Near Lithuania: places not yet discovered by tourists: beer, cheaper than coffee, mountains and many castles

Survival tips

In the east of the Czech Republic, right on the border with Poland, is the Hradec Kralove region. It would be difficult to find more comfortable places for those who want to go to the mountain but are not determined to have difficulty climbing, the uninitiated, the elderly and travelers with children.

Here there are low mountains, but with amazing panoramas, fast rivers, hospitable people, delicious food and many castles. If you are afraid that there is nothing for the children to do, you are very wrong: a real safari is waiting for them!

The Hradec Kralove region is surrounded by the main highways that we usually take to Western Europe, so we will have to prepare to get there. For this reason, the local population has not seen many foreign tourists, so there is nothing to wait to speak a foreign language everywhere to learn Czech better. Juoba, Czech will also come in handy when studying the menus and talking to the waiters.

Many places require cash, the card will not be able to pay even for the bathroom. Instead, you will be delighted with the food prices, although, for example, coffee is more expensive than beer, which costs around 1.5 euros a glass, and lemonade, which everyone here is happy to drink, both like a glass of local wine.

You will love the food prices, although, for example, coffee is more expensive than beer.

There will be no problems parking a car, there are parking spaces installed in the central squares of the towns. Convenient for tourists, but curse that order when you want to photograph a more impressive home. By the way, the locals prefer to travel by bicycle. There are excellent conditions for this.

Please note that not all of the hotel reception is open 24 hours a day, so even if you book a room and arrive late, you can still be left out the door.

Loire Valley, Czech Republic

There are up to 15 castles to visit in the Hradec Kralove region. Most of them in the Orlice river valley and the Czechs joke that this is the Loire valley in the Czech Republic.

We only visit a few. Doudleby Castle was completed in 1590 and was originally used as a hunting lodge. But the Renaissance brought new fashions to Bohemia: nobles began to move from defensive castles to less fortified ones, and the Doudleby hunting lodge became a permanently inhabited castle, albeit with a collection of hunting trophies.

The Doudleby estate is now run by Peter Dujka, the nephew of Adam Bubna, the last ruler of the castle, before the Communists came to power.

The Czechs joke that this is the Loire Valley in the Czech Republic.

There are 13 Renaissance furnaces in the castle, including the largest in the Czech Republic. The owner of the castle, Mr. P. Dujka, says that the restoration of one costs around one million crowns (about 40 thousand euros). The funds are also needed for other purposes, so Dujka is not afraid of furs not only to maintain but also to restore a castle damaged by the Soviets, celebrate weddings, hold corporate parties, conferences, open a hotel, even make wine and show pets to children. .

Kostelec nad Orlicí The castle was built in the imperial style in 1829-1833. by order of Count Josef Kinski. After the Second World War, like all of them, it became the property of the State.

1992 the ruined castle was returned to the Kinskiai family and restored for six years. Preserved imperial-style furniture is now on display in the castle corridors, along with other items. By the way, you can also see portraits of the Kinskiai family: in the 19th century, up to 19 men of the family were generals. That’s an impressive 16,000. library of old books.

The castle’s owner, 74-year-old František Kinski, grew up in Prague. He worked as a designer, producer, on Czech television and then for a long time in advertising. 2004 took over the administration of the returned mansion from Kostelec near Orlice. In addition, he is a member of the Municipal Council of Kostelec, and in 2014. elected mayor of Kostelec near Orlice.

Častolovice Castle attracts children to the zoo, where it is possible to feed the animals with special locally bought food, which is sold in limited quantities. Goats, deer, ponies, sheep, donkeys, llamas, wild boars live in the castle … And everyone has a name.

Častolovice Castle has belonged to the Sternberg family since the 17th century. It is true, with two ruptures: the German occupation during World War II and its confiscation during the 40 years of communist rule. In 1992, when the government passed a restitution law, the castle was returned to the offspring of the Sternberg dynasty, Diana Phipps Sternberg. He immediately began to revitalize the park, a fence was built for Daniels, and then a mini zoo was started. He also planted a rose with 220 species of roses. The castle is open to the public as a museum.

Hospital with obscene sculptures

If you are interested in old buildings, Cuxus is worth a visit. It is a small town in eastern Bohemia, near Dvůr Králové, famous for its healing springs.

17th century At the end of the 19th century, Count Franz Anton von Sporck became the owner of all the surrounding mansions. He set an ambitious goal: to make Cooks a world-famous spa. After massive construction, the Cux Spa became even more famous than Carlsbad. Unfortunately now there is no spa, but there is a museum, because Count von Sporck also built a hospital for army veterans in Kukse and invited the monks to take care of them and establish a monastery for them. The hospital operated for 200 years until 1938.

