About Czech Republic

CZECH TOWNS AND CITIES

Prague (Praha)

The historical centre of the capital city of Prague ranks among the most significant monuments of cultural heritage in the world.

Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov is a unique architectural jewel, whose importance is underlined by the fact that it was included in the UNESCO List of the World Cultural Heritage in 1992.
Above the meanders of the river Vltava a unique complex of municipal housing developed, mainly in the 16th century, along with an extensive castle and chateau complex, the second largest in the country after the Prague Castle.

Olomouc

Located roughly alfway between Prague and Krakow, Olomouc boasts a concentration of Baroque architecture second only to Prague.

Brno

The second largest town in the country and Moravia’s traditional capital, Brno was also the historic seat of the Přemyslid dynasty. King Wenceslas I awarded Brno municipal status as early as 1243.

Plzeň (Pilsen)

The West-Bohemian metropolis with 170,000 inhabitants is the fourth largest city in the Czech Republic. Its historical predecessor was a former watch castle dated from the 10th century on the place of the recent Starý Plzenec. The pre-Romanesque Rotunda of St. Peter dates back to that period.

České Budějovice

České Budějovice was founded in 1265 on the confluence of the Vltava and Malše rivers by King Přemysl Otakar II. The city has a chessboard layout. The 13th-century Dominican monastery with the Cloister Church of the Sacrifice of the Virgin Mary features important Gothic frescoes, which were discovered only recently. Not far from here, the Renaissance-era Butchers‘ Shops (Masné krámy) provide a perfect opportunity for sampling the renowned local cuisine. Another highlight of the city’s skyline is the 72-meter Black Tower, which offers breathtaking views of the city and its surroundings. The square-shaped central plaza is home to one of the largest fountains in the country, the Samson fountain.

Telč

Reflected in the surface of placid ponds, the picturesque town of Telč is a true real pearl of the Vysočina region. The ancient royal water fort was founded here in the 13th century on the crossroad of busy merchants´ routes. Besides the monumental Renaissance chateau with an English park, the most significant sight is the town square – a unique complex of historical houses in the Renaissance and Baroque styles.

Hradec Králové

Hradec Kralove is among the oldest Bohemian towns. It was built on the place of an old Slavic settlement and historical sources date it back to 1225. In the Middle Ages it was a dowry town of Czech queens. From the 14th century the brick Cathedral of the Holy Ghost has been preserved, while the neighbouring White Tower was built in the 16th century.

Litomyšl

Litomyšl received town status as early as the mid-13th century, and its importance was strengthened 100 years later by the establishment of the second bishopric in Bohemia. The town is characteristic by its elongated street-square surrounded by rows of burgers’ houses; the most significant one is the Renaissance house “U rytířů” with valuable stone-carving decoration.

Terezín

Emperor Josef II founded this town near Litoměřice in the late 18th century. It is an outstanding example of a military fort in the style of Classicist architecture. The complex consists of three parts – the main fortress with the garrison town, the so-called Small fortress and the Upper and Lower “Water gates”.

Cheb

Cheb is among the oldest towns in the Czech Republic. Its history dates back to the 11th century. The following century left a remarkable trace on its face – a Romanesque castle, an imperial palace (the only in the Czech Republic), and the two-floor Chapels of St. Erhard and St. Ursula, the construction of which was initiated by Friedrich Barbarossa.

Děčín

The Děčín Valley has been inhabited since the late Bronze Age, and over the centuries many different peoples have passed through the area. The first recorded mention of Děčín dates from 993, when a wooden Přemyslid fort stood here. In the mid 13th century this was replaced by a stone castle beneath which a royal town soon grew. The arrival of the railway linking Prague, Podmokly and Dresden in 1851 had a huge affect on the economic development of the town in the 19th century.

Domažlice

The centre of an ethnographically interesting region – Chodsko, obtained municipal rights in 1262 from King Přemysl Otakar II. One of very few municipal castles in the Czech Republic has remained here since the Middle Ages. Today, the castle of Chodsko houses significant ethnographic collections.

Františkovy Lázně

This charming, small spa town was founded in 1793 by the Cheb doctor Dr. Bernhard Adler on the site of an old curative spring.

Horšovský Týn

A small town on the river Radbuza was founded in the 14th century on the site of an early Gothic bishop’s castle, which was later rebuilt into a residential Renaissance chateau.

Jaroměř - Josefov

Between 1780 and 1789, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Joseph II built an extensive military fort and a town here, which conformed to the Classicist ideas of an ideal town.

Jičín

Jičín was founded in the picturesque landscape of Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise) as a town mainly built of wood. In the early 17th century, the famous politician and military leader Albrecht of Valdštejn (=von Wallenstein) had it rebuilt into a stone city.

Jihlava

One of the oldest mining towns in the country was founded in the mid-13th century near rich sources of silver ore. The importance of the time in the medieval era can be seen in the number of religious monuments (e.g,. the Church of St. James), burghers' houses with Gothic vaults and arcades, and remnants of sizeable Gothic fortifications.

Jindřichův Hradec

Jindřichův Hradec has developed on the historical border between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. The most significant sight of the town is the third largest chateau complex in the Czech Republic- a unique renaissance chateau, including a Gothic palace with valuable Gothic paintings, and a Rondel, which, thanks to its perfect acoustics, serves as a venue for numerous concerts. In the centre of the town the municipal housing has mainly Empire appearance from the period after the devastating fire in 1801.

Kadaň

Kadaň was founded in the 13th century by King Přemysl Otakar II. The Middle Ages gave rise to the town's most most significant sights, such as the Gothic castle with a part of its Gothic fortifications and a sizeable bastion in front of the Žatecká gate. The Gothic Town Hall dates back to the 14th-15th centuries; an attached high tower is topped by a rare stone helmet.

