Page 57

A weekend in Brno

Brno Church 1 — Sv Jakuba / Church of St James, Brno © Ricky Yates

As I explained in my previous post, we spent the last weekend of our recent holiday, in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. Brno is just over 200 kilometres south-east of Prague and is situated at the confluence of the Svratka and Svitava rivers. With a population of about 400,000, the city is about one third of the size of the Czech capital.

Within the historic centre of Brno, there are a whole variety of different Churches. The one pictured on the left here, is dedicated to Sv Jakuba / St. James and is a fine example of baroque architecture. According to my ‘Brno City Guide’, the top of the spire is 92 metres high.

We were pleased to be able to walk around the interior of the Church and observe the very high pillars which in turn, support a fine vaulted roof. Being a Church dedicated to St. James, we were not surprised to find a photographic display of a group of parishioners who had made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela a few years previously. But they clearly had started walking to Santiago at some point in Spain, unlike their mediaeval forebears, whose pilgrimage would, no doubt, have begun at the west door of this Church!

Brno Church 2 — Cervený kostel /Red Church, Brno © Ricky Yates

The Church pictured on the right is known as Cervený kostel or in English as ‘The Red Church’. It is one of several similar red brick Churches that can be found in various parts of the Czech Republic, all dating from the second half of the nineteenth century. They were built following a ‘Toleration of Protestants’ act of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 1850s, which for the first time allowed protestant groups to build and own church buildings which actually looked like Churches with towers or spires and bells.

When first built, this Church was used for worship by German-speaking Lutherans. There was a large German-speaking population in Brünn, (as German-speakers still call Brno), until the expulsion of the Sudetendeutsche in 1945 following the end of the Second World War. It now belongs to the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, the largest Protestant denomination in the Czech Republic who came into being in December 1918, when the Czech-speaking Lutheran Church amalgamated with the Czech-speaking Presbyterian/Reformed Church.

Below is pictured the Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. Although situated on the site of previous Churches dating from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the building obtained its current Neo-Gothic appearance when it was reconstructed in the early years of the twentieth century.

Brno Church 3 — The Cathedral Church of St. Peter & St. Paul, Brno © Ricky Yates

Brno Castle 1 — Entrance to Špilberk Castle, Brno © Ricky Yates

Immediately west of the historic centre of Brno, is a rocky outcrop on which stands Hrad Špilberk / Špilberk Castle. Founded in the second half of the thirteenth century, the castle has been altered, extended and rebuilt many times since. It also has a chequered history, (please excuse the pun), which in many ways, reflects the experience of the Czech people over the centuries. One of its many claims to fame is resisting a siege lasting four months, by Swedish troops in 1645, thus changing the eventual outcome of the Thirty Years War.

The fortifications are impressive which I hope will be well illustrated by the photograph below. At various times Špilberk Castle has been both a prison and a military barracks. Since 1960, it has been part of Brno City Museum and we spent most of our Saturday afternoon in Brno, visiting two different exhibitions within the castle – one explaining the numerous centuries of central European history – the other, a wonderful collection of art work from the late nineteenth century through to the beginning of the Second World War.

Brno Castle 2 — The fortifications of Špilberk Castle © Ricky Yates

Below are two photographs that I took when exploring the castle complex. One shows the depth of the moat that surrounds the central part of the castle. The other shows part of the casements, a series of rooms constructed within the castle walls which have been used over time as both prison cells and for the storage of military armaments.

Brno Castle 3 — Moat of Špilberk Castle, Brno © Ricky Yates

Brno Castle 4 — Casement within Špilberk Castle, Brno © Ricky Yates

Brno building — Decorated building in Brno © Ricky Yates

Just as in Prague, it is possible to walk the streets of the historic centre of Brno, and see a whole variety of different styles of architecture and artistic decoration on the exterior of buildings. This one photograph doesn’t do justice to the wealth and variety that there is to be seen.

Brno Old Tram — Historic tram in Brno © Ricky Yates

Likewise as in Prague, Brno has an excellent public transport network including many trams. At weekends, this historic tram runs along a central circuit, a reminder of how public transport used to be many decades ago.

Over the weekend, we enjoyed the company and hospitality of our friends Lynsey and Johnny who walked around with us all day on Saturday 28th July. Late in the afternoon, they took us for some well-earned drinks at one of their favourite Brno cafés.

Brno L & J — Lynsey & Johnny relaxing in a Brno café © Ricky Yates

As you can see, Johnny’s friend Pfeffer, who travels around with him in his shoulder bag, took a fancy to my beer 🙂

Brno L & J 2 — Pfeffer enjoying my beer! © Ricky Yates

Sand sculpture in Brno

Sand Art 4 — A sand sculpture in Námestí Svobody, Brno © Ricky Yates

We spent the last weekend of our recent holiday, staying with our friends Lynsey and Johnny in Brno. It allowed me to get to know the second city of the Czech Republic better, having previously only paid flying visits there to plan, and then more recently to conduct, Church services. For Sybille, it was her first ever visit.

