History and Culture of the Czech Republic 9723

We depart this morning from London for our flight to Prague. On arrival we are met by our local coach before departing on an introductory tour of the city of Prague. We continue to the National Museum, a vast treasure trove of historical artefacts said to hold up to 14 million items before heading to our hotel where dinner is served in the evening.
 
 

After breakfast, our first visit is to Strahov Monastery, an institution that has taken much pride in outlasting fires, the Hussite wars of religion, the Thirty Years’ War and the rise of Communism. We later visit Prague Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, remembered as the location of the second Defenestration of Prague, where the Protestant lords threw their Catholic adversaries out of the window, thus contributing to the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War that engulfed most of Europe (c. 1618 – c. 1648). We then continue to St. Vitus Cathedral. A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Cathedral also houses the tombs of many Bohemian Kings and the Holy Roman Emperors, Charles IV and Rudolf II. Our final visit of the day is to Wallenstein Palace and Garden, the monumental palace of Albrecht of Wallenstein, General of the Habsburg armies, which was built in the 1630s as a rival to Prague Castle.
 

Following breakfast, we will visit Karlstejn Castle. Built to store the royal treasures of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the mid-1300s, this exceptionally vivid castle sits atop a craggy valley and dominates the skyline. In the afternoon, we travel to the town of Plzeň to enjoy some free time. Evening at leisure.

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and depart for Kutna Hora, a UNESCO-listed city. Known as the ‘national treasury’ for its wealth of silver mines, this prosperous city brought about a boom time for the Czech Kingdom until the silver dried up in the 18th century. The riches of the silver city can still be found in the sumptuous architecture of the urban dwellings as well the Church of St Barbara, a jewel of the late Gothic period. We then transfer to the World Heritage Site Sedlec Ossuary, a fascinating Roman Catholic chapel for those with a taste for the macabre. The skeletons of between 40,000 to 70,000 people have been artistically arranged into furnishings, decorations and ornaments at the behest of the House of Schwarzenburg. Their family’s coat of arms is bedecked with bones while the gigantic chandelier contains at least every bone of the human body and hangs from the centre of the nave with garlands of skulls draping the vault.
In the afternoon we continue to Brno, where we will have free time to explore Moravia’s cosmopolitan capital and the hometown of the great Czech composer, Leoš Janáček. In the evening we check in to our comfortable accommodation.

After breakfast, we will spend the morning touring the Moravia Karst, a Protected Area of natural and geological importance with more 1,100 caverns and gorges. Here we visit Punkevni Cave and walk through mighty underground spaces and passages decorated with stalactites and stalagmites. This will be followed by a boat ride along the underground river Punkva and includes the visit of the Masaryk´s Dome, one of the most beautiful caves of the Moravian Karst
In the afternoon, we visit the Moravian Museum, the Czech Republic’s oldest museum. Founded in 1817 by imperial decree by František I in 1817, the museum is a haven for anthropologists, archaeologists, zoologists, botanists and musicologists with over six million items on display. Highlights include permanent exhibitions on the pre-history of Moravia, displays on the social changes in Medieval Moravia and a memorial to Leoš Janáče.

Following breakfast we travel to the beautiful town of Kromeriz, site of the UNESCO-listed Kromeřiž flower garden with its stunning intricate and formal Baroque style flower beds. We will have some time to explore thel labrynth of green walls, flora and fauna, fountains and sculptures.
We continue to Olomouc, to view the Holy Trinity Column which UNESCO regard as ‘one of the most exceptional examples of the apogee of central European Baroque artistic expression.’ The column was commissioned as a thanksgiving to God after the end of the plague that had swept through Moravia with devastating consequences.

After breakfast we check out of the hotel and depart for a visit to Pernstejn Castle. One of the most beautiful castles of Moravia, it has been standing in the deep forests of the
Moravian-Bohemian Highlands for eight centuries. Perched on a rocky hill and known as the ‘marble castle’, its towers and ramparts loom over the surrounding lush countryside. As with other imposing castles in the Czech Republic, this one changed ownership multiple times in its turbulent history. Modified significantly in the 16th century, the castle is frequently used as a location for filming fairytales and movies set in the medieval period. Unlike other castles and palaces, it was not extensively remodelled or updated and still holds many of its original elements.
We continue to the hotel in Litomysl, where dinner is served in the evening.

Following breakfast, we check out of the hotel and visit the UNESCO-listed Renaissance Château in Litomysl. The seat of the Perstejn dynasty, this is an immaculately preserved example of the arcade castle design developed in Renaissance Italy. It was built in the
1560s-1580s by Vratislav of Perstejn as a gift for his beloved wife, Maria Manrique de Lara. An intriguing feature of the château is the use of sgraffito on hundreds and hundreds of square metres of individual bricks in order to intricately decorate the exterior with various representations of myths and fables.
We then depart for the town of Hradec Kralove where we will stop for lunch (not included). Renowned as the ‘Salon of the Republic’, the town is permanently remembered as a centre of modern architecture during the 1920s and 1930s.
This afternoon we will continue to the spa town of Poděbrady, which sits on the banks of the River Elbe. We will visit Poděbrady Castle, founded in the first half of the 12th century as a strategic fortress on a limestone rock overlooking the river. Later we return to Prague and check in to our hotel.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight back to London.