Recently renovated baroque hospital complex. Now here you can see the second oldest Baroque pharmacy in Central Europe, it was founded in 1743, a garden of medicinal plants.

Travelers are also impressed by the sculptures that surround the hospital. A total of 24 of them.

To the left of the entrance – they represent human virtues – patience, wisdom, generosity, love, patience …, and to the right – vices – laziness, anger, death, ambition …

Tourists note that the sculptures often depict women in obscene poses. To this question, the guide replied that the author of the sculptures, the Austrian Matea Brown, loved visiting brothels and was inspired by their staff.

Gifts from a Bell Master

We start our journey in the mountains from the town of Deštné, which is right on the border with Poland. Here, Orlické hory is the heart of the Eagle Mountains, with thousands of trails and winding roads from here.

But first you must visit Jan Sheda. He is a master of bells. He sits down at a desk and begins teaching how to make a bell, the kind that farmers used to hang for horses. This lesson is the basics of the bell art, and Jan has small and giant bells in the workshop.

Jan Šeda has had a workshop in Deštné since 1999, but the bells of his family business have existed for 400 years. So, the ringer knows all the secrets of bell making handed down from generation to generation. And his wife Barbora, a ceramist – so this workshop is twofold – you can buy not only a bell, but also a “delicious” cup.

Jan now makes 19 forms of bells, for cows, horses and even churches. It says that the biggest Czech bell is in Prague. Weighs up to 19 tons. And the second largest is in nearby Hradec Kralove. Compared to Prague, it is a boy and weighs only 7 tons.

Where to get used to the mountain

The town of Deštné has a population of 500, but in the summer, when tourists flock, there are seven times as many people as usual. Almost all the villagers rent rooms. Tourists are drawn to clean nature and comfortable mountains for everyone.

Near Deštné The Eagle Mountains are low and pleasant. The trails are marked. Along the way you can see chapels, abandoned churches, more interesting trees, take in wide panoramas, drink herbal tea with a local herbalist, and read local legends at information booths, such as about the Kačeničinka girl, of course, if you speak Czech.

We also met a lot of mountain bikers. It’s a great place to get used to such a bike, and then you’ll be able to climb steeper slopes with it.

Restaurants serving local and international food await in the cities. The main course in a better restaurant, like Kozi chlivek (Goat Shed), will be less than 10 Eur.

Africa in the Czech Republic

If you are traveling with children, you might like Dvůr Králové, north of Hradec Králové. This is not just a zoo but a safari where you can watch the animals from the real safari car.

This year, Dvůr Králové Safari Park celebrates its 75th anniversary. The park was established because before WWII, Czech biologists organized various expeditions to Africa and brought animals that had to be housed somewhere.

It was originally a small zoo, but in 1965, with Josef Wagner as director, the small and little-known zoo became the largest collection of African ungulates in Europe.

He organized ten more expeditions to Africa. More than 3,000 animals were brought to what was then Czechoslovakia, making up the largest herds of antelope, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, and rhinoceros outside of Africa.

The safari park is now home to a variety of antelope, giraffe, zebra, gorilla, chimpanzee, buffalo, cow, rhino, hippo, meerkat, various birds, reptiles, and even various lions. The latter is equipped with a special place, which can only be accessed through large barbed barriers, and the driver of the car, before turning, lowers the lattice of the car windows, so that no naughty tourist can pinch the nail of the tourist.

Expeditions to Africa are no longer planned. Rather, one of the park’s most important missions is to protect endangered wildlife species, such as the conservation and return of northern white rhinos to Africa.

Dvůr Králové is available for more than one day. There is a hotel and bungalows, and even a glamping. The local restaurant serves African-inspired dishes.

The work of rural masters

If you want to tour the castle, you can visit the impressive Museum of the Nativity of the Child Jesus in Třebechovice. “Museum” is too strong a word, there is only one piece in that building, but what!

This is Bethlehem carved in wood. And not just carving, a lot of details are moved, the millers grind the grain, the bakers bake the bread, the miners excavate the coal and the carts take it outside, the clock shows the hours, etc.

Třebechovice The scene of the birth of the Child Jesus is a unique work created a hundred years ago by the farmer Josef Probost, the wood carver Josef Kapucián and the carpenter Josef Friml.

The entire piece, including the mechanism that makes the figures move, was made of wood more than a hundred years ago. It is 6.9 m long, 2.2 m high, 1.9 m deep and weighs up to 1.2 tonnes, not including the chassis on which it can be transported.

The Třebechovice nativity scene consists of more than 2,000 carvings. It is difficult to cover up close and see from afar. Therefore, the work leaves an indescribable impression.