We woke to rain this morning but with the promise of
20degrees so it was a bit of a problem
deciding what to wear as we were on an all day excursion to Cesky Krumlov in
the Czech Republic
(former part of Czechoslovakia).
Happy to report the sun came out and it was a glorious day.
We boarded the bus and had a quick tour of Passau
(our docking port and last port in Germany). We bussed up the hill to
the Castle and enjoyed a spectacular view of the city. This would have been a lovely town to explore
but we were only stopped for a couple of hours and then the boat was cruising
to Linz in Austria. Therefore we were offered a choice of 3 day
trips – one to the Sound of Music sights (which Alan flatly refused to even
think about), one bus tour of Austria landscapes (but it was a bus only tour) and the one we chose to Cesky Krumlov, which
promised (and delivered) fantastic sights and plenty of exercise.
Cesky Krumlov offers authentic insights to the Gothic,
Renaissance and Baroque culture during the 14 – 17 centuries. This is an old town with a great deal of
history of founding families, Prince Bishops, wars etc but the most recent
history is what I’ll talk about.
This city was lived in by Germans and Austrians who of
course supported Hitler in WWII. After
the war all the Germans and Austrians were expelled from the then Czechoslovakia
and the country became a communist state.
During this time, and the Russian occupation, there was no money or
interest from the government in the upkeep of this town. The occupants were to poor to do anything and
by all accounts it was a pretty miserable place to live, with building falling
apart and no modernisation. In the 70’s
UNESCO moved in to try and save this important historical site and with the
decline in communism it was decided to allow the Germans and Austrians to
return to their homes. Other homes were
offered for sale at a very cheap rate (like $100) on the condition that
renovations must be started within 5 years and completed in 15 years. This wasn’t as easy as it sounds as the
houses had to be restored to their exact original condition. Unfortunately I can’t put a photo up to show
what was required but this unique town had 3D frescoes painted on the outside
of each building, which had to be exactly matched, but most were missing roofs
and in such a condition you think they needed to be bulldozed.
The renovations were a massive undertaking but today all
1300 buildings have been restored. The
most outstanding is the Castle with 300 rooms gathered around 5 courtyards. It is a truly incredible building and like
nothing we have seen before.
We had an fascinating walking tour around this town with
lots of information. After the tour we
stopped at a little café and had a great meal then spent the afternoon exploring
the Castle, its gardens and the fabulous alleyways and streets of Cesky
Krumlov. I did some retail therapy in
one of the many jewelry stores and thoroughtly enjoyed all the quirky little
shops and alleyways.
20mins before we were due to depart it poured with rain but
didn’t really mind as we made our foot weary back to the bus. The trip back thru Czech
Republic had the requisite fabulous scenery (I will admit
I may have dozed off for a little bit) and we crossed the border into Austria, with more spectacular scenery and
eventually arrived happy but tired in Linz,
Austria.
It was a bit of speed tourism thru 3 countries in one day
but well worth the effort.
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