Tourist Attractions & Monuments Czech Republic

It grows at 1,299 m. It is a high altitude for the country. But his round summit gives him a look of simple wooded hill. In summer and winter, you can reach the summit in a lift (departures every half-hour from April to November between 9 a. m. and 6 p. m.). In summer, to win the altitude hiking trails. In winter, to go back to the 10 km of alpine ski slopes. One of them is 3 km, one of the longest in the country. On its slopes and in the surrounding valleys, ground skiers will find 50 km of slopes.

This beautiful castle replaces an old Gothic fortress. It was built in the Renaissance style from 1568 for V. de Pernštejn, under the responsibility of the famous Ticino architects Giovanni Battista and Ottavio Avostallis. It is characterized by its airy arcades and facades crowned with Renaissance gables, entirely decorated with 8,000 sgraffiti by the painter Šimon. The classical interiors of the four buildings were designed by the Wallensteins (the last owners were the Thurn and Taxis). It is easy to understand why the castle was included in the Unesco World Heritage List with its architectural features and richly decorated three-story façade. Another argument in favor of the listing is the fact that all of the castle's ancillary buildings have also been preserved in admirable condition. They are often remodeled and have very different architectural styles, which only adds to the charm of the whole. Don't miss the baroque theater, built in 1797, with its superb scenic decorations. A pilgrimage to the castle's brewery is a must, as it was the birthplace of Smetana (his father was a brewer). Litomyšl is in fact the birthplace of the famous Czech composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884). The castle gardens, which include a large formal garden and an English park, are free to enter every day from 7am to 9pm and offer a beautiful walking destination.

In 1941, the Great Fortress was transformed into a ghetto where 140,000 Jews (men, women and children) from the Czech Republic, but also from all over Europe (Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and France) stayed. It was presented to the Jewish population as a refuge by the authorities and attracted part of the Jewish cultural and intellectual elite. These "volunteers" soon realized that they were in fact in a sorting camp. 62% of them were deported to Auschwitz - only 5% survived, including 150 children out of 10,000 (their drawings were saved thanks to their teacher and can be seen today in the Jewish town in Prague) - or to Dachau. To make room, the local population of Terezín was expelled in 1942. Despite this, the terrible living conditions and overcrowding resulted in the deaths of 34,000 people.

The visit to the site begins with the Ghetto Museum

(entrance fee, combined ticket with Terezín Fort 220 Kč), which is very well organized and presented and allows one to follow the entire history of the site and the Jewish population that passed through or died there. The gaze wanders sadly through the period documents (maps, identity papers, newspapers), everyday objects, clothing and others that allow us to understand the machine of destruction set up by the Nazis and especially to imagine life in Terezín.

In the Magdeburg Barracks

(Bývalá Magdeburská kasárna, only open April-October) a dormitory has been reconstructed, just like the ones in which the deportees were crammed. It also presents the artistic life in the ghetto and how the imprisoned Jews continued to practice music, literature, and theater with improvised means, to make the imprisonment "more livable" or at least to help bear the terrible living conditions. You can also visit the crematorium (Bývalé krematoriumopen only April-October), next to the Jewish cemetery. The small yellow building houses the ovens where the bodies of more than 20,000 Jews were burned before their ashes were thrown into the nearby Ohre River.

Also worth seeing: the columbarium, mortuary and ceremonial hall (Kolumbárium, obřadní místnosti a ústřední márnice), open daily from 9am to 5pm and until 6pm from April to October. And the prayer hall (Modlitebna), Dlouhá Street, open daily from 9am to 5:30pm and until 6pm from April to October.

Located in the Smíchov district, in a disused factory, the Futura art centre is a place of residence as much as an exhibition space. The aim of the art centre is to bring together young international creativity and the Czech art scene in the same space, creating an environment conducive to encounters between artists and the different artistic disciplines. The 1,000 ^{m2 of} exhibition space is divided into three levels with a wide variety of architectural styles. The gallery houses works by Czech and international artists.

This little jewel of late ^20th-century architecture is located at the entrance to the Jiraskův bridge on the right bank of the Jiráskovo Nám. at the end of the Masaryk quay. It stands on a site that was bombed by the Allies in 1945 and remained a wasteland until the late 1980s. This nickname in fact conceals a more official and much more sober name: Dutch National Building. This strikingly curved house blends surprisingly well with the rather Secession-style buildings on the surrounding quayside. In particular, its transparent metal sphere is reminiscent of the materials used in the Art Nouveau style. Its unique shape was designed by Czech architect V. Milunič and American architect F.-O. Gehry. It's a fine example of deconstruction architecture, with its transparent veil revealing its twisted structure made of massive reinforced concrete columns. The curved, glazed section adjoins the concrete, evoking a changing couple and earning the building its nickname of "the dancing house". Unique and phenomenal, it has been featured on the cover of many an architectural book and, much photographed, is fast becoming another symbol of the Czech capital. You can't visit the interior, but you can try to book a table at Ginger & Fred, on the top floor, an upmarket restaurant offering excellent fusion cuisine and, of course, a sumptuous view embracing the Vltava, Petřín Hill and the castle.

