A Timeless Journey Awaits

We first visit the mighty castle of the Rožmberk family, who ran the city from this perch for three centuries, until about 1600. The interior of the castle gives a glimpse of the ultimate Bohemian noble living through the ages.

The strikingly colorful round tower, featuring a 162-step climb to the top, was built to guard the medieval river crossing. Bear pits hold a family of European brown bears, as they have since the Rožmberks added these animals to their coat of arms in the 16th century. A 2,300-foot-long garden boasts a mix of French and English styles.

The castle’s highlight is the Baroque Theater, where guests of the noble family would go for evening entertainment. We’ll actually tour under the stage to see the wood-and-rope contraptions that enabled scenes to be scooted in and out within seconds while fireworks and smoke hid the action from the audience. Baroque theater was all about melodrama, created with lighting, perspective, and sound effects. Machines were used to simulate a horrifying wind, driving rainstorm, and menacing thunder. But the use of candles and pyrotechnics for special effects took their toll. Europe once had several hundred Baroque theaters, but most burned down. Český Krumlov’s theater is one of only two that survives, the other being in Stockholm.

We then head into the heart of the Old Town is the main square for lunch on our own.  We will visit beautiful streets lined with a mix of Renaissance and Baroque homes (all built on 12th-century Gothic foundations). You’ll pass by the Lékárna, with a fine red Baroque facade on the lower corner of the square, which is still a pharmacy, as it has been since 1620. (McDonald’s tried three times to get a spot here but was turned away each time.) This afternoon visit the Puppet Museum at your leisure which features more than 200 movable creations and a model stage, where children(and grown men!) of any age can try their hand at pulling the strings on their favorite fairy tale.