Walking into Námestí Svobody, the main city square in Brno, early on the evening of Friday 27th July, we found that a series of sand sculptures by various artists had been created as part of what is called the ‘Golden Sand Festival’. However, despite its English name, the associated website www.goldensandfestival.cz , is only available in Czech or Slovak! But I still have been able to glean from the website that this is the third year of the festival. The first occasion was in Olomouc in 2010, whilst in 2011, it was held in Nitra, a city in western Slovakia.

On the left is a photograph of one of the sculptures whilst below are photographs of two more examples. One has to admire both the amazing skills of the various artists whilst feeling sad that they can only be temporary structures which will eventually have to be moved and destroyed.

Sand Art 3 — A sand sculpture in Námestí Svobody, Brno © Ricky Yates

Sand Art 1 — A sand sculpture in Námestí Svobody, Brno © Ricky Yates

Along with football, (soccer to my American readers), and tennis, the other major sport in the Czech Republic is ice hockey. Of course, to Czech people it is just hokej, as what I know as ‘hockey’, (field hockey to my American readers), is virtually unknown here. For the first time in many years, the leading ice hockey club in Brno, Kometa, won the Czech championship and the sculpture pictured below celebrates that triumph. Of course, in this day and age, the club’s major sponsor Starobrno, the local brewery, has to feature too!

Sand Art 5 — A sand sculpture celebrating the recent success of Kometa Brno Ice Hockey Club © Ricky Yates

These days, sponsors are almost always needed before any artistic or cultural event can take place. This certainly is true of the ‘Golden Sands Festival’ so another sculpture featured the logos of the various organisations and companies who had contributed towards it being staged. It is a somewhat eclectic mix I think you will agree, ranging from the the city of Brno, via McDonalds, to Johnny Servis, the local supplier of portable toilets 🙂

Sand Art 2 — The sponsors logos carved in sand © Ricky Yates

Much as I love living in the Czech Republic, one drawback is that it is a landlocked country, a very long distance from the sea. Therefore, alongside the display of sand sculptures, the Brno city authorities had created the ‘Brno beach’, with deckchairs and a beach bar. Somewhat illusory but still great fun!

Sand Art 6 — The ‘Brno beach’ © Ricky Yates

Kutná Hora

KH Cathedral East End — The Cathedral Church of St. Barbara, Kutná Hora © Ricky Yates

The historic small city of Kutná Hora lies about 70 kilometres east of Prague and it took us around an hour and twenty minutes to drive there on Tuesday 24th July. It is a popular place to visit on a day trip from Prague and of all the places we visited during our recent ‘staycation’, it was the one where we saw greatest number of other tourists.

KH Cathedral West End — The west end of the Cathedral Church of St. Barbara, Kutná Hora © Ricky Yates

During early mediaeval times, Kutná Hora was as significant a settlement as Prague, its wealth coming from the mining of silver in the surrounding hills. It was here that silver groschen were minted which was the hard currency of Central Europe during that time. However, a combination of the silver ore being depleted and the city being ravaged by both sides during the Thirty Years War, led to the city’s decline. It now has a population of 21,000 as against Prague with 1.3 million!

The crowning glory of Kutná Hora is its Cathedral, dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners. It was begun in the late fourteenth century and was mainly completed by the middle of the sixteenth century. Its current form dates from restoration work undertaken in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when a series of impressive stained glass windows were added.

KH Stained Glass 1 — Stained glass window © Ricky Yates

KH Stained Glass 2 — Stained glass window © Ricky Yates

Whilst the stained glass is relatively modern, frescos such as these below, date from mediaeval times. The sheer height of the nave, looking towards the high altar, is extremely impressive.

KH Frescos — Mediaeval frescos © Ricky Yates

KH Nave & High Altar — The nave & high altar © Ricky Yates

Following the upheavals of the Thirty Years War, the Jesuits arrived in Kutná Hora in the latter part of the seventeenth century, as part of the re-catholization of Bohemia that followed the defeat of the Hussites and their supporters. They were responsible for building a very large Jesuit College and various other buildings and Churches within the city. On the opposite side of the street that runs alongside the Jesuit College towards the Cathedral, is a wall with a series of statues of a variety of saints, the arrangement being apparently inspired by the statues on Charles Bridge in Prague.

KH Jesuit College — The Jesuit College at Kutná Hora © Ricky Yates

KH St James Church — The Church of St. James at Kutná Hora © Ricky Yates

Everywhere you look around Kutná Hora the architecture is quite stunning. In writing and illustrating this post, it is difficult to know what to leave out 🙂 However I couldn’t omit this Church, dedicated to St. James. If you look closely, you will see that it is incomplete. It was supposed to have a second tower but only the base was ever built which now has a simple roof and cross constructed on top of it.

Located in the outer suburb of Sedlec is the other main visitor attraction in Kutná Hora – probably the most famous ossuary in the whole of the Czech Republic. It is far better known and receives far more visitors than the ossuary at Melník that we visited the previous week. It is to be found in the crypt of All Saints Church and was created in the late nineteenth century by a local woodcarver, after the Schwarzenberg family purchased the buildings making up the former Sedlec Monastry.

