Thanks to Pam’s suggestion, we maneuvered a short visit to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic on the way back from Salzburg to Prague. While we had originally planned to take a day tour out of Prague to Cesky, we discovered that instead of taking the train back to Prague, we could take a shared shuttle which included a 5 1/2 hour stop in Cesky Krumlov, thereby saving us from losing another day. And we’re so glad we did.
Cesky Krumlov, loosely translated as “crooked river” or “crooked peninsula,” seems like a big place but actually has less than 15,000 residents. It boasts one of the largest stronghold castles in Europe with a wonderfully preserved Baroque Theater and castle tower. Behind the castle are 27 acres of Baroque-Rococo gardens and below the castle the Vltava River meanders around the original town buildings. Yes, it’s the same Vltava River that runs through Prague. It’s a magical place and in 1992 it became one of the first sites in the Czech Republic to be registered as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Wandering through the streets of this hilly medieval village is a delightful way to spend an afternoon.
But let me make 2 observations: 1) Winter is not the best time to visit. Many of the city’s sites are closed, including all of the castle museums and the tours in the castle and the gardens. 2) Regardless of the time of year, a city tour would be helpful. Because we had originally planned to take a guided day tour, we had not done our homework so landed in Cesky totally unprepared. Even though it’s not a huge area, a little prior orientation would have allowed us to make better use of the time allotted.
The bubble-shaped peninsula surrounded by the river in the middle of the map is the area we explored, plus we walked through the castle and grounds across the river at the top of the map.
Of course there was a Christmas Market! We walked down the hill into the city square and there it was!
A Christmas market in the city square.A cute carousel at the Christmas market. The ride was especially small and it looked very strange to see an adult male riding on it.
A typical stall at the Christmas Market selling Czech-made arts and crafts.
A typical baby carriage at the Christmas Market.
Another interesting Nativity scene at the Christmas Market.
We took a walk up the hill and through the castle. It’s huge! I was amazed that we never walked up, or even saw, any stairs. All of the walkways and streets were on an incline which makes sense considering they had to be used by horses and wagons in ancient times.
Hard to get a good photo of the castle because it’s so big.
The castle was built on and added to many times over the centuries which explains why various parts of it look so different.
One of the up-hill streets through adjoining sections of the castle.
Another view of the castle and a road going into it.
Chuck waves from a lookout point high in the castle.
Views from two of the many archways in the castle.
One of many beautiful courtyards in the castle complex.
When we walked on the bridge across this moat in the castle, we couldn’t figure out why there were fruit faces on the rocks. Then we saw signs saying “please don’t feed the bears.” Turns out the moat is a bear enclosure and this is one of the ways they feed them. By the way, we never did see any bears.
Powerful lights illuminate the castle with a beautiful glow at the end of the day.
But it’s the beautiful architecture in Cesky Krumlov that make it so unique and special. And one of the really great things about the central area is that with very few exceptions, no cars are allowed. Here’s a sampling of some of the buildings we saw.
The small trees seen on either side of this photo can be seen all over town. They’re small cut pine trees with burlap ribbons of either red, gold or orange.
So many of Cesky’s buildings, like the ones on the right, have a 3-D stone block appearance when actually it’s just a clever, flat, paint job.
The castle tower and the little castle.
The Church of St. Titus.
A beautiful tower and more buildings with that 3-D paint job.
And here are just a few more of the fun things we saw in the Cesky area.
3 windows . . .
same shop . . .
very creative!
Cute horse.
2 beautiful doors!
I guess pine dresses are the “in” thing this Christmas. This one was beautifully done.
Nice lookout point but it’s the sign on the gate that fascinated me. 1) dogs must be on leash, 2) put trash in container, 3) clean up after your dog, 4) don’t pick the flowers, 5) no bicycles allowed, 6) no music (no music???), 7) ??? It almost looks like the heart was added by hand. Was it originally blank? Was it originally something else that someone has made into a heart? What?
A lot more fun than a Starbuck’s.
Don’t you just love these antique chairs!
Castle cat.
We discovered these mammoth fingers growing out of the cobblestones on the corner of a paint store.
When we turned the corner, we noticed the paint tubes in the door shutters also look like fingers. Coincidence? I think not. ;-}
Oh Wow Joyce! I’m so happy you managed to find the time to get to this fantastical place. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience, as I never did get there myself!
Christmas Markets & More 
Spectacular photographs….thank you for sharing.
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Oh Wow Joyce! I’m so happy you managed to find the time to get to this fantastical place. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience, as I never did get there myself!
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