Male, thirtysomething, determined to get the hang of this "Ciao Café" business. ♥ ...
Male, thirtysomething, determined to get the hang of this "Ciao Café" business. ♥♥
Member since:06.04.2005
Reviews:13
Members who trust:2
Ceské Budejovice is a small but perfectly formed town situated on the River Malse in Bohemia, historically part of the Czech lands and so nowadays part of the Czech Republic. For tourists, the easiest way to get there is to take a day trip by coach from Prague (there are plenty of these available), although it's also possible to reach by train or by hire car.
Language was a slight problem, as I can't speak any Czech and the majority of locals can't speak any English. However, due to the town's proximity to the German and Austrian borders most people speak some German, so I was able to get by on my mediocre Deutsch for the day.
Ceské Budejovice is centred around the main square (Otakar II Square), and here it's immediately obvious that the town's past history as part of the Holy roman and Habsburg empires has had a strong influence. The square is lined with buildings in the Baroque and Renaissance styles, most of which are decorated externally with attractive frescos. Always a sucker for nice architecture, I exhausted the batteries on my camera photographing Otakar II Square alone!
One new set of batteries later, I was talked into climbing the Black Tower, a 70-metre tall gothic edifice set slightly back from Otakar II Square. Despite the name, it isn't actually black (it's constructed of grey granite), but it's most certainly a tower. I've never had much of a head for heights (and climbing up endless flights of steep, cramped wooden stairs did nothing to improve that) but it's worth the effort for the view at the top. As well as being able to look down into the main square, you can see across the rooftops of the town and beyond, out into the surrounding countryside of the Malse valley, a mixture of fields and forestry that sums up Bohemia quite nicely.
After braving the Black Tower, what better to steady your nerves than a nice cold beer? They make the best beer in the world here, and the Budvar brewery on the outskirts of Ceské Budejovice is no exception. The original Budweiser comes from here (the German name for the town is Budweis), and if you take the brewery tour then you can see exactly how they go about making it. Budvar reckon the barley grown in the local fields (the ones you can see from the top of the Black Tower) makes for the best beer around, and after tasting the brewery's produce, I was in no mood to argue.
Back in town after the brewery tour and a very good lunch, we went to the South Bohemian Museum. Full of local history (such as why some things are know by their Czech names and others by their German ones), it's also another architectural gem, and seems to have been influenced by the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
Shopping is also very good: good fresh produce, more Bohemian crystal than you could possibly find house room for, and good bookshops for those who can speak Czech or German.
Alas after this we ran out of time, so we didn't get to visit the rest of the town. Both the Dominican church and St.Nichola's church were recommended to us, but we didn't get the chance. Maybe next time, as I'd go back without hesitation.
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A belated welcome and congrats on a good first review. I don't know the Czech Rep outside Prague, but reviews like this certainly whet the appetitie. Cheers, Duncan
Dizzy_Lizzy 06.04.2005 16:35
Welcome to Ciao. It sounds nice but I don't think I'd visit as I don't speak Czech or German. ~Liz
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