĞůů ĂƉƉĂƌĞů ƐĞƚ ĂŶĚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ŐŝŌ Ɛ ĂŶĚ souvenirs.

Pilsner Urquell Galerie h >ƵǎŝĐŬĠŚŽ ƐĞŵŝŶĄƎĞ ϭϭ͕ WƌĂŐƵĞ ϭ dĞů͗ нϰϮϬ ϳϯϵ ϲϮϬ ϳϵϵ E-mail: galerie@pilsner-urquell.cz www.galerie.pilsner-urquell.cz Open daily.

SHOPPING

Follow Vydejte the seGoat do pivovaru at Velké po Popovice stopách Brewery Kozla

Velké Popovice Brewery ϭϱ Ŭŵ ĨƌŽŵ WƌĂŐƵĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĚŝƌĞĐƟ ŽŶ ƚŽǁĂƌĚ ƌŶŽ͕ ϱ ŵŝŶƵƚĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ džŝƚ ϭϱ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ϭ ,ŝŐŚǁĂLJ͘

ZŝŶŐŚŽī ĞƌŽǀĂ ϭ͕ Ϯϱϭ ϲϵ sĞůŬĠ WŽƉŽǀŝĐĞ dĞů͗͘ нϰϮϬ ϯϮϯ ϲϴϯ ϰϮϱ E-mail: exkurze@kozel.cz ͲƐŚŽƉ͗ ŚƩ Ɖ͗ͬ​ͬĞƐŚŽƉ͘ŬŽnjĞů͘Đnj www.pivovar.kozel.cz Open daily.

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dŚĞ ƉŝĐƚƵƌĞƐƋƵĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĐĂů sĞůŬĠ WŽƉŽǀŝĐĞ ďƌĞǁĞƌLJ͕ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŐƌĞĂƚ njĞĐŚ ďĞĞƌ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ďƌĞǁĞĚ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϭϯϱ LJĞĂƌƐ͕ ŝƐ located only a short driving distance from WƌĂŐƵĞ͘ /Ŷ ŽƵƌ ďƌĞǁĞƌLJ͕ ǁĞ ŚĂǀĞ ĂĚŚĞƌĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĂĚŝƟ ŽŶĂů ƌĞĐŝƉĞ ĂŶĚ ĞŵƉŚĂƐŝnjĞĚ ŐŽŽĚ ǁŽƌŬŵĂŶƐŚŝƉ ƐŝŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ǀĞƌLJ Į ƌƐƚ ďƌĞǁ͘ :ŽŝŶ ƵƐ ŝŶ ůŽŽŬŝŶŐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ƚŚĞ ůŝĚƐ ŽĨ sĞůŬĠ WŽƉŽǀͲ ice brewers. ͻ ƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƵƌ͕ ǁĞ ǁŝůů ƚĞůů LJŽƵ ƚŚĞ ƐƚŽƌLJ of the entrepreneurship of the brewery’s ĨŽƵŶĚĞƌ͕ ĂƌŽŶ &ƌĂŶƟ ƓĞŬ ZŝŶŐŚŽī Ğƌ͘ • You will learn about the most important milestones in the development of the brewery and you will meet the live brewery masĐŽƚ͕ KůĚĂ ƚŚĞ ŝůůLJ 'ŽĂƚ͘ ͻ tĞ ǁŝůů ǁĂůŬ LJŽƵ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĐĂů͕ ĂƐ well as present-day brewing rooms and we will show you cellars where beer matures and ferments. ͻ dŚĞƌĞ ǁŝůů ĂůƐŽ ďĞ Ă ƚĂƐƟ ŶŐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ sĞůŬŽƉŽƉŽͲ ǀŝĐŬlj <ŽnjĞů ďĞĞƌ ;ŽŶůLJ ĨŽƌ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞ ϭϴ or older). ͻ >ĂƐƚ ďƵƚ ŶŽƚ ůĞĂƐƚ͕ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶŶŽƚ ŵŝƐƐ ƚŚĞ ŝůůLJ Goat Store in the Visitors’ Centre. Please yourself or your family and friends with an ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ďĞĞƌ ŐŝŌ ͘

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ENTERTAINMENT

CITY TRANSPORT Prague‘s public transport system comprises the metro and a network of trams and buses. Also part of the system is the funicular railway leading to the top of the Petřín Hill.

