Gilly Pickup pays a visit to the charming Czech Republic
Gilly Pickup visits this land of thick forests and rolling hills, sprinkled with fairy-tale castles and picturesque towns.
ONCE upon a time it was known as the kingdoms of Moravia and
Bohemia.
Nowadays, although it has morphed into the rather more prosaic Czech Republic, the region’s acres of fairy-tale castles still enthral.
I visited one of these palatial piles in the town of Žd’ár nad Sázavou – rather a mouthful, I do admit.
This castle started life as a monastery, but over the course of 200 years it was transformed into a chateau that houses a museum, some wonderful art collections, a school and, perhaps rather oddly, the local fire brigade.
The courtyard and historic halls are popular venues for various types of events, including artistic performances, and I saw a fabulous display of Baroque dancing there.
This estate belongs to the Kinskýs, one of Bohemia’s oldest aristocratic families, and Count Kinský, clad in
Barbour jacket and wellies, showed me around.
He explained that, due to the family’s anti-Nazi stance during World War II, the Germans imposed receivership on the estate.
It wasn’t until 1992 that a new chapter began for the family when the Kinskýs regained possession of their lands.
However, the main claim to fame here is not the Kinský castle and estate, but rather the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk, one of Europe’s most distinctive Baroque buildings, and one of famed architect Santini’s most admired works.
It was built in the shape of a five-pointed star, and the symbolism of the number five is visible throughout the building – it has five altars, five corridors, five stars and five angels on the main altar, while the church itself is surrounded by cloisters with five chapels and gateways.
Even the tiles on the floor are pentagonal!
Perhaps it is not so surprising that the church is popular with seekers of the esoteric, and I was told that some people have come here in search of the Holy Grail, while others bring along divining rods to try to find out what lies beneath.
In a detour from visiting castles and churches, I went to a National Stud Farm in Kladruby nad Labem which was established in the 16th century and is also a UNESCO site.
I enjoyed touring the stables and fussing over the Kladruber horses, one of the world’s rarest breeds, chosen by emperors and kings, and one of which was offered as a wedding gift to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
A visit to the coach museum preceded being whisked through the countryside in a shiny black carriage pulled by two of the beautiful horses.
I could have stayed with these noble animals all day, but time was of the essence and it was off to visit another UNESCO site, the town of Telc – pronounced “Telch” – which lies “where the bread ends and the rocks begin”, according to a local saying.
In reality it is 30 km from the Austrian border and halfway between Prague and Vienna.
It is a delightful place, with tinkling fountains and lavish statues and sculptures, hemmed by pastel-coloured mediaeval burgher houses.
Its pièce de résistance is the glorious Renaissance chateau, with gilded silver furniture and beautiful wood-panelled ceilings. It houses a fine display of historical weapons and collections of art.
As far as food goes, the Czechs are generous hosts, and if you visit you should
My agenda included a visit to the mediaeval city of Kutná Hora, yet another of the region’s many UNESCO sites.
It became the seat of Wenceslas
II’s royal mint in the early 1300s, producing silver groschen.
After a short demo of mediaeval coin minting, it was off to the Church Of Bones in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora.
This macabre place is chock full of human remains – the bones of around 40,000 people – crafted into chandeliers, candle holders and various other decorations dangling from the walls and ceiling.
A display case of skulls with wounds inflicted by various mediaeval weapons stands in one corner. It is almost a relief to get outside into the sunshine again!
Not too far away, the town’s tiny chocolate museum offers a sweet respite from the bones.
They offer tastings of every kind of chocolate imaginable – it’s a chocoholic’s dream come true.
There’s ginger chocolate, chilli chocolate, green tea chocolate, mushroom, cheese, chai, almond, peanut and caramel chocolate.
Well, isn’t cacao supposed to be good for you?
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