A Tale of Three Cities: Czech Republic

Is it your dream to find destinations in Europe, virtually unknown to everyone else? Well, here are three cities that you’ve probably never heard of, and they are all in the Czech Republic. Yes, there’s places beyond Prague and I’m about to expose them!

1. Brno

Tourists tend to flock to Prague, but the majority miss out on venturing beyond to the southeast region of Moravia, less than two hours away by bus. Book a room at Hotel Royal Ricc, situated on one of the oldest streets in Brno, the Starobrnenska Street, right in the historical heart of the city. You can spend an entire morning exploring the 13th century Spilberk Castle that has some of the best preserved underground prisons within Europe without seeing too many tourists. The castle, or really what is a Baroque fortress (also a national heritage monument), has a lookout tower that provides great views over the city.

Brno, the second largest city after Prague, and the capital of Moravia, has a skyline that is dominated by the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul. The Gothic style cathedral sits atop the Petrov hill, a pleasant climb after which you can descend down into Sadys park and the Capuchi gardens strewn with benches to soak in the city views.

The city’s Old Town Hall is guarded by the legendary two-metre Brno dragon. Notice the crooked gothic turret in front of the building. Legend has it that the master Anton Pilgram, the creater of this Gothic portal, wasn’t paid enough and hence he decided to make one of the turrets crooked. A climb up to the top reveals lovely views of the city, including the spires of the various churches.

2. Kromeriz

The city of Kromeriz is a one hour bus ride from Brno. The main landmark here is the Baroque style UNESCO world heritage Kromeriz Castle. The castle and the extensive gardens used to be the property of the Olomuc bishops and archbishops, and served as their representational residences. Climb up the chateau tower’s 206 steps for a breathtaking look at the town centre with the square, and the surrounding flat landscape of the Hana region.

A tour of the chateau is available only with a guide and takes approximately 90 minutes. The representative halls tour on the first floor covers mostly the Throne Hall, the Tsar’s Room, the grand Assembly Hall and the furnished interiors of the summer residence. The second floor contains the chateau library, the Leige Hall with its unique painted walls, and cabinets representing the most significant collections – envision the musical cabinet with the manuscripts of Mozart or Beethoven.

The main square houses many eateries, including the brewery restaurant Cerny Orel, which offers traditional Czech cuisine and various types of beers, ranging from Czech lagers and German “Hefewizen” to Belgian acid beers. The backyard and outdoor patio are the best seats in the house and if you feel like staying overnight, Cerny Orel also offers rooms that come equipped with satellite TV, refrigerator and seating.

3. Telc

One of the most impressive sights in this fairytale like town called Telc is the town square. It’s a unique long plaza with what are arguably the best well-preserved Renaissance and Baroque houses in Europe, characterized by high gables and arcades. Since 1993, this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A small town, Telc is easy to walk around in a few hours and utterly charming with some stunning views.

Telc’s Gothic castle dominates one end of the square and while it was built in the 14th century, it underwent a significant alteration toward the Renaissance style thanks to Zacharias of Hradec. A visit to Italy and his subsequent exposure to the Italian Renaissance architecture prompted him to reconstruct the Telc square with Renaissance gables, as well as to reconstruct the castle, including the lovely interiors and furniture in the Renaissance style, using Italian artists.

The most beautiful rooms are the Renaissance halls with unique gild waffle ceilings with lavish figural ornaments, an extraordinary example of Renaissance woodcarving. The ceiling of the famous Golden Hall consists of 30 octagonal panels with impressive figurative wooden carvings

Although English is widely spoken in the Czech Republic, know that some of the castle tours in these three cities may only be offered in German depending on the date/time. You will have the option of an English text based guide which you can use to follow along if you are unable to schedule around the English-speaking tours. Tourism is still developing in these towns so take advantage and visit before they become the next Prague. For more information, visit https://www.czechtourism.com/home/