Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Czech Republic

Head down to Berounka, the river that flows at the foot of the castle to take a dip with the locals. After all, the castle is located in the heart of the Český Kras nature reserve known for its caves, paths and swimming spots. You can also reach the artificial Amerika lakes (Malá Amerika, Velká Amerika) by following the yellow marked path at the entrance of the castle. Even in summer, these former sand quarries are empty. Enchanting landscape.

On the hill of Petřín, near the famous eponymous tower, is the Mirror Maze. In the maze, for a few moments, you will be fat, skinny, big monster or very small. Ideal for the little ones, a little less impressive for the adults! Inside, a slide show depicts the battle of the Prague students against the Swedes on the Charles Bridge in 1648, more interesting for students of modern history.

You can visit the superb brewery where Staropramen is produced and of course taste a few pints. The interactive visit allows you to follow the entire production process in extraordinary dimensions. The scenography has been recently redesigned, enriched and modernized. In addition to the old installations of the brewery, the visit now includes a large part documented by giant screens. The tour ends at the bar, with a tasting.

The Christmas crib is a tradition firmly established in the Czech Republic. The village of Karlštejn has 50 so-called "royal" nurseries, including the largest lively puppet nursery in the country. This 80 m² crib, called the King's Crib, is composed of scenes of local and national folklore. The setting is the city's castle and the music is by Smetana. A curiosity, the characters around little Jesus are not the ones we are used to seeing... We let you discover!

More than a visit, the Michal mine offers a fascinating exploration of the region's industrial destiny. Coal mining in Ostrava began in 1850 and the Michal mine soon became one of the most modern in Europe, and the first to be electrified in the early 1910s. Nationalized in 1945, it participated in the industrial development of the region and the USSR, employing 2,500 miners. In 1960, the network of mines under the Michal mine was connected to other mines but profitability was declining. On May 30, 1993, the last coal car left the mine and most of the shafts were filled in. The site nevertheless reopened in 2000, after many years of transformation, to offer visitors an extraordinary experience. Following the daily life of a miner on his way to work, the visit begins with the administrative offices, the suspended changing rooms, the shower rooms... Furniture and equipment of the period have been arranged to evoke their world as well as that of the geologists. The surface visit ends with the control room, evocative of a Star Trek episode from the late 1960s! In the outer buildings, we discover the enormous machine rooms, those that were used to send electricity into the mine shafts, to ventilate them, to make the first drillings... Their state of conservation is excellent and will allow enthusiasts to plunge into a little-known page of technology east of the Iron Curtain.

One comes there for the beautiful formations of stalactites and stalagmites visible in two large underground rooms. You can stop in front of the flamboyant "witch", illuminated in red, and the bamboo grove, formed by a network of interlaced stalactites. Guided tours allow you not to miss anything of this amazing show where the lighting and the shape of the concretions give life to fantastic shadows and silhouettes. Concerts in summer.