13 City of Pilsen Travel 4 Newsletter Straight from the Source Pilsen European Capital of Culture 2015

If your holiday travels bring you to western , don’t forget 13th century – St Bartholomew’s Cathedral with the tallest church to stop by the region’s largest city, Pilsen. Two industrial companies tower in the , the ancient Franciscan Monastery, brought fame to the city in the 19th century – Škoda Works and extensive labyrinth of the Pilsen Underground and more. Whereas Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj, which now attracts hundreds of the character of the Royal City of Pilsen is strongly marked by Gothic thousands of visitors to the city. But don’t think that Pilsen has little and Renaissance styles, Baroque dominates the Pilsen region. Here interesting to offer except . Pilsen is proud of its historical centre, you’ll encounter mysterious monastery complexes designed by the encircled by a romantic green belt of gardens. The oldest landmarks greatest architects of their time – Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, Kilian date back to the very establishment of the city at the turn of the Ignaz Dientzenhofer and Jakub Auguston.

TripAdvisor Living Streets Summer Festival praises Pilsen brewery tours

The tour has won a Certificate of Excellence based on traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.com, the international travel site that lets travellers share their experiences and recommenda- tions for specific destinations. Over 200 million tra- vellers visit the portal each month and its database now contains over five million travel destinations.

The tour of the Pilsen breweries provides visitors with the chance to learn more about the history of Pilsner Urquell . Tourists visit authentic parts of the brewery where the original beer has been brewed since 1842 as well as a modern bottling line, exhibition of beer ingredients and a historical and current brewhouse. In the brewery cellars, visitors get to taste unfiltered, unpasteurised beer tapped directly from oak lager Pilsen is a city with a long history of culture, and it (exhibition opening scheduled for 1 August). casks. made the most of this when it fought to receive the Living Streets’ main programme (5–11 August) will title of European Capital of Culture 2015. The city bring a block of Czech and world music, theatre and hosts interesting events and festivals throughout the a children’s programme to Pilsen throughout the week. year. One of the most popular festivals is Living Streets, One of the most popular indie formations in Europe, a summertime open-air festival filled with theatre, music Israel’s ACOLLECTIVE, and the latest hits from the and art. In the July theatre block (19–21 July) audiences other side of the border, Austria’s My Name is Music will see top European street performances, including and Germany’s Jamaram, are also scheduled to perform. the two leading jugglers Matthias Romir and Djugleddy, Popular Czech bands are also headed for Pilsen, the band Décalages, The Art of Being Invisible by including Jan Budař a Eliščin band, Ondřej Brzobohatý, Japanese puppeteer Nori Sawa and Czech stilt walking Blue Effect and many more. group Long Vehicle Circus. Audiences will be enchanted The Soup Festival, which the organisers have planned by the artistry of VOSTO5, DNO Theatre, Inspiral Garden for 8 September 2013, will represent the final course and other theatre troupes. The Czech-German exhibition on the Living Streets menu. Colour on the Streets will start at Křižík Gardens www.zivaulice.eu

Summer at Pilsner Urquell

Every Thursday, from 11 July through to 29 August, the courtyard at the comes alive with music, beer and good fun. As part of the 10 year celebration, top Czech bands will again take the stage with a programme rounded out with nu- merous contests, including the Czech championship in holding litre mugs. Entrance is, of course, free of charge. www.prazdrojvisit.cz 13 4 Pilsen Straight from the Source

for over 1,000 species who live in a natural envi - ronment here. The African and Asian exhibitions, Summer in the the large bear run and lion runs on islets are very popular. A separate part of the Zoo, the popular city with children DinoPark features over forty life-sized dinosaur models. www.zooplzen.cz | www.dinopark.cz Techmania invites you to “learn through play”

