Cesky Krumlov- Day 1

The little town of Cesky Krumlov (CHESS-key KROOM-loff), means roughly “Czech bend in the river”. It’s so picturesque. It’s surrounded by mountains, lassoed by a river (Vltava) and dominated by it’s castle. It’s Old Town is filled with cobblestone streets, quaint shops and lots of restaurants.

It also has an interesting history. Celtic tribes settled here a century before Christ. Then came Germanic tribes. The Slavic tribes arrived in the 9th century. The Rozmberks (Rosenbergs) – Bohemia’s top noble family – ran the city from 1302 to 1602. In 1602, the Rozmberks ran out of money so they sold their territory to the Habsburgs (our old friends from Vienna!) who ushered in a more Germanic period. After that almost 75% of the towns people were German… until 1945 when most Germans were expelled (long story!).

I got here pretty late in the day so I just had time to walk thru the town and take some pics. I love the B&B I’m staying at. It’s just right outside the gate to the Old Town and it has a cool room to hang out in with a pool table.

Of course the castle is in lots of pictures since it rises above everything. But of course I got a pic of the church in too!

Their main square also has some interesting things that happened there over the years. In 1938, Hitler stood here before a backdrop of long Nazi banners to celebrate the annexation of this area into his fold. And in 1968, Russian tanks rolled into this square to intimidate locals who were demanding freedom. Today, thankfully this square is part of an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity for the Czech people.

Walked up to the castle and saw where the old moat was and they actually have live bears living down in there. The bear pits hold a family of European brown bears, as they have since the Rozmberks added bears to their coat of arms in the 16th century. I didn’t see any bears but took a pic of the hilarious sign about feeding them!

Well that’s all for today. TGIF to all!

Jeff