Archive: Travel | Monuments Monuments
National Heritage Institute seeks to attract more visitors to Czech castles and chateaus
The Czech Republic is sometimes called the land of castles and chateaus.
For historic reasons, many of those monuments, including some of the most
popular ones such as Lednice, Český Krumlov and Karlštejn, are owned by
the state and run by the National Heritage Institute. To attract more
visitors to these sits, the institute this week opened an information
office in Prague. Radio Prague spoke to Tomáš Brabec from the National
Heritage Institute, and asked him what information visitors can find in the
new facility. More
A visit to Skalka in Prague's Smíchov
In this week's Spotlight, Dominik Jun visits Skalka in Prague's Smíchov
district, and discovers baroque-era ruins, and forests and meadows
galore... More
Church of St John of Nepomuk steeped in symbolism
The Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk is a unique work of
Czech-Italian architect Jan Santini Aichel, who was known for using
unlikely combinations of Baroque and Gothic styles. Such a marvel is it
that in 1994 it was included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Its architecture was guided by symbols of the legend of the Czech St. John
of Nepomuk, one of the foremost saints of Central Europe, but also by the
disciplines of the Kabbalah. More
CzechTourism boss: rising numbers of Russian tourists reflect change in visa policy
The Czech Republic is becoming more popular with foreign tourists. The
latest figures show that in the first three months of this year, almost 1.3
million tourists visited the country which represents a 13-percent increase
compared to the same period last year. German tourists continue to top the
list of foreign visitors, followed by Russians who are the fastest growing
group. RP discussed the development with Rostislav Vondruška, the head of
the state agency CzechTourism. More
Stará Boleslav - the town where St Wenceslas was slain
In this week's Spotlight we will travel to the small town of Stará Boleslav
just northeast of Prague. According to legend, it was in this town that the
Přemyslid Prince Wenceslas, later St Wenceslas, was slain by his own
brother Boleslav in the 10th century. More
The Mánes Exhibition Hall – an icon of functionalist architecture
The functionalist Mánes Exhibition Hall, located on the right bank of the
Vltava river between the bridges Jiraskův most and Most Legií, is one of
only two buildings in Prague that were expressly designed to house art –
the other one being the famous Rudolfinum gallery. Martin Pavala, the
chairman of the supervisory board of the Czech Art Foundation, which owns
it, explains that the art gallery’s history started in 1930. More
The House of the Black Madonna – home of the only surviving Cubist café in the world
Nestled between busy Wenceslas Square and Prague’s number one tourist
destination, Old Town Square, the House of the Black Madonna houses a small
museum of Cubism as well as the only surviving Cubist café in the world
– the Grand Café Orient, which was renovated between 2002 and 2005. More
The Museum of Decorative Arts – a must-see destination for fans of Czech design
Lovers of Czech applied arts and design will find a veritable treasure
trove of interesting items, ranging from glass wares to clocks and metal
works, in Prague’s Museum of Decorative Arts. Located right across the
street from the well-known Rudolfinum palace, the museum is housed in a
stunning Neo-Renaissance building. It was one of the last in Prague to be
designed in that style. The architect was Josef Schulz, who also was behind
the Czech National Museum. More
Slavonice: a South Bohemian renaissance town off the beaten track
It is a very crisp autumn day here in South Bohemia. And I’m slowly
trundling towards Slavonice, which is in the very far south of this
country, right on the Austrian border. I’m in a modern-looking, but as
you can probably hear, rather shuddery sort of train. And I’m heading
towards this stunningly pretty Czech town, which I hear, in recent years,
has become something of an artists’ colony. So, I’m off to find out
more about that in this week’s Spotlight. More
Prague’s Malá Strana cemetery: a burial ground that’s dying out
Cemeteries across the country will soon fill with flowers and burning
candles when on All Saints Day people visit the graves of their loved ones.
But in Prague, there is one burial ground where few visitors are expected.
The Malá Strana cemetery was only in use for about a century, and it now
stands out as a unique monument in the middle of the dynamically developing
district of Smíchov. A group of local enthusiasts have now got together to
save this unique part of the city’s heritage.
More
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