Miscellaneous Moravian Stories

Brno is home to 60,000 university students. It is located in the Czech province of Moravia and is the second largest city in the Czech Republic. A friend of mine called it “communism painted over in pretty colors.” I whole heartedly disagree. I found Brno to be a unique and beautiful city filled with exquisite architecture and friendly people. 

Brno is also a city of interesting stories. I will share a few with you…

There are lots of churches in the Czech Republic. Everywhere you look there are Baroque churches, Gothic churches, and NeoGothic-transitional-Romanesque churches redone in the contemporary renaissance style. I guess you catch my drift. In Brno there was an architectural battle between the Czech and German churches. The Germans were frustrated by the Czech’s gaudy Baroque church dominating the Brno skyline, so they built a bigger and more modern gothic masterpiece to show up the Czechs. What makes the story funny is that the steeple of the German church prominently features an angel mooning (showing his bare bottom) the Czech church across the way.  How hilarious is that?! I don’t think I’ll ever see a church with more attitude. 

The Brno town government used to be notoriously corrupt. At the Brno town hall there is this crazy sculpture over the entry way. The sculpture is crooked because the town neglected to pay the architect his promised salary. The artist intended for the sculpture to serve as a permanent reminder of how crooked the politicians of Brno were. 

The town of Brno has a series of caverns that run underneath the city. Dragons are said to guard the caverns to keep people out and protect the city.  As a result, the dragon is the unofficial mascot of the city.  Brno is a little obsessed with Dragons. But even cooler, the city of Brno opens up the caverns and allows the public explore the caves once a year. How crazy is that? Too bad we were not in Brno that weekend!

I never knew there was a rivalry between Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic. When speaking to some Brno locals about my experience thus far in the Czech Republic, they asked me what I was doing in their city. I answered, “I’m just here to sight see.” The table of Brno locals was severely offended. I tried to explain myself, but I was completely unaware of the cultural miscommunication that just occurred. Later that day, when I was explaining what happened to an AIFS staffer, I learned of this rivalry. While the Brno vs. Prague rift is nowhere near as severe as the East Coast vs. West Coast battles of Biggie and Pac, it is still a pretty serious rivalry. The locals did not understand what I meant by “sightseeing,” as tourism is a relatively new phenomenon in the city. They thought I was belittling Brno since I currently live in Prague. Brno people are extremely proud of their city, just as they should be. I guess I know for next time… It’s just kind of a shame I did not get to convey to the locals how much I enjoyed Brno.

Some pics of Český Krumlov

Adventures in Bohemia

There is so much to update you all on... my trips to Český Krumlov, Lobkowitz castle and Mělník winery, my weekend in Moravia and my Czech language course. Please forgive me for the delayed posts!Expect to be caught up on my travels by the end of the week. I promise to never go this long without blogging again!

I visited Český Krumlov two weeks ago with the Eastern and Central European Studies department of Charles University. The castle is about three hours outside of Prague and the second largest castle in the Czech Republic. The 13th century castle was never defeated and stands in good condition today.

At Český Krumlov we attended a lecture on the castle’s architecture. The combination of gothic, baroque and renaissance style architecture make this castle unique. It is hard to believe that in the 19th century the owners contemplated demolishing the castle, now a UNESO World heritage site, as they wished to turn the fortified/medieval structure into a more open structure (think D.C.). Luckily the owners decided to restore the architecture instead of making a completely new castle. What I really liked about Český Krumlov is the way it is a built in a circle with the castle on top of a hill and the town spiraling down below. According to the lecture, this is very medieval in nature and protected the castle from intruders. In case you are building a castle anytime soon, this seems to be a good defense tactic. With thick walls, steep hills, a rocky river below the castle and a moat filled with bears it is no wonder the castle is still standing. Now the town is a haven for the romantic lives of artists and authors. The average Joe’s of Czech Republic have moved away because of the increased tourism and the German population was kicked out after WW2. This twist makes for an interesting dynamic in town. I am lucky to have visited on a snowy winter day, as the town was abandoned and I took great pictures of the snow capped castle.

The following day I visited day Lobkowitz castle and Mělník winery. The Lobkowitz castle is preserved as a pseudo museum on the royal life of Bohemian nobles. The castle holds the second largest private library in the Czech Republic and is famous for its rare books, musical instruments and scientific equipment. The Lobkowitz family was extremely loyal to the Austrian Hapsburg Empire, reaching the highest rank of nobility possible. Therefore, the castle contains a great deal of art and home décor from Vienna. There was an entire room dedicated to pictures of the Hapsburg rulers sent directly from the Hapsburgs as gifts marking special occasions. What I found to be the most interesting facet of the Lobkowitz castle is how the history of the property mirrors that of the Czech Republic. As faithful servants to the Hapsburgs, the Lobkowitz family sent soldiers to fight Austrian wars. During World War II, the Germans assumed control the castle and turned it into a hospital for wounded Nazi Soldiers. In communist times, the state held the castle. Rights were finally granted to the Lobkowitz family in the restitution process following the velvet revolution of 1989.

