06-25-16 A guided Tour outside of town

Prior to leaving for this trip, I had arranged a guide to take us out of Prague and into some of the historical sites.  We were picked up by Ilona and her husband, Peter,  who acted as the driver and off we went.

The first stop was to Český Krumlov Castle located about 2 ½ hours outside of Prague. The Castle dates back to 1240 when the first castle was built by the Witigonen family, the main branch of the powerful Rosenberg family. For the next several hundred years it pass through a number of Noble families ultimately passing to the Schwarzenbergs. After WW II it ultimately became a property of the Czech government. The entire area, castle, village and surround areas, were declared a national monument in 1989 and in 1992 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

We started our tour in the gardens of the castle at the top of the hill   Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Castle Garden JPL  and walked through several squares ultimately getting to the main gate of the castle and into the town. Along the way we had beautiful views of the river, the village and the surround buildings.

Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Castle Overlook of river 3

With each square there were interesting sites to see – faux windows and doors on the walls, Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Castle view courtyard crests Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Castle view courtyard wall at corner Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Castle view courtyard  representations of the coat of arms of the Rosenberg family and historical objects like rock cannon balls.  Interior shots of the Castle show how richly appointed all the rooms are.

cesky-krumlov-stage
The Theatre stage inside the Castle

Český Krumlov Castle Masquerade Hall    Český Krumlov Castle Masquerade Hall 1    Cesky Krumlov Salon

Rock canon balls
Rock canon balls

After leaving the castle we walked through a portion of the village and across a bridge to the main section.

Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Outside village street 6
Note the design on face of this building.
Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Outside castle red gate
The Red Gate – entrance to the Castle.

The village has winding small cobblestone streets lined with shops, restaurants and open areas – squares. We walked to an over look to look back at the castle and through the church.    Day Trip Cesky Krumlov church

Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Outside village street rocks at corners 1  Note the stones at the corner of the buildings.  This was to protect them from horse and carriage impacts.

View of Cesky Krumlov Castle from the village
View of Cesky Krumlov Castle from the village
Day Trip Cesky Krumlov water wheel
Old mill and water wheel.
Day Trip Cesky Krumlov Outside village street rocks at corners
Corner guards at buildings.

After a lunch of local fare  Day Trip Cesky Krumlov lunch main dish   we headed back to the car to continue our adventure.   Day Trip Cesky Krumlov castle arches and walkways  This view of the castle shows the walkways created to separate various levels of society.  The top level was for the Noble’s to walk from the Castle to the gardens, the middle level was for servants and the lower level was for access to the Theatre from the Castle.

After connecting with Peter, we drove to České Budějovice for a quick tour around the square with it’s impressive buildings.  Day Trip Cesky Krumlov bridge overlook us 2 Day trip České Budějovice square Day trip České Budějovice square 9 Day trip České Budějovice square 7

Budějovice has long been well known for the beer brewed there since the 13th century. For a time, the town was the imperial brewery for the Holy Roman Emperor, and Budweiser Bier (i.e. beer from Budweis) became, along with Pilsner from Plzeň, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry. This is the town that the American brewer took the name for Budweiser Beer

From here we went on to Hluboka Castle.   This historic chateau and is considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic. In the second half of the 13th century, a castle was built at this location and rebult several times over the years. Finally being modified into it’s current form by Adam Franz von Schwarzenberg in the beginning of the 18th century. It is in the romantic style of England’s Windsor Castle. The owner fled the country in 1939 to escape from the Nazis.  day trip Castle ala winsor day trip Castle ala winsor us at entrance day trip Castle ala winsor outside day trip Castle ala winsor garden jpl 2 day trip Castle ala winsor garden 6

Today’s adventures were all south of Prague.  Tomorrow we head east to see other sites not normally on the common tour route.