Prague Transfer Airport

Karlštejn Castle is a large Gothic castlefounded 1348 AD by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as the Bohemian coronationjewels, holy relics and other royal treasures. Located about 30 km southwest of Prague above the village named Karlštejn, it is one of the most famous and most frequently visited castles in the Czech Republic.
More information (official site): http://www.hradkarlstejn.cz/

About 70 km eastward from Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, there lies the town of Kutná Hora, whose historical centre represents an architectonic jewel of the European significance.
The history of Kutná Hora is inseparably connected with mining and processing of silver. In 2nd half of 13th century, originally the miners´ settlement situated near abundant deposits of silver ores on the mound above the stream Vrchlice, changed quickly into a royal town, which competed with Prague by its wealth not only in economic, but also in political and cultural fields. Thanks to yields from extremely wide mining, the Czech king was one of richest rulers of that period in Europe. This fame survived with slight breaks until 16th century, when deposits of ore were gradually depleted and mining was relocated to a near hill of Kaňk. The definitive end was in 1727, when the local royal mint was definitely closed.
Also many great personalities of cultural and social life were born in Kutná Hora. Among the best known natives belong J. K. Tyl, dramatist and journalist, Mikuláš Dačický from Heslov, renaissance poet, or J. E. Vocel, world-famous archaeologist and historian. J. Vrchlický and K. H. Borovský stayed here during their life.
Nowadays, the town is not so important as it was in the era of its greatest bloom, but, thanks to the complex of more than three hundreds of protected historical monuments of medieval and baroque architecture, it represents a picturesque locality in the centre of Europe, which often becomes a place where many visitors from the whole world are coming. In December 1995, historical centre of the town, together with the St. Barbara´s Cathedral and the Church of Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Sedlec, were entered in the list of the world cultural heritage of humankind of UNESCO.
History of Kutná Hora: http://www.kutnahora.cz/

Doba výletu: cesta z Prahy na zámek Konopiště trvá 40 min. Otevřeno je každý den mimo pondělí.
Konopiště is a castle located in the Czech Republic, about 50 km southeast of Prague, outside the city of Benešov. It has become famous as the last residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir of the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The bullet that killed him, fired by Gavrilo Princip, is now an exhibit at the castle's museum.
The castle was initially constructed as a Gothic fortification in the 13th century. It was later transformed in a Baroque style. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria bought Konopiště in 1887, with his inheritance from the last reigning Duke of Modena, and rebuilt it into a luxurious residence, suitable to the future Emperor; which he preferred to his official residence in Vienna. He invited William II, German Emperor to see his roses early in June, 1914; insofar as they discussed politics, they discussed Romania, but conspiracy theories about their planning an attack on Serbia or a division of the Austro-Hungarian Empire arose at the time and since. (After the Archduke's assassination, later in the month, the memory of this visit may have moved the Emperor to give Austria more rein in dealing with Serbia than he had in the Bosnian crisis of 1909.) Since 1921, the castle has been property of the Czechoslovak and later Czechstate, one of 90 such in state ownership. The Ministry of Culture is said to spend more than US$ 800,000 per year to maintain the castle, and recovers about as much from entrance ticket sales and rental for occasional functions.
Konopiště castle is now open to the public. Visitors can observe the residential rooms of Franz Ferdinand, a large collection of antlers (Franz Ferdinand was an enthusiastic hunter), an armory with medieval weapons, a shooting hall with moving targets and a garden with ItalianRenaissance statues and greenhouses. It is a popular place for weddings.
The castle can be toured from April to October. To get there, take a train from Prague to Benešov (about a one-hour ride) and then walk about 2.5 km from the station, or catch one of the not-too-frequent buses.
Konopiště (official site): http://www.zamek-konopiste.cz/

On the initiative of the newly created Czechoslovak government, in 1947 the National Suffering Memorial was opened on the site of the suffering of tens of thousands; it was later on renamed the Terezin Memorial.
The key mission of the Terezin Memorial, the only institution of its kind in the Czech Republic, is to commemorate the victims of the Nazi political and racial persecution during the occupation of the Czech lands in World War II, to promote museum, research and educational activities, and look after the memorial sites connected with the suffering and death of dozens of thousands of victims of violence.
Oficiální stránky : http://www.pamatnik-terezin.cz/

