Cesky Krumlov is a small town located in the Czech Republic, it is known in the world for its many monuments of the Middle Ages. We offer to learn about the most interesting cultural and historical attractions of Krumlov in the Czech Republic.
Top 8 Sights of Krumlov
This town is located in southern Bohemia and has a population of just over 12,000 people. But for many fans of the Gothic and Renaissance, the city is a Mecca. Thanks to its magnificent architecture, its historic center is included in the famous UNESCO list.
Krumlov was first mentioned in chronicles in the middle of the 13th century, and today it ranks among the most beautiful small towns in Europe. Like Prague, it stands on the banks of the Vltava River, which adds even more beauty and elegance to the city.
Historic Center
This is the main part of the city for which hundreds of thousands of tourists come here every year. It consists of many medieval houses with red roofs and narrow streets, creating the feeling of a magical fairy tale, in which you got.
Czech medieval towns were often used by Soviet filmmakers to film various European fairy tales, and this remained in our subconscious. Even after restoration, many lodges have retained their original authenticity.
The main street of the historic center of Krumlov called Latran, it runs through the entire area, and is itself a masterpiece of medieval architecture.
Legend has it that Latran is a band of robbers who were destroyed by the owner of the castle.
Krumlov Castle
This is the most popular sight of Krumlov, the castle was built in the 13th century in the Gothic style, and later rebuilt several times, so its architecture appeared in the Renaissance and Baroque features.
Enter the castle through the Red Gate, and inside you can first see many outbuildings and the tall Castle Tower. Then you have to walk across the bridge over the Bear Moat, where even today bears live.
Passing through the moat, you will get to the Lower Castle to the large observation deck. In order to see everything, it is necessary to walk only five courtyards, dividing the castle into residential and entertainment parts. There you will see architectural masterpieces of several centuries.
Baroque theater in a castle
This theater was one of the first in Europe to be built in the 17th century and is a monument of the Baroque period. Over the centuries, the theater has completely preserved the scaffolding and machine room with the mechanisms that moved the scenery. And the acting costumes are fine.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, this theater was completely restored, is in excellent condition, and today it is organized as a museum. He has received many European prizes for the state’s commitment to Czech history and culture.
Castle Park
The entire park is divided into three parts: a summer garden with lime alleys, a large fountain, from which cascades pour water, and a regular park. From the fountain the landscape terraces down to the lake, on the shore of which stands the Summer Palace.
The most interesting thing in the park is the pavilion with the revolving auditorium around the stage. And the entire park acts as a theater scene here. This theater used to stage fairy tales, plays and ballets for the castle owners and their guests.
Central Square
In the medieval part of Krumlov there is a square, which today is called the Square of Concord. In the center of it stands the Plague Pillar, testifying that the city survived the plague epidemic. This is how people thanked God for deliverance from illness.
The plague pillar was erected in the 18th century and is surrounded by statues of the Virgin Mary, the town’s patron saints and protectors from the plague. In the mid-19th century, a fountain was added to the Plague Pillar, replacing an older Renaissance fountain.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. Vita
It is the second most important landmark of Krumlov after the castle. The church was built in the 14th century and has been reconstructed several times over the centuries. As a result of restoration in the 19th century, today it has a Gothic appearance.
This church has three naves, a Baroque altar, and two organs. One baroque organ above the entrance to the church was created in the early 18th century, a second neo-Gothic organ came into being in the early 20th century, and a third in the mid-17th century.
City Hall
This building stands on the Place de la Concorde and was built at the beginning of the 15th century. Two centuries later, the facade of the Town Hall was rebuilt by merging the two old buildings. This is how the new Renaissance façade appeared.
At the beginning of our century during the restoration work in one of the rooms of the town hall were discovered fragments of wall paintings, dating back to the early 15th century. It depicts the famous scene from the New Testament, the Adoration of the Magi.
Minorite Monastery
This monastery and the church attached to it were founded in the middle of the 14th century on the orders of the ruler of Krumlov, who patronized the Minorites. The Minorites or Franciscans were a Catholic order that preached a life of poverty and asceticism.
The monastery operated until the middle of the 20th century, after which its buildings were occupied by officials of Soviet Czechoslovakia, then housed various institutions, warehouses, etc. At the end of the last century the monastery was bought by the Red Cross.
The monastery church was rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century in Baroque style, and today its interior is a world-class Baroque monument. This refers to the altars of the church, the pulpit with a rostrum, and other church paraphernalia.
Video overview of the sights of Krumlov
Cesky Krumlov sights on the map
