One day trip from Prague to Cesky Krumlov

click here for:

Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.

Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV (r. 1346–1378).

It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

Prague is home to a number of well-known cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of 20th-century Europe. Main attractions include Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with the Prague astronomical clock, the Jewish Quarter, Petřín hill and Vyšehrad. Since 1992, the historic center of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The city has more than ten major museums, along with numerous theaters, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. An extensive modern public transportation system connects the city. It is home to a wide range of public and private schools, including Charles University in Prague, the oldest university in Central Europe.

Prague Castle

Prague Castle was most likely founded in around 880 by Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty (Přemyslovci). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Prague Castle is the largest coherent castle complex in the world, with an area of almost 70,000 m². A UNESCO World Heritage site, it consists of a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from the remains of Romanesque-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications of the 14th century.

Charles Bridge

Charles Bridge is a medieval stone arch bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the early 15th century. Charles Bridge is the tourist attraction, a place for walks, it’s a market in the open air; there’re some artists, they sing and draw the pictures.

Powder Tower

From about the middle of the 18th century, it served as a storehouse for gunpowder; therefore it was called the Powder tower.

Old Town Square

From the Charles Bridge you can go down to the Old Town Square. On the square is a monument to Jan Hus, whose ideas inspired the Hussite revolution in the first half of the 15th century. There’re also the Old Town Hall and the calendarium. The calendarium is from the early 15th century. The 12 apostles appear every hour in the top part of the calendarium.

Václavské náměstí (Venceslav Square), museums

Václavské náměstí, formerly St. Wenceslas Square, originally Horse Market. is 750m long - it's the longest square in the Czech Republic. There’re a lot of banks, restaurants, hotels, shops, cinemas, and boutiques. At the top, there’re St.Václav's bronze statue and National Museum. There’re expositions of history, precious stones, evolution of people and evolution of Earth.

Vyšehrad

Vyšehrad is a historic hillfort, castle and fortress in Prague, on a rock above the right bank of the Vltava River on the southern edge of the historic city, in the Vyšehrad district. At the Vyšehrad Cemetery with Slavín near the church of St. Peter and Paul are buried important Czech personalities for example: Karel Čapek, Antonín Dvořák, Jan Neruda, Bozena Němcová, Bedřich Smetana. Vyšehrad is associated with a number of legends from the beginnings of Czech history, it is said to have been founded by the mythical prince Krok. The actual origin of the princely castle is dated to the second half of the 10th century.

Petřín

Petřín is a 327 m high hill in the center of Prague. At its top stands the Petřín lookout tower. With a height of over 58.7 meters, the Petřín lookout tower is one of the most famous landmarks in Prague. In 1889, members of the Club of Czech Tourists were at the World Exhibition in Paris, where they were so excited by the sight of the famous Eiffel Tower that they decided to create a similar landmark over the city in Prague.

Český Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The population of the city is 13 thousand. Its historic centre, centred around the Český Krumlov Castle, has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992

Český Krumlov is bisected by the Vltava River, and dominated by its 13th-century castle. The castle has Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements, an 11-hectare garden and an original 17th-century baroque theater. There are panoramic views of the old town and the river from the top of its round belltower.

According to local legend, the name derives from Middle High German krumbe ouwe which can be translated as "crooked meadow", after a bend of the Vltava River. It was also mentioned in the 1255 Frauendienst poem by minnesinger Ulrich von Liechtenstein.

Most of the architecture of the old town and castle dates from the 14th through 17th centuries; the town's structures are mostly in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The core of the old town is within a horseshoe bend of the river, with the old Latrán neighborhood and castle on the other side of the Vltava.

Český Krumlov Castle is unusually large for a town of its size, within the Czech Republic it is second in extent only to the Hradčany castle complex of Prague. It is relatively unique in that it is surrounded by a moat filled not with water, but with bears.

More info about Cesky Krumlov: ckrumlov.info