Červená Lhota Castle is situated about 20 km north-west of Jindřichův Hradec in southBohemia, Czech Republic. The castle stands at the middle of a lake on a rocky island and it is one of the most romantic historical monuments in South Bohemia. Its picturesque Renaissance building is a destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its name Červená Lhota meaning "red village" can be explained by the colour of castle's walls or roof. There is also a castle park, where the Chapel of Holly Trinity is located. Červená Lhota (official site): http://www.zamek-cervenalhota.eu/

Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately 130 km (80.78 miles) west of Prague. It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. It is historically famous for its hot springs (13 main springs, about 300 smaller springs, and the warm-water Teplá River).
In the 19th century, it became a popular tourist destination, especially for international celebrities visiting for spa treatment. The city is also known for the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and the popular Czech liqueur Karlovarská Becherovka. The glass manufacturerMoser Glass is located in Carlsbad. The city has also given its name to the famous delicacy known as "Carlsbad plums". These plums (usually Quetsch) are candied in hot syrup, then halved and stuffed into dried damsons; this gives them a very intense flavour.
Karlovy Vary (official site): http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/

Český Krumlov is a smallcity in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Český Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.
Český Krumlov (official site): http://www.ckrumlov.info/php/turista/

Písek is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has a population of 29,081 (est. January 1, 2005). Písek is usually called "The Athens of the South", although Athens is much more southerly, because it has many high schools and schools of higher education, e.g. the Film School in Písek. Up to the last decades of 19th century Písek was a centre of large autonomous Prácheň Region (also Prácheňský kraj) (today's Prachatice, Písek, Strakonice and part ofPříbram, Klatovy, České Budějovice and Jižní Plzeňsko Counties).
Písek has its own freeway to Prague and it lies on Zdice–Protivín and Tábor–Ražice rail lines. It is superbly connected to central and western Bohemia or the same way as to the southward situated Šumava (historically called Böhmerwald or Gabreta in Germanic and Celtic languages)
The climate in Písek is mild (one of the 3 warmest part of Czech Republic) because it is protected from all sides against cold winds. Low precipitations (about 500-550 mm/annum) and with temperatures 0 to 20 °C temperature in Blue Time season (March-April), about 15 to 35 °C in summer season (May-September), 10 to 25 °C fall season (October-December) and -5 to +10 °C in winter season with rare snow (January-February). Predominantly sunny all the year. Extreme cold weather has reached -19,6°C and extreme hot +37,9°C (last decades observation). Písek is surrounded by Písek Mountains (or Gem Mountains) which its highest peak is 633 metres high (260 metres above city center). The river which flows across the city has the old Celtic name, Otava.
Písek (official site): http://www.mesto-pisek.cz/

Slavonice is a town situated in the southwest of Moravia on the border with South Bohemia, Czech Republic, about a kilometre from the Austrian border with about 2,700 inhabitants. While hostorically the town was inMoravia the town now belongs to the South Bohemian Region.
The town has a traditional medieval renaissance city centre with Sgraffito covered buildings dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, the oldest dating to 1545. The Sgraffito are the second oldest in the Czech Republic, with older existing only in Prague from 1544. The reneissance character of the town is due to a period of extreme wealth in the 14th to 16th century when Slavonice were an important town on the route from Prague to Vienna. When the route was relocated to the north, passing through Znojmo the town's source of wealth dried up as the local farming a forestry activiites could never generate enough income. The town is therefore very much preserved in its renaissance look.
Slavonice (official site): http://www.i.slavonice-mesto.cz/

Telč is a town in southern Moravia, near Jihlava, in the Czech Republic. The town was founded in 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria.
Besides the monumental 17th century Renaissance chateau with an English-style park (a rebuilding of original Gothic castle), the most significant sight is the town square, a unique complex of long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance and Baroque houses with high gables and arcades; since 1992 all of this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Gothic castle was built in the second half of the 14th century. At the end of the 15th century the castle fortifications were strengthened and a new gate-tower built. In the middle of the 16th century the medieval castle no longer satisfied Renaissance nobleman Zachariáš of Hradec, who had the castle altered in the Renaissance style. The ground floor was vaulted anew, the facade decorated with sgraffito, and the state apartments and living quarters received stucco ornamentation together with trompe l'oeil paintings and chiaroscuro in 1553. The counter-reformation brought the Jesuits to the town, who built the church, Name of Jesus, in 1666-1667, according to the plans of Domenico Orsi. The column of the Virgin and the fountain in the centre of the square date from the 18th century.
Telč (official site): http://www.telc-etc.cz/telc/