Techmania science centre is worth a visit not only on bad weather days. The space of an unused production hall is now used as a unique science centre filled with interesting exhibits. Up until the end of August you can visit the Top Secret “spy” exhibit, where you can learn about crime investigation techniques you’ve seen in various films. Techmania also offers other attractive Visit Spejbl and Hurvínek at the exhibits and exhibitions from the fields of physics, Puppet Museum mathematics and chemistry that will captivate you and your children. Historical building no. 233 on Republic Square is filled www.techmania.cz with historical and contemporary puppets and puppet Summer at the Zoo and theatres. You’ll also find a unique, early 19th century DinoPark travelling theatre along with the originals of the country’s most popular puppets, Spejbl and Hurvínek, created by One of the most beautiful zoos in Bohemia is locat- Pilsen’s own Josef Skupa. The exhibition also features ed just a few kilometres from the centre of the city modern puppets created by the Alfa Theatre puppet and is easily accessible by public transportation and theatre. The small stage on the top floor is primarily used car. The attractive setting at Pilsen Zoological and for children to play with puppets or even stage their own Botanical Garden, which is spread out over the Mže little performances. River valley and a rocky promontory, is the habitat www.muzeumloutek.cz

Discover the region’s hidden secrets

Pilsen Region is the region of Baroque and great 27 July–4 August – Organ master courses – Public Baroque architects. If you’d like to discover the area’s concerts at churches: 27 July – Kladruby (Jan Doležal); hidden treasures, head out to the north of the region, 30 July Vejprnice (Ensemble Inégal); 1 August Rabštejn where Jan Blažej Santini Aichel created a valuable nad Střelou (Christoph Bossert); 3 August Úterý collection of large monastery complexes and smaller (concert by participants in the course). farm buildings. Among his most precious works are a Sa 3 August 2013 – Garden festival at the chateau monastery built on oak stilts in Plasy, the provostship in Svojšín – Palace festival focused on gardening, cultivation, orchards and flower arrangement in the in Mariánská Týnice and famous Baroque Gothic authentic setting of renewed Baroque gardens monastery in Kladruby. You should also visit the “Ba- Sa 10 August – Chateau garden festival – Dolní roque Pearl”, the town of Manětín with its Baroque Lukavice – Art symposium, regional craft fair and big chateau and outdoor sculpture gallery. The woods of top the Brdy foothills conceal the Classical Kozel hunting 17 August – Baroque day, Radnice synagogue – chateau and the Baroque “flower chateau” in Nebílovy. Baroque music and craft fair In addition to public monasteries, castles and palaces, 14 September – Baroque day, Mariánská Týnice you can also discover other treasures of the Pilsen monastery countryside this holiday – from local craft fairs, festivals 5 October – Baroque exhibition, Nečtiny Regional and church concerts to special tours of buildings Museum normally not open to the public. www.turistu-raj.cz

will be the biggest golf event of the year in the Czech The course and site is hard at work preparing for The stars are Republic. A total of 132 women golfers and profession- spectators. Tickets are available through TicketPro or als will be playing for €250,000 in prize money. at the golf club reception desk. For spectators travel- calling: Come ling to Pilsen, their tournament ticket will also serve as a free train ticket between Prague and Pilsen. Special play golf trains will run all the way to hole 18 at Dýšina golf club on the days the tournament will be held. 9–11 August www.golfplzen.cz

In early August, Dýšina golf course will take centre stage in the golf world. The course will host the Ladies Euro- pean Tour for a tournament open to the greater public. The Pilsen Golf Masters at Golf Park Pilsen – Dýšina

Pilsen – European Capital of Culture 2015 www.pilsen.eu

City of Pilsen Travel Newsletter 3/13 Marketing Department, Municipality of the City of Pilsen, nám. Republiky 1, 306 32 Pilsen, www.pilsen.eu, e-mail: [email protected], tel: +420 378 032 500 © All rights reserved. • The current issue and back issues of the newsletter are available at www.pilsen.eu – Multimedia section. Translation: David Fuchs s.r.o. • Photographs: V. Hynčík, M. Chaloupka, archives of: Municipality of Pilsen, Finále film festival, Majáles, Plzeňský Prazdroj.