History
Český Krumlov, the town the river bends round
In southern Bohemia, the Vltava loops back on itself so tightly that it almost makes an island. On that loop stands a medieval town of red roofs, and above it a castle second only to Prague's in size.
By Walter Pellow2 November 20264 min read
The Vltava, the river that flows through Prague, begins its journey in the forests of southern Bohemia, close to the Austrian border. Not far from its source it makes a series of tight meanders, and in one of them, where the river curves round in an almost complete horseshoe, stands Český Krumlov. The town fills the loop, a jumble of red roofs, church towers and narrow lanes, and on a rock on the opposite bank rises one of the largest castle complexes in central Europe.
It is a small place, a few thousand people in the historic town, and it is very popular. But it is one of those rare towns that look, from the castle terraces, almost exactly as they did several hundred years ago.
The lords of the rose
The castle and town were built up from the thirteenth century by the Rosenbergs, one of the most powerful noble families in Bohemia, whose emblem was a five-petalled rose. The rose can still be seen carved and painted across the town. Under the Rosenbergs, Český Krumlov became a centre of trade and culture, and its houses were rebuilt in the Renaissance style, many of them with painted facades.
When the Rosenberg line died out in the early seventeenth century, the estate passed to other noble families, the Eggenbergs and then the Schwarzenbergs, who added baroque palaces and gardens. The castle grew into a sprawling complex of courtyards, towers and buildings, linked to the gardens across a ravine by an extraordinary multi-storey bridge, the Plášťový most.
The theatre that time forgot
The castle's greatest treasure is its baroque theatre, built in the 1680s and remodelled in the 1760s. Most theatres of the period were altered or lost over the centuries, but this one survived with its original stage machinery, scenery, costumes and lighting largely intact. It is one of the most complete baroque theatres in the world, and still occasionally used for performances. Because it is so fragile, visits are by guided tour and are limited.
The castle tower, brightly painted in the Renaissance style, is the town's landmark, and its bear moat, where bears have been kept since the eighteenth century, never fails to surprise visitors on the bridge into the castle.
One of those rare towns that look, from the castle terraces, almost exactly as they did several hundred years ago.
Why it survived
The town has an unexpected link with one of the great painters of the twentieth century. Egon Schiele's mother came from Krumlov, and in 1911 the young Viennese artist moved there to paint. The townspeople did not take to his bohemian habits, or to his models, and he was soon obliged to leave, but he painted the town's roofs and houses again and again. An art centre in a former brewery in the old town now holds exhibitions of his work.
Český Krumlov owes its preservation partly to neglect. In the twentieth century the town's fortunes declined. It lay in the Sudetenland, the largely German-speaking border region, and after the Second World War its German-speaking population was expelled. Under communism the old town was left to decay, its houses half empty, but it was not modernised either. After 1989, restoration began in earnest, and in 1992 the town was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Getting there
Český Krumlov sits naturally on the road between Vienna and Prague, and several tours stop there. Travelsphere's Imperial Capitals: Budapest, Vienna & Prague, seven nights, travels from Budapest through Bratislava and Vienna to Český Krumlov, and ends in Prague.
Just You's Prague, Vienna & Budapest, seven nights for solo travellers, starts in Prague and visits Český Krumlov on the way south to Vienna, Szentendre, Budapest and Lake Balaton. Just You's Christmas in Prague, five nights, adds the town to a festive stay in the capital, with visits to České Budějovice, the regional capital, and Kutná Hora.
The town is at its busiest in summer, when day trippers fill its lanes from late morning. Staying the night, or visiting in winter, when snow settles on the red roofs and the town is quiet, shows it at its best. Rafts and canoes float down the river through the loop in summer, which is a good way to see the town from below.
By Walter Pellow, the name Atlas & Passage’s editorial team writes under. Prices and dates in the trips below come from the operators and can change.
