Visiting a fairy tale town: Cesky Krumlov

After learning about the legends of Brno, we headed to another town called Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. There was a lot of hype surrounding this town, and by the end of our visit, we felt it was well deserved.

Cesky Krumlov is a picturesque town that evokes the charm of medieval times. Built around the Vltava River, the town is encircled by the river as it meanders like a snake. Atop a hill stands the impressive Cesky Krumlov Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized for its remarkable preservation. The town retains its medieval street layout, and most of the old town and castle architecture dates from the 13th to 17th centuries. We were quite lucky to book an Airbnb that was close to the bus stand. It would have been difficult to drag our luggage over the cobblestone pavements of the town in drizzling rain.

Surprise Souvenir

In our Airbnb, we found a storybook about two children exploring Cesky Krumlov. We started reading the book, as it was raining outside and we couldn’t step out. We learned about many secret spots from the book. In fact, while reading, we imagined ourselves to be the children in the story, exploring this beautiful town. It was a wonderful way to be introduced to Cesky Krumlov.

We enjoyed the book so much that we asked our Airbnb host where we could buy a copy. She explained that it was difficult to find and might only be available in antique bookstores, but then kindly offered to let us take the book home. It was such a sweet gesture.

Story Book about Cesky Krumlov

Later, when we shared this story with friends living in the Czech Republic, they were surprised we had found an English book originally published there, as native English books are hard to come by.

Bear Moat

One of the main attractions of Cesky Krumlov is its castle. The castle is unique in that its moat is filled not with water, but with bears. This tradition began as an attempt by the castle’s former rulers to associate themselves with the powerful Orsini family, whose name is a pun on the Italian word for bear, “orso”. As we walked towards the castle, we noticed a crowd of tourists gathered near the castle walls. Curious, we followed them and realized they were trying to spot the bears in the moat. Even though the castle is on an elevation, the city is so scenic that you don’t realise that you’re climbing a hill.

Bears in the moat of Cesky Krumlov Castle

Revolving Auditorium

While exploring the castle grounds, we came across a revolving auditorium. This unique theatre seats about 600 people, and the entire auditorium rotates to present different scenes from a play. For example, in the first scene, the audience faces a stage with a house, then, the auditorium turns to reveal a road where the hero arrives on horseback. It’s a fascinating theatre experience, though unfortunately, no plays were being performed during our visit.

Revolving Auditorium in Cesky Krumlov Castle

Beer Festival

We also noticed a Beer festival advertised on large hoardings as we entered Cesky Krumlov. After checking the website, we learned about a beer booklet that offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal at selected pubs in the town. If you managed to collect 20 coupons by redeeming the offer, you could win a prize. We visited a few pubs to take advantage of the offer. We would have loved to stay longer and complete the challenge, but our onward journey was already planned.

Beer Pass

Museum Visit

We also visited the Cesky Krumlov museum, which contained many stories about the town’s history. We learned about the oldest settlements dating back to 50,000 BC, as well as more recent history during the World Wars and the Communist era. On the day we visited, the town was celebrating a festival and had opened the museum to everyone for free, even at night. Visiting the museum after dark was a memorable experience, as we are generally used to public institutions in Europe closing by 5pm.

Germans Exodus

During the museum visit, we learned that before World War II, Cesky Krumlov had a predominantly German population (85% Germans in 1910, compared to just 15% Czechs). These were native residents who were born and brought up in these lands. However, after the war, animosity towards Germans grew, and the Czech government passed a law expelling all Germans from the country. A mass exodus followed, with more than 2.4 million Germans from all over the Czech Republic forced to abandon their homes, friends, and property and start a new life in Germany. This part of history was quite interesting to us, as we often hear about the events of World War II, but rarely about its aftermath.

Tourist Trap

In the Czech Republic, the currency is the koruna (and not euro) and we hadn’t converted our euros to Czech korunas. When we went out to eat breakfast, we were happy that we could pay in euros. However, after looking at the bill, we realised the conversion they applied for euros was much higher than what we would pay in korunas. So, we had to find an ATM to withdraw the cash. Unfortunately, most ATMs in this town also charge a ATM Withdrawal Fee (unlike regular ATMs). We felt that this city was taking advantage of gullible tourists. It’s also quite close to Prague and Salzburg, Austria, and many tourists just come here for just a one-day or two-day visit.

After such a wonderful time in Cesky Krumlov, we headed to one of our favourite cities in Europe, Prague.