Hluboká nad Vltavou is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, near České Budějovice. This town was a favourite of Charles IV, who often visited when residing in České Budějovice. It is best known for its famous Windsor style chateau.
The original royal castle of Přemysl Otakar II from the second half of the 13th century was rebuilt at the end of the 16th century by the Lords of Hradec. It received its present appearance under Count Jan Adam of Schwarzenberg. According to the English Windsor example, architects F. Beer and F. Deworetzky built a Romantic Neo-Gothic chateau, surrounded by a 1.9 square kilometres (0.73 sq mi) English park here in the years 1841 to 1871. In 1940, the castle was seized from the last owner, Adolph Schwarzenberg by the Gestapo and confiscated by the government of Czechoslovakia after the end of WWII. The castle is opened to public. There is a winter garden and riding-hall where the Southern Bohemian gallery exhibitions have been housed since 1956.
More information: http://infocentrum.hluboka.cz/en/

Františkovy Lázně is a town in Cheb District of Karlovy Vary Region in the western Bohemia (Czech Republic), near the town of Cheb with about 5,200 inhabitants.
Františkovy Lázně is world renowned as a spa. The salutary effects of the springs were known from the 15th century on. First, the water was used locally for salutary purposes, later sold all over Germany. In 1700, it reportedly sold more water than all other German spas combined. In the year 1793, the town was officially founded under the name Kaiser Franzensdorf (EmperorFrancis II's village) and later renamed to Franzensbad, under which name it became a famous spa.
Until their expulsion in 1945 the majority of the population of the city was German (seeSudetenland).
It was the first peat pulp bath in the world and operated 24 mineral springs, 12 of which are still in operation.
The local natural mineral water has a relatively high content of dissolved carbon dioxide. The effects of the carbonic baths are shown in the better performance of the cardiovascular system, in the mild decrease of blood pressure in the pulse, in the lower occurrence of chronic inflammatory processes in the body, and also in terms of rheumatics, and in the improved blood circulation in tissues and the vegetative stabilisation.
The local mud treatments represent a traditional curative method which has thermal, chemical and mechanical effects. The mud treatment consists of a thick mushy combination of mud and mineral water which is heated up to a temperature which is significantly higher than body temperature. The treatment has a positive effect on mobility of muscles and the pain in treated tissues.
Official site: http://www.franzensbad.cz/cs/

Mariánské Lázně is a spa town in the Carlsbad Region of the Czech Republic. The town, surrounded by green mountains, is an exquisite mosaic of parks and noble houses. Most of its buildings come from the town's Golden Era in the second half of the 19th century, when many celebrities and top European rulers came to enjoy the curative carbon dioxide springs.
Mariánské Lázně (official site): http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en/

Plzeň is a city in western Bohemiain the Czech Republic. It is the capital of the Plzeň Region and the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic. It is located about 90 km west of Prague at the confluence of four rivers (Radbuza, Mže, Úhlava, and Úslava), forming the Berounka River.
Plzeň is also the seat of the Municipality with Extended Competence and Municipality with Commissioned Local Authority. The city is known worldwide for Pilsener beer.
The most prominent sights of Plzeň are the Gothic St. Bartholomew's Cathedral, founded in the late 13th century, the tower of which (102.26 m / 335 ft) is the highest in the Czech Republic, the Renaissance Town Hall, and the Moorish Revival Great Synagogue in Pilsen, the second largest synagogue in Europe, after the Dohány Street Synagogue in Budapest. There is also a 20 km historic underground tunnel/cellar network, among the longest in Central Europe. Part of this network is open to the public for tours of approximately 750 metres in length and up to a depth of 12 metres.
Plzeň is also well-known for the Pilsner Urquell (since 1842) and Gambrinus (since 1869) breweries, currently owned by South African Breweries. A popular tourist attraction is the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery tour where visitors can discover the history of beer. The pilsener style of beer was developed in Plzeň in the 19th century.
Plzeň (official site): http://www.plzen.eu/
More about Plzeňský Prazdroj: http://www.prazdroj.cz/en/