Český Krumlov

I love everything about the Czech Republic, and it's just as well because growing up in China, there was few places in the world that were communist and Czechoslovakia happened to be a place that was, back when I first heard about it, and before it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Still, it was an important time to talk about because thee conflict at the time meant that a lot of the country was preoccupied with independence seeking, and ethnic conflicts and not so much peaceful going about of every day life.

When there is something so deep rooted in the nation, it's hard to put aside time to aesthetic living and thus 30 or 40 years ago, Cesky Krumlov was not as pretty as it's present day.

Luckily for me, i'm only old enough and in the position to visit it quite some time after the conflicts and during the revolution, much of the town's old beauty had been restored and even improved.

The pastel coloured houses, alternating throughout the town give it so much character. No adjacent house is similarly coloured, so it's like looking at a lineup of colours on an artists colour palette.

Small it may be, but the architecture really lends itself to it's bohemian heritage and this heritage has been recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site since 1992.

Thee town was established around the Cesky Krumlov castle which was built around 1240. It's named was derived from krumbe ouwe which means crooked meadow and describes the river Vltava River which the castle sits beside.

Another very popular landmark is the St. Jost Church. The five story tower with cupola is one of the few towers in the town. Like most of the other buildings, it was built several hundred years ago, in 1334 actually by Peter von Rosenberg and was original part of the Rosenberg's hospital.

Today the city has a host of festivals taking place throughout the year, one very popular one is the Five-Petaled Rose Festival which is held on the summer solstice weekend.

You'll also find many many restaurants in the downtown area. In-fact, since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, there are over 80 restaurants in the area now, most are situated close to the castle beside the river.