Guest Post: Three great day trips from Prague
Written by Karen Bryan
Mark of Travel Wonders of the World describes three great escapes from Prague in his guest post.
Prague is a favourite city rich in glorious well-preserved buildings, historic squares, moving Jewish quarter and superb, economical beer. To escape the crowds a little, there are a number of excellent day trips from the Czech capital.
Kutna Hora has two striking and very different churches. The ornate Gothic cathedral drips with frescoes reminding worshippers of the rich history in silver mining. The nearby castle (Hrádek) contains a museum on mining history and is the entrance (after dressing in miner’s hard-hat and coat) to a dark and claustrophobic journey into the ancient silver mine. The second church is a kilometre out of town and is decorated with the bones of over 40,000 people, including a chalice, cross and massive chandelier
Kutna Hora church chandelier
Konopiště Castle, built in the 14th century, was the home of Archduke Franz Ferdinand whose murder by a Bosnian Serb began World War 1. The furnishing is all from the Archduke’s time and includes the best of the time including an elevator, flushing toilet and running water. Being a passionate hunter, the Archduke covered the walls in numerous hunting trophies and included a room built as a shooting gallery (with moving targets) for practice. The castle includes an extensive collection of medieval arms.
Konopiště Castle
Český Krumlov is sandwiched in a bend in the Vltava River, overseen by a domineering castle and a network of cobblestone streets threaded through the medieval Old Town. While the town includes an enchanting main square, beautiful old cathedral and an old wooden bridge which connects the old town to the castle, the highlight of any visit is a chance to paddle a canoe peacefully downstream over two to three hours to a thirteenth century abbey.
Being a small country with reasonable transport, there are many highlights within a couple of hours of the Czech capital which make wonderful day trips. Castles, breweries, limestone caves, lush forests and small historic towns abound in this cultural gem of Central Europe.
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