Reasons Why The Czech Republic Should Be Your ...

With a population of just 14,000, Cesky Krumlov ranks as one of the smallest but most visited Czech cities. Boasting of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city center is literally packed with historical buildings and great architecture. The most important landmark is the city´s castle built in 1240.

Nicknamed as the “Heart of Europe”, The Czech Republic lies in the very center of the Old continent which makes this country easily reachable from almost all the other European countries.

The Czech Republic consists of three historical territories – Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. While Bohemia is famous for its world-known beer, Moravia boasts of delicious wine. Almost 95% of all vineyards in the Czech Republic are Moravian. Stretching over the little hills they look incredibly picturesque.

Pustevny is a mountain saddle in the Moravian-Silesian Beskydy mountain range in the municipality of Prostredni Becva. It was named after the Czech word for hermits who lived here until the year 1874. Pustevny is famous for adorable wooden buildings built in traditional folk style.

Although The Czech Republic is not one of the cheapest European countries, the prices are still significantly lower than in the western part of Europe. If you avoid the extremely overpriced areas around the main tourist attractions, you can find a hotel for less then 50 dollars a night and have a traditional Czech meal such as “svickova” for about 10 bucks.

Situated in the western part of The Czech Republic, some 80 miles west of Prague, Karlovy Vary is the most famous and visited Czech spa town. It is named after Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370. The city center houses several colonnades where tourists can taste various types of local mineral waters.

The Czech Republic has several mountain ranges. One of them is the Beskydy Mountains stretching in the eastern part of the country. Its highest point is Lysa hora mountain at 4,341 feet, which is also one of the rainiest places in the Czech Republic. Beskydy offers beautiful natural landmarks and spectacular views and features many popular holiday resorts for both winter and summer activities.

When you are in The Czech Republic, you do not need to worry about you safety. The Czech Republic is one of the most peaceful and safest countries in the world. In 2011, for example, The Czech Republic was ranked as fifth safest country in the world, according to The Global Peace Index.

Czech girls and women are often considered the most beautiful in the world. Czech top models such as Tereza Maxova, Petra Nemcova, Alena Seredova or Eva Herzigova are living proof of the claim. Czech Miss of 2006 Tatana Kucharova even won the title Miss World in the same year.

Moravian Karst is a karst landscape and protected nature reserve in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, located near the town of Blansko. It encompasses a number of notable geological features, including roughly 1100 caverns and gorges. The Moravian Karst is a popular tourist spot visited by numbers of tourists every summer. The area also contains well-marked bicycle trails and hiking paths to explore.

Since The Czech Republic is a small country and its transportation system is highly developed, you can comfortably get from Prague to any other place in the country within just a few hours. The main railway operator in the Czech Republic carries about 180 million passengers every year. The Czech railway network is one of the densest and most reliable in Europe.

Prague Castle is the most famous and visited tourist site in Prague. Occupying the total area of over 18 acres, it is the largest ancient castle in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. Built in the ninth century, the castle has been a seat of power for Czech kings, Holy Roman emperors, and presidents of Czechoslovakia and later The Czech Republic.

The Czechs are known as the “Beer nation
”. They love talking about beer, making beer but mostly – drinking beer. The Czech Republic has by far the highest beer consumption per capita in the world and they are proud of that. The first Czech brewery is known to have existed in 1118. The famous Pilsner style beer originated in the Czech city of Plzen, and the city of Ceske Budejovice, known as „Budweis“ in German, lent its name to its beer, eventually known as Budweiser.

Czech folk tradition has developed among the Czech people over a number of centuries. Local folklore was influenced by a mix of Christian and pagan customs and it is still preserved and kept alive by means of various folklore festivals, performances and competitions. Each etno-graphic region has its special folklore traditions, songs or costumes and specializes in different crafts. As a result, Czech folklore provides a diverse source of entertainment.

This gothic castle built by Charles IV – the Holy Roman Emperor and Czech king, is one of the most famous and visited Czech tourist sites. Thanks to its magical appearance, Karlstejn has also been featured in several fairytales and movies. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as the Czech crown jewels, holy relics, and other royal treasures.

Located north-eastward from the capital city Prague, Bohemian Paradise is the oldest Czech nature reserve. The area is a very popular tourist destination thanks to its beautiful and varied countryside. People can go for a walk and admire many natural beauties or they can drive to many castles, chateaus, ruins, museums, and other sights.

Situated in the picturesque landscape of Southern Moravia, this cultural-natural complex is registered in the list of monuments protected as World Heritage by UNESCO. The whole Lednice-Valtice Area boasts of many architectural jewels, romantic nooks, unique nature reserves as well as middle-age castle imitations like Janohrad, the empire temple Apollonuv chram, or the classic castle Rybnicni zemecek.

Held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, this festival has gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe’s major film events. Founded in 1946, it is one of the oldest film festivals in the world. The festival has been visited by film stars such as Robet De Niro, Leonardo Di Caprio, Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Robert Redford, John Travolta, Mel Gibson and many others.

Located at the suburb of Kutna Hora in central part of The Czech Republic, the Sedlec ossuary is estimated to contain skeletons of between 40,000 and 70,000 people. The bones have been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel which makes the ossuary one of the most visited tourist attractions of the country.

While Czech summer is usually pretty hot (the temperatures can reach as high as over 100 F), winters can be very cold, especially in the mountains where you can sometimes experience chilling -20 F. But winter is a popular season in The Czech Republic since the mountains offer perfect conditions for all types of skiing and tourists can enjoy breathtaking panoramas.