When I told my family and friends I was visiting the Czech Republic for two weeks; they immediately said: “Oh, you are going to Prague!” Not quite. There is more to the Czech Republic than Prague, and I plan to show you how much there is to see outside of the city of Prague. There are numerous day trips from Prague you can take, starting with the East Bohemia and the Pardubice region. I was fortunate to be able to explore the opulent life of the past in East Bohemia by visiting numerous castles and chateaus. Do you happen to know the difference between the two?
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Castle vs. Chateau
We had a considerable debate on this while we were traveling between the two. The definition of a castle is a large building or group of buildings fortified against attack with thick walls, battlements, towers, and in many cases a moat whereas the definition of a chateau is a large French country house or castle often giving its name to wine made in its neighborhood. See the confusion. No wonder as we toured these buildings what they were called depended on whom you were having the discussion.
Pardubice Chateau
The Pardubice Chateau is an imposing fortified building by huge embankments with the artillery still preserved on them. The castle, as I call it, has been here since the end of the 13th century. The Pernštein family at the end of the 15th century invited the best Italian and Saxon artists to restore the castle, and it became a Gothic-Renaissance Chateau. You can see the Italian influences throughout the chateau. The East Bohemian Gallery has a permanent exhibit within the chateau, and there is also, a little unknown secret that a nuclear bunker was built into the chateau in the 1950s and holds up to 120 people. The Pardubice Chateau is open all year long, and there are tours available every Saturday. And yes if you are wondering, you can get tours in English.
Hrad Kunětická hora
Castle Ruins Oheb
The entire area that you can see from the top is the largest recreation area in the Pardubice region. There is camping, biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, and even paddle boats. I was able to take a paddle boat over to the island on the left in the photo below. Amazing views from the top of the mountain and the bottom!
Litomyšl Castle
Litomyšl is another wonderful city that is an easy day trip from Prague. It takes only 2 hours to drive or 3 hours by train. There is so much to see in this town. It is known as the center of old and new architecture. Plus, there are magnificent churches, beautiful gardens/parks, excellent restaurants, refreshing pubs, and of course my favorite, castles, can be found here. Oh, and the infamous shop to get the best chocolate is here and for those who know me, know that I don’t care for chocolate, but I did try some. When in Litomyšl…
Built around 1568-81, the Litomyšl castle and the gardens became registered as a UNESCO site in 1999. It is unique because it is opened on three sides. I stayed in the Chateau Apartments right across from the entrance into the castle and could open up the windows to look directly at the castle. Although when I did this, I let in lots of bugs. Oh well, to stay in Europe without air conditioning, this is the sacrifice you make.
This was one of my favorite castles/chateaus (here I go again) to visit in East Bohemia. By the way, the UNESCO signs call it a castle, but everyone calls this a chateau. I can’t win! We had a tour of the inside of the castle, and I was blown away at all the historical details still preserved beautifully. I was especially fascinated with the paintings throughout the castle inside and out. There are 8000 different paintings (envelopes) on the exterior, and the interior was painted with an optical illusion style to it.
We started our tour in the theater where the family performed. The first performance was in 1798, and the last was in 1815. The theater is an example of the illusions style painting. The tour continued through the rest of the castle, and we were able to see a temporary exhibit of the costumes used in the Opera mixed with the elaborate castle room decor.
You know you are wealthy when your rubbish container is a box with book replicas on top of it. Unless it smells your guests won’t know there is trash underneath it.
The billiards room was pretty neat. I wouldn’t mind playing pool on this table. It is over 200 years and massively long.
Cellar
This area was the coolest part of the castle as it housed an exhibition of sculptures by the famous sculptor Olbram Zoubek, who along with other artists were employed during the communist period to restore the sgraffito decorations on the castle. I was the only one exploring this exhibit which made it creepy and awesome at the same time. Some of his sculptures would raise some eyebrows here in the states, but I thought they were captivating. What do you think of these sculptures?
And of course, you can’t leave the cellar of a castle without checking out the wine cellar. You can have wine tasting parties down here. And also, if you have a unique wine that needs to be temperature regulated, there is an older wine area for private owners.
Nové Hrady Chateau
Hrad Svojanov
As you can see there is more to see and experience in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. When you come to visit and you should (it is super affordable!) think about taking day trips outside of Prague or even come out and stay in the Pardubice region. You will be pleasantly surprised when you explore the opulent life of the past in East Bohemia!
If you are interested in visiting the Czech Republic pin this for later.
Thank You to CzechTourism & East Bohemia for hosting me during my stay in the Czech Republic. As always opinions are 100% my own.