Český Krumlov

Prague has been unseasonably warm recently. Friday and Saturday brought flawless sunshine and the chirping of birds who’d already written the year off. We decided to rent a car and head into southern Bohemia to the wee town of Český Krumlov. The iPod kept us in high spirits even as the sun set prior to our arrival. Despite pulling in in complete darkness, the charm of the town was emanating from all corners. However, it was freezing.

Český Krumlov is a fairytale town nestled in a valley between mountains and clinging to rocky bluffs, built around an exaggerated ‘s’ shaped section of the same river that flows through Prague, the Vltava. It’s complete with castle, church, monastery, square, and brewery. Because it is so close to Austria and Germany, many places have signs in German and tourists from the neighboring countries spill in at a heavy rate. Due to the time of year, there were very few tourists. This is a place that in the summer is mobbed with tourists, so I felt lucky to see it now.

Now, our lodging for the evening was a bastion from the original town wall, situated directly across (20 ft) from the brewery. It has been converted into a 4-room pension. The woman who owns/runs the place is charming, magnetic really. She welcomed us, gave us the key, asked what time we wanted breakfast (we took it at 8:30am) and then left with a smile that seemed too big for the little town.

Incidentally, the Eggenberg brewery has been pouring beer since 1560 and the space it occupies on the edge of town is vast. Barrels and barrels of beer sit waiting to be consumed on premises at the massive beer hall or shuttled across town to several restaurants that proudly serve one of the various brews. We drank both the Černy (black) and Světlý (lager). Both are quite nice!

We were staying on the edge of the Old Town, and as you walked toward the city you passed the brewery and the monastery. The monastery was in utter disrepair and evoked thoughts of long gone times when monks roamed this massive complex drinking Eggenberg beer. The brick in the walls was brittle and crumbling, but refused to give out completely. As we walked around this cold, dark, littered area we were by far the only people around. I suppose it should have been eerie, but it was comforting somehow.

We curled through the cobblestone streets and into the main road opposite the castle. Next to the castle is a massive round tower painted with ornate images and myriad different colors. Rising above the town as a substantial reminder of the power of the lords of Rozmberk who owned much of the land in southern Bohemia. In high season the tower is open for superior views of the town.

With that option closed, we walked through the castle for commanding views nonetheless. The castle is literally carved from the rocky bluff it’s perched upon. It sits well above the town. From it, all the bridges are visible as well as the twisting Vltava river as it winds abruptly through town. This morning was pretty special as the bone-chilling weather was obvious with clouds of smoke escaping from every other building’s chimney and into the crisp morning air making a blanket over the town until a strong wind swept through and carried it all away.

As we exited the castle to the west, still climbing higher above the town, the view expanded and we could then see the castle as well as the tower, town, church and surrounding countryside. This walkway lead to a beautiful deserted and secluded garden with tree-lined trails stretching for days and days. The handful of trees within the garden were massive and their leafless limbs extended out for miles making them look quite imposing in the noon day sun as their shadows crept towards me in silence while I walked past.
Then we sauntered down a steep quiet lane and across the bridge into the Old Town at the stroke of noon. The town came alive instantly as a small stand with Punč, Grog, and Svařené Víno sat waiting for intrepid weekenders to spice up the day. We skipped it, the night before was enough with Eggenberg and Becherovka.

We walked toward the square in search of pizza. After a young guy in the bookshop pointed us in the right direction we accomplished our goal. Then walked south of the square into the church of St. Vitus, which is also the name of the awe-inspiring church within the castle complex in Prague. This church was not a close second to its cousin! But, the park 50m away opposite the Radnice (City Hall) did give the castle quite a run for its money in the spectacular view department!
In fact, the sagging rooftops of the old houses on the main drag along the river made for a spell-binding glimpse into the history of this town. The houses were all painted brilliantly and some had ivy crawling up the front. Crossing the bridge back into the other side of town we had a classic view of real life as the old houses were all displaying drying clothes and scattered plants on their river-front porches.
Then, ducking down an alleyway towards a very strange art gallery we popped out onto the riverfront itself. The St. Vitus cathedral sat calmly looking over the town to the south as the castle guarded the north. The alley lead to another alley, which crept along the old town walls and into a derelict deserted desolate dead end.

However, the alley held a special power over me. One side of the wall was the monastery and the other was the river. At the start of this alley was a discarded, dilapidated, deserted, decaying domicile left to the mercy of time. Time had been an unkind ally to this place as it stood shakily in this forgotten corner of Cesky Krumlov. The number 9 sat weary and worn out above the door while the stairwell leaned and bent from exhaustion and sadness at the town’s disassociation with it and its surroundings.
A forbidding gate stood at the end of the alley with two sturdy iron rods hanging from it, which were used at some point to pull the gate open. A big building in the corner sat in quiet solitude and crumbled slowly away. Though, the place was austere, it had an air of dignity of days of yore.

Contented that we had seen as much as we could in the off-season, we headed back to our end of town and the beautiful bastion that kept us warm the night before, got into the car, plugged in the iPod and hit the road.

I recommend this town to anyone who might find themselves in the Czech Republic!

Hee-hee!