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Czech Republic Beyond Prague

Rick Steves' Europe: Episode # 507

Few travelers venture beyond Prague to experience the Czech Republic's many cultural riches and offbeat delights. We'll get you started with a whirlwind of Art Nouveau, local pub music, stinky cheese-tasting, river-rafting, and peat-bathing in places like Olomouc, Moravsky Krumlov, Trebon, and Konopiste. We'll also tour a remarkable memorial to the Holocaust in Terezen, and the charming castle town of Cesky Krumlov.

Travel Details

Konopište Castle

Touring the castle gives you a good sense of who Archduke Franz Ferdinand was, as well as a glimpse at one of the best medieval arms collections in the world (and lots of hunting trophies). Entrance to the castle is by one-hour guided tour only. Choose from three different routes: Route I (includes public and guest rooms, hunting hall, and shooting range), Route II (includes the oldest part of the castle, armory, elevator, and chapel), and Route III (includes private top-floor rooms of Franz Ferdinand and his family). While Route II gives you the most comprehensive look into the castle, its history, and celebrated collections, Route III — reopened after the rooms were meticulously restored to match 1907 photographs — launches you right into a turn-of-the-century time capsule (tel. 317-721-366).

Terezín Concentration Camp

Terezín is an unforgettable day trip from Prague for those interested in touring a concentration camp memorial and museum. Allow three to six hours to see the entire camp. With more time, stop in the nearby, attractive town of Litomerice for lunch before returning to Prague. Most sights, including the Museum of the Ghetto, Magdeburg Barracks, and Hidden Synagogue, are open daily. The Columbarium and Crematorium are closed Saturdays (tel. 416-782-225, mobile 606-632-914).

The Slavic Epic

Consider contemplating Mucha's canvases on three levels. First, with the help of the handout that you'll get at the ticket office, decipher the history. The great feast is the celebration of the Slavic pagan god, the zealous preacher is Jan Hus (the revolutionary Czech priest), and the subdued old man contemplating the dark horizon is the first Czech exile and great educator, John Amos Comenius. Red is the color of war; white is the color of peace; blue is the past; and orange is the future.

When you get tired of being told what's what, step back and figure out Mucha's intention. His technique will help you. The grand-scale background — which shows the historic events — is executed in egg-based tempera. Against that low-resolution, foggy base, clear details come into focus: the terrified couple, the mother with the child, the bearded sage with the young man, the face of the lady-in-waiting. These figures are painted in oil, and the lucid detail tells the experience of a single, often-anonymous individual. The people within Slav Epic suggest that Mucha's artwork is not about monumental depiction of a particular event, but about the fate of the individual against the backdrop of history. The entire weight of events is condensed into the expressions shown on their faces. In the scene showing a print shop, the young man in the foreground is Mucha's own self-portrait.

Finally, step even farther back and contemplate the painting as a work of an Impressionist or an abstract artist. The fusion of colors stands far beyond any particular meaning. Like the tones of a 19th-century symphony, Mucha's visual concert has the power to stir the deepest emotions.

While Mucha's masterpiece, Slav Epic, will almost certainly be in Moravský Krumlov until the summer of 2010, its location beyond this date is less certain. Mucha dedicated this series of paintings to the capital city Prague, but before it can claim the work, the city must provide a suitable structure for displaying it. Recent threats by Mucha's heirs to take the city to court for its incapacity (or unwillingness) to meet these terms has "inspired" the otherwise apathetic city officials to pick up their search. Until Slav Epic's fate is decided, Moravský Krumlov will renew its lease on the painting every three months. Before venturing to the town to see it, call 515-300-720 or 515-322-789 to ask if it's still being displayed there.

Castle View Apartments

Šatlavská 140
Ceský Krumlov
tel. 380-727-015
mobile 731-108-677
info@castleview.cz

Krumlov Castle

The immense castle is a series of courtyards with shops, contemporary art galleries, and tourist services. The interior gives you a glimpse of the places where the Rozmberks, Eggenbergs, and Schwarzenbergs dined, studied, worked, prayed, entertained, and slept. (By European standards, the castle's not much, and the tours move slowly.) To see the interior, you must take a 60-minute escorted tour: Tour I (Gothic and Renaissance rooms, of the most general interest) or Tour II (19th-century castle life). English tours are preferable, but cost more, run less frequently, and are often booked solid. Make your reservation when you arrive in town — just walk up to the castle office — or you can call 380-704-721.

Updated for 2010.