METRO Prague‘s Metro has three lines: A (green), B (yellow) and C (red). All three intersect at various points in the city centre. The Metro runs daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. Night transport is provided only by buses and trams. The Metro is fast, clean and comfortable.

TRAMS The network of trams covers most of the city and is very dense in the centre. Timetables are posted at every stop. The trams run from 4.30 a.m. to midnight. There are eight night trams (Nos. 51-58) intersecting at the junction of Lazarská and Spálená in the city centre.

Trams run every 4-10 minutes throughout the day, every 20 minutes after 9 p.m., and night trams run every 40 minutes. Beware of pickpockets, especially during the tourist season, and particularly while getting on or off trams such as no. 22, 23 running through parts of the city popular with tourists.

OTHER SERVICES

BUSES In Prague bus transport mainly serves the suburbs where, as a rule, the trams do not run. As with the tram there are night buses (Nos. 501 – 512). The times between each bus are similar as for the trams.

To travel on public transport every passenger must have a ticket, which can be bought in shops with newspapers and magazines or from the ticket vending machines located in the vestibules of the metro stations. They can also be bought from the bus drivers and from the vending machines that are located at some bus and tram stops. It is even possible to buy tickets in hotels, travel agencies and so on. The ticket must be stamped before the journey otherwise it is invalid.

The standard ticket costs 26 CZK and is valid for 75 minutes from being stamped. It can be used for all public transport means. A short journey ticket can be bought for 18 CZK. It is valid for 20 minutes on surface transport without changing; on the metro it is valid for five stations. It is also possible to buy tourist tickets that are valid for 24 hours (100 CZK), 3 days (330 CZK) or 5 days (500 CZK).

If you do not stamp the ticket you run the risk of an on-the-spot fine of 700 CZK. The tickets are inspected by ticket inspectors, who must present a badge and, if requested, an identity card.

In the event of any questions you may have about Prague’s public transport, then please ask at the transport information centres. They can be found on all three metro lines at the following stations: Muzeum (A, C), Můstek (B), Anděl (B), Nádraží Holešovice (C) and Černý most (B) and also at the arrivals hall at Ruzyně Airport.

TAXIS Taxis operating in Prague charge a maximum of 23,90–28 Kč per kilometre, plus a flat charge of 40 Kč, and 6 Kč per minute of waiting (in a traffic jam or at the customer‘s request).

To avoid overcharging, it is recommended to use the official taxi operators who may also be called from hotels and restaurants. The staff speak foreign languages and will send a taxi to the address you give them within minutes.

Recommended taxi operators: AAA Taxi (14 0 14), CITY TAXI, KURÝR TAXI. PARKING IN PRAGUE Cars illegally parked outside parking lots will be clamped or towed away. It is recommended to use public garages and attended parking lots. Public transport is the fastest means of transport in the city centre where traffic jams are quite frequent.

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TAXI PRICELISTS Here you will find the pricelists of various companies operating taxis in Prague. If you wish to know approximately how much a specific journey will cost calculate the entry fee plus the number of kilometres.

Tel.: 14014

www.radiotaxiaaa.cz Entry fee Price per km 40 28 40 17,90–26,90 40 12,90

Pricelist Citytaxi Tel.: 257 257 257, 777 257 257 Rate Entry fee In Prague and outside Prague single 40 Outside Prague return 40 VIP service, Minibus (more than 4 persons) 40 Pricelist Kurýr - Taxi s.r.o.

Rate On the street, multiple seat vehicle Through dispatching Discount

Tel.: 241 090 090 Entry fee 40 38 38

Minute 6 6 6

www.citytaxi.cz Price per km 23,90 12 28

Minute 5 5 6

www.kuryr-taxi.cz Price per km 28 19 17

Minute 6 6 6

OTHER SERVICES

Pricelist AAA radiotaxi Rate Hailing a taxi on the street, taxi rank In Prague and outside Prague single Outside Prague return

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