EXCURSIONS FROM PRAGUE to Central Bohemia U SAPÍKŮ RESTAURANT AND GUEST HOUSE Klokočná č.p. 8 • GPS: 49°57'26.01"N, 14°43'4.72"E • tel.: +420 323 641 186 • e-mail: [email protected] • www.klokocna.cz Weddings and wedding ceremonies, birthday and anniversary parties, children’s parties, company events Hoffmanův dvůr Vinořské náměstí 34, 190 17 Vinoř Tel.: +420 739 737 503 [email protected] www.hoffmanuv-dvur.cz 2 From Prague to Central Bohemia Prague – a city whose fame reaches the stars. Prague – mother of cities. Prague – the capital city whose historic centre is a UNESCO heritage site. In the city centre, Prague Castle is the biggest castle complex in the world, and Prague is widely considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This is what attracts millions of tourists to Prague every year. When you get tired of the crowds in the streets and the traffi c jams, head out of the city to explore Central Bohemia. You won’t be disappointed. Excursions from Prague to Central Bohemia – 2nd edition (1st edition in 2016) Published by the Central Bohemia Region and publishers Hana Langerová Editor-in-chief: Mgr. Hana Langerová DTP: Igor Ondřej, Translation: Peter Williams Production: MgA. Jan Hladký (+420 603 443 567) Texts and photographs: archive of the Central Bohemia Region, publisher archive 3 chateau sacred site museum castle outdoor museum underground technical monument viewing tower natural monument watercourse spa boating walking fi shing mountain climbing golf cycling 4 Central Bohemia – west 14 16 12 15 11 10 8 7 6 9 Karlštejn Castle 6 Koněprusy Caves 7 Křivoklát Castle 9 Hořovice Chateau 9 Lidice Monument 10 Czech Railways Railway Museum in Lužná 11 Mayrau outdoor mining museum 12 Krušovice royal brewery 13 Třebíz outdoor museum 14 Kolešovice hop drying plant and hop garden 15 5 from 45 Karlštejn Castle Prague minut erhaps the most visited monument in the vicinity of Prague is Karlštejn, a massive Gothic castle rising up over the village of the same name. It was founded in 1348 as the private Presidence of the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. During its con- struction, however, the idea changed and Karlštejn became the repository of the royal treas- ures, collections of relics and crown jewels. The castle was completed in 1365, when the Chapel of the Holy Cross in the Great Tower was consecrated. At the beginning of the Hussite Wars, the Czech coronation jewels were moved to Karlštejn for safekeeping, and they remained there with short breaks for about 200 years. After 1480 the castle was rebuilt in the late Gothic style and in the last quarter of the 16th cen- tury in the Renaissance style. Today’s appearance was acquired in the late 19th century when the last adjustments were made in the spirit of purism. The original tiered arrangement of the buildings is very impressive, from the lowest lying Well Tower and Burgrave Palace building up to the majestic fi ve-storied Imperial Palace and further up towards the Marian Tower. On top of the rocky promontory stands the monumental 60 metre Great Tower with an unwindowed gable wall almost eight metres thick shielding the other buildings from attack. One unique feature is the original 14th century murals in the Chapel of the Holy Cross – the ceiling is covered in gold decoration evoking a celestial dome, while the walls are decorated with gemstones and 129 reliquary panel paintings from the workshop of Master Theodoric. In addition to guid- ed tours, you can visit interesting local exhibitions and some traditional festivals. ů Nearby you can visit: Karlštejn Museum of Light Fortifi cation – the Karlštejn bunker was part of the Prague Line of Defence against Nazi Contact: Germany – it serves as a museum of weaponry, equipment Státní hrad Karlštejn and contemporary exhibits • Budňanská Rock – one of the 267 18 Karlštejn few outcrops in the Czech Karst displays a clear bound- tel.: +420 311 681 695 ary between the Silurian and Devonian periods • River Ber- [email protected] ounka – suitable for swimming, fi shing and easy canoeing www.hradkarlstejn.cz Ing. Jaromír Kub Photo: 6 from 45 Koněprusy Caves Prague minut here is the longest cave system in the Czech Republic? Just less than six kilometres south of Beroun above the village of Koněprusy on a hill called Golden Horse. The local caves were Wformed in Devonian limestone, very rich in fossils and as old as 410 million years, and the main phases of karstifi cation took place about 20 million years ago. The caves show the consequences of various tectonic disturbances and a local rarity known as Nep- tune veins. These are cracks that appeared during the period of the Devonian sea, which came to be fi lled with skeletons