Czech Republic - Moravia and Silesia Holy Places

Czech Republic - Traditional Costume

Czech Republic - Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.

Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the turmoil of the twentieth century. Since 1992, the extensive historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague has become one of Europe's (and the world's) most popular tourist destinations. It is the sixth most-visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. Prague suffered considerably less damage during World War II than some other major cities in the region, allowing most of its historic architecture to stay true to form. It contains one of the world's most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern.

Czech Republic - Kraj Vysocina

Vysočina Region is an administrative unit (Czech: kraj) of the Czech Republic, located partly in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia and partly in the south-west of the historical region of Moravia. Its capital is Jihlava.

History has provided Vysocina with a number of monuments, three of which, the historical centre of Telc, the Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelena Hora near Zdar nad Sazavou and the Jewish Ghetto together with the St. Prokopus Basilica in Trebic have been classified as international UNESCO monuments. The landmarks left by history complement the way people have changed the countryside, completing its beauty.

Czech Republic - Frydstejn Castle

The ruins of Frýdštejn Castle can be found in the Liberec Region, Czech Republic, near the town Turnov. It is one of three castles in Jablonec nad Nisou District. A typical rock castle, it lies on the upper end of a long sandstone rock ridge, next to the village of Frýdštejn (former Zásada). The castle dominates the nearby Jizera river valley and the old trade route from Turnov to the north.

Frýdštejn was constructed during 14th century (exact date is not known). It is mentioned for the first time in a church source from 1385. Being owned by a Catholic it was besieged by Hussites in August 1432 but its lord had agreed to cease hostilities and later joined the Hussites. The castle had changed owners several times. After a sale in 1556 it lost its function as a watchtower and at the end of 16th century it was no longer inhabited. During the Thirty Years' War marauders, deserters, and fugitives of every kind found shelter here.

The public has been allowed to visit the ruins since the 1890s, when the Turnov Adornment Club bought it from the Prince of Rohan, who lived in Sychrov Castle. The club had the conserved masonry reinforced. Archaeological findings from this period are available in the Turnov Museum. Today the castle is owned by the village Frýdštejn, which preserves its current state.

Czech Republic - Brno

Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, located in the southeast of the country.

It was founded in 1243, although the area had been settled since the 5th century. Brno is the capital of the South Moravian Region as well as the seat of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman. Traditionally, it has served as the capital of the historical land Moravia.

Old stories from Brno:

What was happening at the New Town Hall

The whole of the west front of the Dominican square is taken up by the Baroque building of the Land House, nowadays the New Town Hall. It used to be said that on certain days the halls on the second floor would be brightly lit, and those who were unafraid could see strangely dressed people there walking about wringing their hands. They were said to be the Moravian Lords who, before the battle of the White Mountain, had deliberated whether or not they should take part in a rebellion against the Emperor. Moreover, the second outer gate of the building, the one furthest from the church, was not allowed to be opened. Whoever did so would be punished. Once, however, two girls who cleaned the rooms of the town hall did not take this advice, for they wanted to see for themselves whether these stories were true. Having secretly taken the key, they set off in the night for the gate along with their boyfriends. When they finally succeeded in opening it, an icy wind blew upon them and the boy who first opened the gate received two blows to the head and fell to the ground, unable to move. That was enough for all of them, and nobody has tried to repeat this act ever since. Others talked about the heavy steps that could be heard from the beautiful corridor around the garden when a member of the town hall staff was to die. A very strong man in ancient clothes would step out of the corridor, so huge that he would walk as if his feet were made of stone, making booming sounds with every step. Coming out of the corridor he would take a walk about the courtyard, sometimes looking through the porter`s window. Then he would return to the corridor and disappear somewhere within. The clerks also knew that on certain days of November nobody was allowed to stay in the offices after six o`clock in the evening. Woe to anyone who stayed late! Something unseen would start to wander through the rooms, throwing papers off the desks and hats from their stands. Terrible sounds and moaning would resonate, and the doors would even open by themselves. Once there were many such rumors, but today they are widely forgotten.

Czech Republic – Cesky Krumlov

Český Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.

Situated on the banks of the Vltava river, the town was built around a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. It is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact thanks to its peaceful evolution over more than five centuries.