After our tour of the Lobkowitz castle, we headed to a winery in the town of Mělník and took a break for lunch. Mělník is20 minutes outside of Prague and sooo different. It is quiet, tourist free and nobody speaks English. It is a great example of Czech suburbia. I loved it there. It felt like home. While the rest of my group ate lunch I skipped out and headed to a local café. I had a delicious cake for only 16 kc and scoped out the scene. I saw a grandmother getting ice cream with her granddaughter, mothers gossiping over lattes and rowdy school children getting an after school snack. It is fascinating to see how similar some things are between the Czech Republic and America. I could have been in Edison observing the same interactions.

I was surprised to discover the Mělník winery is small and not known for high quality wine. The wine we tasted on the tour seemed okay to me, but I’m not exactly a professional and the sample they gave us was barely a sip. It was hard to get a good read on the taste of the wine; however, I was still pretty jealous upon hearing that when a member of the Lobkowitz family turned 18 they received a 6,000 liter barrel of wine. The interesting history of the winery made the tour of the cellars worth the 200 kc entrance fee. The tour guide educated us on the different time periods of the winery. Not surprisingly, the Mělník winery saw the greatest changes during the reign of Charles IV. The guide also explained why the growth of the winery mirrored the growth of Christianity in Bohemia. The growing number of Christians meant a growing demand of wine for services. It is funny that now, even though atheists make up 80%of the country, Czechs can buy the same Mělník wine formerly used in church at their local Tesco *. Overall the tour of the cellars was damp, cold, smelly and boring. I kind of wish I stayed at the café.


*Tesco is Czech’s version of target. More on that later….

View from Prague Castle

When I haven’t been in orientation I have been on field trips or out and about the city. I’ll start off this post by telling you all about one of the best nights I’ve had. Later tonight I will tell you about my field trips and plans for the next few days.

At about 11pm on Tuesday, my roommates and I decided we wanted to take the tram into Prague 1 and get a snack. We knew many things would not be open, but after having orientation all day we were ready to get out and see Prague for ourselves. So we asked our dorm mother, an old Czech woman who lives with her husband in the dorm, for some suggestions where to go. She recommended an area with shops that would be open so we set off on the tram.

When we got downtown 15 minutes later, the suggested café was no longer accepting customers. we found a little Italian eatery still open. This was the first time we left the touristy Old Town area, so we were surprised and a little nervous when we realized wait staff did not speak English. We know absolutely no Czech so ordering was a challenge. Luckily the waiter was patient and our food came out correct. My ice cream and crepes were delicious. Probably the best food I’ve has since I left England.

I really liked the restaurant because it lacked the pretentiousness that all the Old Town area stuff is known for. The décor was simple, the food was good and a group of Czech men played cards and drank coffee at the next table over. It was also nice to get finally get away from our group. Traveling in groups is fun, but when you are with 10 American girls things get loud, the restaurant and its patrons get angry with you and you miss out on what’s happening all around. So it was really refreshing to go out to quiet meal off the beaten path. One thing you should know about Czech restaurants is that the service is slow. You can’t go in expecting to be in and out like we do in America. Czech waiters do not want to rush you, so they will not never bring the bill until you ask for it. This is a stark contrast from my days at cheeseburger in paradise, where we were yelled at if we didn’t bring the check immediately after the customers finished their meal.

By the time my roommates and I finished, the 22 tram had stopped running. It is possible to take other trams but we forgot our transportation maps. We had no choice but to walk. I didn’t mind. Prague at night is even more beautiful than Prague during the day. We ended up getting lost and wandering around the city. Forgetting the map ended up a blessing in disguise because each place we ended up was more incredible than the one before. On the way up the hill to Prague 6, where our dorm is located, we climbed the steps up Prague castle. The view from the top was worth the steps. From there we could see the entire city lit up. If you are ever in Prague you must see this. Even if you are only here for one night you seriously have to take in this view. I cannot wait to show it to everyone who comes to visit.

From the top the castle I felt the city come alive. For that moment all my problems, jet lag and homesickness went away. All I could think about was how lucky I am to be in such an amazing place filled with history and culture. The view made me realize how truly excited I am to spend the next several months in Prague.