of the animals that lived at that time. They are visible in several places in the caves. The fi rst parts of the caves were discovered on 14 September 1950, when blasting in a nearby quarry revealed an opening in the rockface. Over the next few years more than two kilometres of corridors, domes and chasms were discovered on three levels. They were opened to the public on 2 August 1958. The tour route is 620 metres long and leads through part of the middle and upper levels. The lower level is not open to the public. You can only enter the caves with a guide. The tour lasts about an hour, during which you will learn about the formation of caves and the structures in them. The “Koněprusy rosettes” contain opal, in amounts making it a world rarity; they are over 1.5 million years old. You’ll also see replicas of some skeletal fi ndings, including human skeletons, and on the upper level at the end of the tour you will enter a faithful reconstruction of a money counterfeiting workshop that was operated in the caves sometime in the second half of the 15th century. Nearby you can visit: Karlštejn – Gothic castle of Emperor and King Charles IV rises above the village of the same name • Křivoklát – Gothic cas- Contact: tle that used to be the residence of King Wenceslas IV • Točník Koněpruské jeskyně and Žebrák – castles of King Wenceslas IV, now picturesque Správa jeskyní České republiky ruins • royal town of Beroun – attractive urban heritage site pošt. schránka 13, 266 01 Beroun and the Museum of Czech Karst • Hořovice – the chateau fea- tel.: +420 730 572 485 tures an exhibition of game machines and music machines [email protected] from the 18th to the 20th centuries www.caves.cz, www.jeskynecr.cz 7 from 50 Křivoklát Castle Prague minut řivoklát Castle is one of the oldest and most important castles of Bohemian princes and kings. It was built on a promontory above the Rakovnický stream during the fi rst third of the 13th century, during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II and Wenceslas I. During the Hus- K nd th site Wars the castle burnt down and in the 2 half of the 15 century it underwent extensive restoration during the reign of Vladislav Jagiello. That made it into one of the most magnifi - cent royal residences of its time in Central Europe. But it was not just a place of court life: it also served as a prison for prominent people – the alchemist Edward Kelley spent some time incarcerated here, for example. A large fi re in 1643 led to the decline of the castle. At the beginning of the 18th century, when it became the property of the Fürstenberg family, it mostly served the needs of the local brewery. In the 19th century the Fürstenbergs began the restoration of the castle, so its present-day exteri- or is a valuable example of the late Gothic style. In 1929 the Fürstenbergs sold the castle and sur- rounding estates to the state. Gradual restoration and archaeological research has been taking place here since the 1960s. Křivoklát Castle was designated as a national heritage site in 1989. The castle tour will show you the Royal Chapel of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, with its altar from the late 15th century. The royal and knights’ halls have an amazing collection of natu- ral curiosities, relics from trips to the Orient, archaeological fi ndings, sacral objects, hunting weapons and historic sleighs. A pleasant walk along the ramparts will take you to the Huderka tower with an open-fi re kitchen and viewing gallery. Nearby you can visit: Contact: Nižbor – baroque chateau that is home to the Celtic Národní památkový ústav Information Centre • Krakovec – a Gothic castle rebuilt správa státního hradu Křivoklát into a Renaissance chateau is now a picturesque ruin • Křivoklát 47, 270 23 Křivoklát Skryje – a small village containing the Barrandův Me- tel.: +420 313 558 440 morial with a collection of fossils, with the Týřov ruins [email protected] and Skryje lakes nearby www.krivoklat.cz 8 from 40 Hořovice Chateau Prague minut he history of a manor in Hořovice dates back to the 13th century, but construction of the chateau was begun in the 17th century by the Martinic family. Further building work Ttook place at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, when the estate was owned by the Vrbna family. This work enlarged the older ornamental garden and created a commemorative courtyard with a gate with statues by Matthias Bernard Braun. Statues by the same sculptor decorated the remarkable late baroque garden, which is dominated by the Sun Gate. Another owner of the chateau, Elector Friedrich Wilhelm von Hessen, had the castle modifi ed from 1856 to a design by the Hesse court architect Gottlob Engelhardt.