Within the crypt, the remains of about 40,000 people have been rearranged to create, (amongst other things), a chandelier and the coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family. In both a leaflet we were given and in a guidebook that I have, there is great emphasis that this creation is to remind us all of the transience of human life and the undeniable fact of death. It is right and proper that we are reminded of these things but I have to say that it is a rather unusual way of doing so.

KH Ossuary 2 — Chandelier made of human bones in the Sedlec Ossuary © Ricky Yates

KH Ossuary 1 — The coat of arms of the Schwarzenberg family in the Sedlec ossuary © Ricky Yates

KH Ossuary 3 — All Saints Church, Sedlec © Ricky Yates

Prague Botanical Garden

Bot Garden 1 — A colourful flower bed in Prague Botanical Garden © Ricky Yates

The Prague Botanical Garden is situated in the suburb of Troja, adjacent to Prague Zoo. So our journey to get there on Monday 23rd July was exactly the same as the one I described in my earlier post about our visit to the zoo. We had only visited the Botanical Garden once previously, about three years ago, and it proved to be somewhere well worth re-visiting.

The southern section of the garden consists of a series of beds planted with a whole variety flowers from across Europe and beyond. The photograph on the left is of a bed of perennial and annual plants which over the summer months, sees more than 300 species in bloom. These beds are surrounded by manicured lawns with plenty of space for people just to sit and relax and enjoy the beauty of the flowers.

Another area is given over to plants that enjoy more moisture and has a small lake at it centre. Other areas that have more trees feature flowers and plants that prefer a little more shade.

Immediately below the southern section lies the much longer-established St. Claire’s Vineyard, now incorporated within the Botanical Garden. The vineyard takes its name from the little chapel dedicated to St. Claire that is situated right on the top of the south-facing slope of the vineyard. The photograph below was taken from alongside the chapel.

Bot Garden 2 — St. Claire’s Vineyard looking towards Zámek Troja © Ricky Yates

Below the vineyard, but outside of the Botanical Garden, is Zámek Troja. It too is surrounded by very attractive gardens including a long-established maze. But because the Zámek is now an art gallery in the care of Prague City Council, like nearly all art galleries and museums in the Czech Republic, it doesn’t open on Mondays. And unfortunately, as we discovered, the same applies to the grounds as well as to the Zámek.

Bot Garden 3 — A view of the Japanese Garden © Ricky Yates

Adjacent to the more ornamental beds of the southern section of the Botanical Garden is a separate Japanese Garden. It features broadleaved trees of Japanese and Chinese origin, together with a stream and small lake. Most significantly, it also has a collection of bonsai trees, one of which can be clearly seen in this photograph on the left.

The larger, wilder northern section of the Botanical Garden lies further uphill with more than half of it being forested. However, two sections display different aspects of the natural world of North America. One area is has plants from the prairie whilst another displays plants and flowers from the semi-desert regions including these bright purple flowers below.

With an entry fee of just CZK 50 for Sybille and only CZK 25 for me being ‘senior’ aged 60-69 🙂 , we shall certainly return to see the Prague Botanical Garden in another season. But we’ll try and avoid going on a Monday so we can visit the gardens of Zámek Troja as well!

Bot Garden 4 — Flowers from the North American semi-desert © Ricky Yates

Krivoklát Castle

Krivoklat 1 — Krivoklát Castle © Ricky Yates

About 50 kilometres west of Prague, in the beautiful wooded valley of the Berounka River, lies the village of Krivoklát with its historic 12th century castle. Whilst it is slightly further away from Prague and somewhat less accessible than the much better-known Karlštejn Castle, I was still surprised at the relatively small number of other visitors there were when we visited on Thursday 19th July.

The original castle was completed in 1109, just over 900 years ago. As with so many castles, over the following centuries it has been altered, extended and re-built after being badly damaged by fire. Once through the main gate, there is a large courtyard surrounded by buildings of different architectural styles. These house various artistic exhibitions and shops as well as providing some residential accommodation, presumably for staff who help maintain and run the castle today.

Krivoklat 2 — The courtyard inside Krivoklát Castle © Ricky Yates

Krivoklat 4 — The well inside the courtyard of Krivoklát Castle © Ricky Yates

In the centre of the courtyard is the well which in times past, would have been the only source of water for the castle residents.

Krivoklat 3 — Sundial on one of the courtyard walls © Ricky Yates

On one of the walls within the courtyard is the inevitable sundial 🙂

Krivoklat 5 — The view from the top of Krivoklát Castle tower © Ricky Yates

It is possible to explore the castle ramparts and then climb to the top of the round tower for this spectacular view down to the village in the valley below and across the nearby countryside. The beautiful forested area surrounding the village is designated as the Krivoklátsko Protected Landscape Region – a UNESCO ‘biosphere preservation’ area.

This was a most enjoyable day trip to a place and surrounding area which was completely new to us. There is so much more to tempt us to return in the not too distant future.