On the hill of Český Krumlov, the imposing castle complex assembles volumes built around five inner courtyards and gardens that stretch out into the countryside. The second largest castle in the Czech Republic (the complex consists of nearly forty buildings) after Prague Castle, it shares with the latter impressive dimensions and a commanding location above the city and the Vltava River. The courtyards and other elements are connected by passages and footbridges that make the visit very entertaining. The city has always developed around the castle, according to the families who owned it. A small fortress founded in the middle of the 13th century by the Víkovici family, it was constantly enlarged to satisfy the ambitions and power of its rich owners. In 1302, the founding family died out. The period of the most important works began, carried out by the Rožmberk family, especially during the 16th century. It became the main residence of this family. Their emblem, a red rose, adorns many rooms of the castle. In the 18th century, the Eggenberk family (1622-1719) and the Schwarzenberg family (1719 onwards) carried out numerous Baroque renovations: construction of the Bellarie riding hall and belvedere, remodeling of the chapel, decoration of the carnival hall (prodigious trompe l'oeil of a masked ball with Pierrot, Harlequin and all the characters of the commedia dell'arte), construction of the new castle theater and the beautiful bridge (Pláštový most) formed by a three-story corridor supported by high piers.. In 1938, Krumlov was annexed to Austria by the Nazis, who expropriated the Schwarzenbergs. The Czech minority was expelled. In 1945, the city was liberated and the German population was in turn expelled. The Czechs from Krumlov and other parts of the country repopulated Krumlov.

Depending on how much time you have to devote to the visit, choose from one of the tours offered: one gives a complete overview of the original Renaissance and Baroque rooms, while another focuses more on the history of the Schwarzenberg family.

The first courtyard is characterized by a sloping ground. It was the center of local economic life under the Schwarzenbergs. It is surrounded by an old pharmacy (14th century, facades covered with sgraffiti), a hospital, stables from the 16th century, a gothic residence, an old farm, a dairy, a forge, a brewery. In short, a real small town in its own right. A stone bridge allows you to cross the moat. At the bottom of the moat, you will see bears. These animals are, by tradition and then by interest (big success with children), kept here in captivity since the 16th century! The moat is quite green, vast, but it is obvious that the animals are bored.

Past the plantigrades' pit, we reach the next courtyard, dominated by the 13th-century Gothic palace (Hrádek, transformed into a Renaissance palace in the 16th century). The tower that defended it has been elevated with beautiful arcade galleries. The Renaissance tower dominates the whole city and has become its symbol. Its elegance, the richness of its ornaments contrast with the high walls (40 m high) austere. You can climb up this round tower of the castle.

Around two slightly dark courtyards, this part of the castle has been continuously developed between the 14th and 18th centuries. Several rooms of the buildings which compose it can be visited. The most beautiful is the Salle des Masques. It was used for large balls and receptions, as shown by the superb trompe l'oeil paintings (1748) whose colorful and smiling characters invite to the party. In other rooms, furniture from different periods, a collection of tapestries from Brussels, or an impressive 17th century gilded coach. Don't miss a walk through the cellars, which are arranged on several levels. The cellars are named after Wenceslas IV who was imprisoned there in 1394. Today, they are frequently used to display ceramics by local and international artists.

Zámecké Divadlo You will have to "undertake" the crossing of the ravine to reach this other jewel of the Krumlov castle. It is a beautiful rococo theater built in 1680 by the Eggenbergs. It is exceptional and precious for the history of this art, because it has been perfectly preserved. Thus, the room, the sets, the costumes, but also the wooden machinery are the same as in the beginning. It still gives very popular performances.

Not far away is the former riding school, the " gateway" to the castle gardens.The gardens were laid out by Johann Christian von Eggenberg (who built the Baroque theater) and are a pleasant extension of the visit, with pavilions such as the rococo Bellaria pleasure pavilion, the music pavilion, a fountain with waterfalls, a winter riding school, and a vinarná around a large fireplace. Natural areas and formal flowerbeds are combined. The garden also houses a revolving theater, the setting for the summer festival. This is a surprising place: here it is not the stage that turns, but the spectators' stands.

This museum located in the center of Prague on Narodnic was created by Miloš Křeček, a Lego fan. The museum defines itself as the largest private Lego collection in the world, with over 3,000 constructions on display on the first floor. Admire Prague classics like the Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock, or more thematic constructions around the railway world, Star Wars or Harry Potter. A room with interactive games is dedicated to young children. In figures, then: 420^m2 with more than 1,000,000 Lego pieces!

These colourful doll's houses, leaning against the fortifications, successively sheltered the refugees from the Malá Straná fire in 1541 and the archers and gold drummers of Rudolph II, from whom the alley takes its name. Rebuilt under Maria Theresa, Zlatá Ulička is famous for having welcomed Kafka who sometimes came to write to No. 22. Jiřská Ulice: this street, the oldest in the castle, will allow you to leave the enclosure via the Black Tower, after walking along the Lobkowitz Palace.

It is the most "spectacular" and the most recent synagogue in the neighborhood, quite far from the previous ones. In the past centuries, the neighborhood had two parts separated by a Catholic church. One was inhabited by Jews of the Western Rite who gathered around the Vieille-Nouvelle synagogue. The Jews of the Eastern Rite lived around the Spanish Synagogue. However, it was the Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition and settled in Prague who gave the synagogue its name in the early 16th century. There was already a synagogue on this site in the 12th century, called Stará Škola (Old School). It was damaged and burned down several times, but in 1836 it was rebuilt and an organ was installed. The first person to play this instrument was Vladimír Škroup, composer of the song Kde Domov Můj, the anthem of the Czech Republic. Today, after more than twenty years of restoration, it is a majestic building in neo-Moorish style, whose interior is decorated with golden oriental stucco, the imitation of the Spanish interiors of the Alhambra in Granada. The synagogue also houses the fascinating exhibition dedicated to the history of Bohemian Jews, which has benefited from the renovation work to become even more interactive. It traces the life of the Jewish community from the creation of the district by Joseph II until after the Second World War. Exciting and terrible pages of history!