ČESKÝ KRUMLOV

Interesting facts about Český Krumlov: 

Český Krumlov State Castle and Château

Český Krumlov State Castle and Château, the second largest castle and château complex in the Czech Republic, is one of the most important monuments in Central Europe and forms one of the city's main landmarks.

• in 1989, the château complex was declared a National Cultural Monument
• in 1992, the entire historic complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List
• the castle complex is one of the largest in Central Europe
• it comprises forty buildings and palace structures centred around five castle courtyards and seven hectares of castle gardens
• the castle tower, with 162 steps, rises to a height of 86 m above the level of the Vltava River
• in the castle moat, bears have been bred since 1707; currently you can see two female bears named Maria Theresa and Masha and a male called Arn

Five-Petalled Rose Festival

The time of the summer solstice is a great celebration of the Renaissance in Český Krumlov. You can return to the reigning time of the Lords of Rožmberk and enjoy the atmosphere of the celebrating town during the Five-Petalled Rose Festival.

On the weekend closest to the summer solstice the traditional historical festivities, one of the biggest festivals of its kind in Europe, take over the Old Town of Český Krumlov. The town returns to the Renaissance, its most glorious era, and recalls the glory of the five-petalled rose. Period music is heard everywhere, there are historical sword fights, performances by jugglers, jokers and fakirs, a variety of theatre and dance performances, children and adults can play period games, and market traders offer their wares. Visitors can also see jousting shows and horse-work demonstrations.

The atmosphere of the time is perfectly evoked by the spectacular parades from the Gothic and Renaissance periods. Several hundred costumed characters provide an unforgettable experience: nobles, townspeople, musicians, jugglers, knights on horseback, craftsmen and other characters associated with the town. The night fire parades with their magical fire formations and light magic are expecially impressive.

Castle Baroque Theatre

The Castle Baroque Theatre is one of the world’s most important theatre monuments. It includes the original theatre building, orchestra pit, stage, and machinery, as well as sets of preserved theatre costumes and costume accessories, decorations, props, and lighting equipment.

The Baroque Theatre at Český Krumlov Castle represents one of the oldest preserved castle-type theatres in Central Europe and one of the most comprehensively preserved Baroque theatres in the world.

Monastery Museum

The Monastery Museum is set in the former convent of the Minorites and features a permanent exhibition on life and art in the monasteries of Český Krumlov.

The modern museum exhibition consists of

• authentic interiors of the Church of Corpus Christi and Our Lady of Sorrows with original altars, religious paintings and frescoes. The church is still used for religious purposes, where Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic masses are celebrated and concerts and other cultural events are held.
• The Gothic cloisters with a rarely preserved cycle of lunette paintings dealing with the birth, life and death of St. Francis. Of the original 25 lunettes, 18 have been saved and restored.
• the medieval St Wolfgang's Chapel with its extensive wall paintings - the gothic frescoes progressing from the lower part through the baroque draperies to the Art Nouveau painted ceiling were miraculously uncovered under mould, fungus and a lot of plaster
• the 17th-century chapel of Our Lady of Einsiedeln with its black Madonna, which was built in the Garden of Eden of the Ambyte

New to the exhibition are

• three late Gothic statues, which are returning to the site after more than seventy years
• a Baroque picture room with a collection of twelve oil paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries
• a gothic cellar with tombstones

Saint Vitus Church

The Saint Vitus Church in Český Krumlov is a significant sight of the late Gothic from 1407-1439 with later modifications. In 1995, the Church was declared part of the National Cultural Heritage.

The Church of St. Vitus is a Gothic three naval construction from the period of 1407-1439. It was built on the foundations of an older building from the year 1309. The Gothic entrance portal was erected in 1410. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Church continued to be extended and modified.

The Church is formed by three parallel arcades merged with a five-sided elongated presbyterium; there are rectangular multistoried sacristies on both sides with the Chapels of Resurrection and the St. John of Nepomuk Chapel, and the antechamber situated on the northern side. The occidental façade of the church incorporates a tower with quadrangular Roman window openings on the landing level changing to eight-sided openings higher up. The uppermost part of the spire is pseudogothic in style, dating to 1893-1894.

Český Krumlov Synagogue

The 1909 Synagogue is the pearl of the Art Nouveau architecture of Český Krumlov with some Neo-Romanesque features. At the moment, it is used as a meeting place, and a multifunctional cultural, artistic and social space.

The Synagogue in Český Krumlov with an octagonal tower and abstemious use of Neo-Romanesque features was built in 1909 by the local Jewish community. It had only been fulfilling its purpose for 30 years when it came under the occupation of the Sudetenland in 1938. After World War II, it briefly served as a house of prayer for soldiers of the U.S. Army, later on, it was used by the Evangelic Churches and eventually, it became a storage place. In the post-war period, the site became the property of the town of Český Krumlov which returned it to the hands of the Jewish community after 1990.