Český Krumlov

In the autumn, Jana and Rudolf accompanied my mother and I to Český Krumlov, one of the most beautiful towns in the Czech Republic. This town was actually one of the very first protected UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage sites in this country, mainly due to it's original medieval architecture that sustained the test of time. If you'd like to learn more about UNESCO, you can click here. Basically, a lot of money goes into preserving the historical centre and keeping its history alive for future generations.

Český Krumlov

Me and Mom

Rudolf & Jana

Jana, Me, & Mom

After the first of November, most of the castles and major tourist attractions close for the winter (until March 31st). However, Český Krumlov has a museum that is opened all year round. Below are some of the castle's furnishings from the 17th-19th centuries.

Dining Room Table

There was many varieties of porcelain dining-ware, tea sets, and vases in all different colors and patterns. It was obvious that the Silk Trade (trade between Europe and Asia) made these luxuries easily accessible to aristocratic families. For those of you who do not know, porcelain originated in China (as well as paper and gunpowder)!

Porcelain Vases

Porcelain Tea Set

I was intrigued by this early form of a wheelchair. It may not look that comfortable, but at least the injured and disabled could get around more easily, well that is, once they were already inside the castle, and if they could stay on the ground floor. There were no such things as handicap-accessible features in castles (or any type of buildings or homes) back in the day, such as ramps or elevators. Actually, come to think of it, many places in the Czech Republic are still not handicap-accessible today. I have seen older people on crutches have to ask for help from young men to get on and off the escalators for the subways in Prague. It's honestly quite disturbing considering there are so many rules and regulations regarding this topic in America. The elderly, injured, and disabled are truly dependent on others here, but at the same time, people always seem delighted to help. It's not seen as an inconvenience to them as it often is in New York.

Wheelchair

This next picture is just down-right comical. Aristocratic families even wanted their relieving stations to seem luxurious. They could not just sit on a normal toilet seat, but had to have them disguised as furniture when guests were around. G-d forbid anyone thought they actually used the toilet!

Toilets

Wash Basin

On top of the bed in the picture below, you will see a coal heater. Many families used to take coal from the fires and put it in this pan, then put the pan underneath the mattress to keep the bed warm. One could also call it a bed-warmer. However, many times, the mattresses were made from hay or straw and they actually caught on fire. So although it seemed like a good idea, it was often quite dangerous.

Bed with Coal Heater

Tea Time

Below is the actual body remains of St. Reparat, which were excavated from the catacombs (underground cemetery) in the late 1700s. It's basically a shrine, where Christians could pay respect to early Christian martyrs, or people who died for their religious beliefs. If you would like to learn more about the Castle Museum and its artifacts, you can click here.

After the museum, we climbed the stairs of the tower. 

Midway through, there was a gate that enclosed the tower prison.

If you look closely, it seems at least one person never made it out of the prison alive! 

The tower had four large, magnificent bells as well. 

Of course, there were gorgeous views once we climbed to the top (roughly six stories).

Český Krumlov

Castle Courtyard

The first aristocratic family to live in Český Krumlov was the Rosenbergs (in 1302). Since their coat of arms had grizzly bears on it, they decided to keep bears in the moat of the castle. Beer-keeping has existed at the castle since the 16th century. Though we only saw one bear, there are apparently four currently living here.

Bears

Jana, Me, & Mom

The Rosenbergs sold the castle to the Eggenbergs during the 17th century. After dying without an heir, the castle was, surprise, surprise, given to the Schwarzenberg family, relatives of the Eggenbergs. It was during the 19th century, under the Schwarzenbergs, that the castle and town reached its greatest height culturally, socially, and politically. The castle remained in this family's possession until 1947 (just like Hluboka).

After climbing back down the tower, we decided to roam the castle's gardens. We were greeted by a gorgeous stairway with statues of humans and angels as well as a large, elaborate water fountain. 

Although it was autumn, many of the trees already started to die and become bare. 

Nevertheless, it was still a magical sight.

Something that is truly unique at Český Krumlov is its rotating Baroque theater, or rather, I should say its rotating auditorium (seats for the audience). Due to the rotating auditorium, the actors not only use the stage for their performance, but can continue acting, especially fight scenes, on the lawn and behind trees, too. I'm really determined to see a performance here this summer, as the theater is outside. I hear it is quite the experience! 

Stage Backdrop

Rotating Auditorium

 Lastly, we went to the man-made pond and took some photos.

Mom

I was actually able to fit inside this tree!

Me

Jana

Overall, it was a beautiful day for touring and sight-seeing. I would list Český Krumlov as one of the top places to visit in the Czech Republic, for anyone thinking of coming one day!