About Czech Republic

UNESCO SITES

Brno

The Villa Tugendhat in Brno – Černá Pole is the very first monument of modern architecture in the Czech Republic and only the fourth worldwide which has received the prestigious UNESCO designation. The building is named after Fritz Tugendhat, owner of a Brno textile factory, who had this jewel of interwar functionalist architecture built for his family.

Český Krumlov

This picturesque town lies in a deep, meandering valley of the Vltava river in the very South of Bohemia. Its golden age came about during the rule of the Lords of Rožmberk (Rosenberg), in 1302-1602, who made their residence there. At that time, Krumlov was a point of contact between the Czech interior, the Austrian/German Danube region, and Northern Italy. The Italian Renaissance greatly influenced the appearance of the town and its castle.

Holašovice

This South-Bohemian village from the 13th century is considered a true pearl of the rustic Baroque style. Its 22 farmhouses with painted Baroque gables in the front and gardens in the rear are situated around a central pond.

Kroměříž

In 1777, this town, located in Central Moravia at the foot of the Chřiby hills, became the seat of the bishops of Olomouc. The splendid Kroměříž chateau and its beautiful gardens are considered an especially attractive and well-preserved example of Baroque palatial and garden design. They played an important role in the development of Central European Baroque architecture of gardens and palaces.

Kutná Hora

During the Middle Ages, profits from the Kutná Hora silver mines brought fame to the lands of the Czech Crown, and Kutná Hora became the richest and most powerful town in the Czech lands. At the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, Kutná Hora became the seat of King Václav IV.

The Lednice-Valtice area

An extensive Baroque complex built for the Liechtenstein family by renowned architects like C.Tencalla, D.Martinelli, J.B.Fischer von Erlach, and J.Ospel. The area is spread between the little towns of Lednice and Valtice southeast of Brno, and covers 250 square kilometers.

Litomyšl

In the small town of Litomyšl, the aristocratic family of Pernštejn had a mediaeval castle remodeled into a Renaissance chateau the second half of the 16th century. The chateau is an exceptional example of an original Italian arcaded structure which was adapted for the Czech environment.

Olomouc

The Baroque column came into existence between 1716 and 1754 and is a testament to the onetime religious fervor of this bishopric town. The column unites the motif of ecclesiastic triumphalism and faith with its architectural and artistic expression. Thanks to the entry of this Baroque column on the prestigious UNESCO list, the historic Moravian town of Olomouc has also received wide recognition.

Prague

The capital’s historical center, more than ten centuries old, enchants its residents and visitors alike through its unique symbiosis of many architectural styles – from Romanesque rotundas, Gothic towers, and Renaissance burghers’ houses and palaces to the Jewish synagogues, Baroque churches, convents and monasteries. The city is full of crooked lanes, gold-tipped towers and church cupolas, standing side by side with more recent Art Nouveau and Modernist architecture...

Telč

Originally a royal water keep founded in the 13th century on the crossroads of several busy trade routes. It obtained its current appearance in thr 16trh century, when the chateau as well as the town center were rebuilt.

Trebic

Třebíč is the town of uncommon religious sights, the most famous of which is the Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of St. Procope. The abbot cathedral was originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but after being damaged during the wars, it had been used for secular purposes for more than two centuries.

Žďár nad Sázavou

The abbot of the Žďár monastery had this pilgrimage church built to celebrate the memory of the Czech martyr and saint, John of Nepomuk. It is a unique testament to the genius of the Prague architect Giovanni Blasius Santini, who decided to use the five-pointed star as the principal symbol in his remarkable structure.