Kolín

With its regular ground plan of streets and a square, this royal town is a fine example of highly advanced medieval urbanism of the 13th century. The rectory Church of St. Bartholomew is an exceptional masterpiece of Late Gothic architecture.

Kroměříž

Kroměříž is situated on of the river Morava, amidst the fertile fields of the Haná region. The town is mentioned as early as 1110, when the foundation of the union with the representatives of the Roman-Catholic church were laid.

Lipník nad Bečvou

The little town is situated in the valley of the Morava Gate (Moravská brána) near the river Bečva, and represents a characteristic example of the colonizing urbanism of the 13th century. The impressive square is decorated with Late Gothic and Renaissance houses from the 15th and the 16th century (incl. The Renaissance Town Hall, later adapted in the Empire style, and two Baroque fountains).

Litoměřice

Litoměřice is one of the oldest and most significant towns in Bohemia. It is located in the fertile countryside near the rivers Labe and Ohře, north of Prague. As early as the 11th century the Przemyslids founded a capitulary with a Romanesque basilica here, which was rebuilt in Baroque into a bishop’s residence with the Cathedral of St. Stephen.

Loket

A small, picturesque medieval castle-town developed above the meanders of the river Ohře. Its symbol is the royal sentry castle with Romanesque elements, rebuilt during the reign of Wenceslas IV and later in the style of the Saxon Renaissance.

Mikulov

Situated southwest of the Pavlovské hills, a town grew below a former castle. The remains of the original fortifications can still be seen on the Canon Tower in Kozí hrádek. The castle was later rebuilt into a luxurious Baroque chateau, which, together with the Renaissance tower of the Church of St. Wenceslas and the Holy Hill with a chapel, creates the characteristic panorama of the town.

Mladá Boleslav

The beginning of the town dates back to 974. The town's most significant sight is the castle from the second half of the 10th century, located on a rocky precipice near the confluence of the rivers Jizera and Klenice.

Moravská Třebová

Moravská Třebová was founded in the 13th century as a typical colony town on a chessboard ground plan . The most significant architectural sights are Renaissance and Baroque buildings. One of the oldest Renaissance sights in our country – the castle gate, dating from 1492, has been preserved here. The chateau with Mannerist arcades was built in the Late Renaissance style.

Nové Město nad Metují

The picturesque hilltop town was founded in the early 16th century above the valley of the river Metuje. Its beauty and unity of architectural styles make it an appealing destination. From the original fortifications, only the tower Zázvorka has been preserved.

Nový Jičín

The town was founded thanks to the privilege of King John of Luxemburg in the early 14th century and gradually grew rich due to its location on the merchants´ route. In the 16th century the town bought itself out of serfdom and became a free town.

Pardubice

The town of Pardubice was founded on the confluence of the rivers Labe and Chrudimka in the 14th century. The first Prague Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice supported the town. It flourished especially during the reign of the Pernštejn family. The Pernštejns had the Gothic water-castle rebuilt into a luxurious Renaissance chateau. The interiors boast unique Renaissance wall paintings and original painted panel ceilings.

Ostrava

Ostrava, the third largest city in the Czech Republic, is situated in the northeast of the country and is the centre of the Moravian-Silesian administrative region. It is very near the border with Slovakia and Poland and lies on the banks of the River Ostravice with wonderful views of the Beskydy Mountains.

Pelhřimov

The town is situated in the western part of Českomoravská vrchovina (the Czech-Moravian Highlands) and is sometimes called the Gate to the Highlands.

Prachatice

A town located on the foothills of the Šumava Mountains. It was founded in the early 14th century next to a salt merchants´ route. The Gothic Church of St. James (Jakub) is the dominant of the town. The town flourished especially in the16th century; at that time, sizeable fortifications with bastions and the Písek Gate were built along with numerous grand houses with sgraffito decorations in the Renaissance style.

Příbor

The birthplace of Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, is located above the river Lubina. It was founded in the 13th century on the old merchants´ route leading from Moravia to Silesia. This period is reflected in the regular ground plan of the town with an oblong town square, in the remains of medieval fortifications and in the Gothic Church of the Birth of Our Lady.

Slavonice

The town was founded in the 13th century at the border of southern Bohemia and southern Moravia. The area is sometimes called Czech Canada due to its rough climate. In the mid-15th and the 16th centuries, when a post station was established here on the route between Prague and Vienna, the town experienced its greatest economic and architectural growth.

Štramberk

In the mid-14th century, Jan Jindřich, the brother of Emperor Charles IV, founded a small town with an oblong town square under an older castle. The signature watchtower called Trúba with a clock tower and remains of fortifications have survived here since the Middle Ages (13th century).

Tábor

Easily reached from Prague, picturesque Tábor boasts a history as fascinating as any town in the country. Its history is inextricably linked with the Hussite movement, and the Hussites are annually commemorated during the medieval-themed festival called Tabor Gathering.

Třeboň

In the 13th century, the marshy area near the river Lužnice witnessed the rise of a market settlement. Later, a town was founded in its place, reaching the zenith of its growth in the 16th century, during the reign of the last Rosenbergs. At that time, the marshy area was gradually transformed and many lakes and fish ponds were built here.

Znojmo

Before the mid-11th century, on the left bank of the river Dyje near a former Great Moravian fortified settlement a princely castle was founded.

Žatec

Renowned for its world-famous Saaz hops, a key ingredient of Czech beers, the town of Žatec merits a visit for any beer lover.