HI, I'M RICK STEVES, BACK WITH MORE OF THE BEST OF EUROPE.
THIS TIME, WE'RE SOAKING UP
THE OFFBEAT DELIGHTS OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
TO GET A FAIR LOOK AT ANY COUNTRY,
YOU NEED TO VENTURE BEYOND ITS DOMINANT CITY.
HERE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, THERE'S A WORLD
OF CULTURAL RICHES OUTSIDE OF PRAGUE,
AND IN THIS EPISODE, THAT'S OUR FOCUS.
WE'LL DISCOVER STATELY SQUARES WITH NO TOURISTS,
EAT STINKY CHEESE,
AND WASH IT DOWN WITH EUROPE'S BEST BEER.
STINKIEST CHEESE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
SEE THE TROPHIES OF A BORED YET TRIGGER-HAPPY PRINCE,
AND LEARN OF AN EVIL NAZI HOAX.
THEN WE'LL FOLLOW THE EPIC STORY
OF THE CZECH NATION ON CANVAS,
PADDLE THROUGH THE BOHEMIAN COUNTRYSIDE,
AND DELIGHT IN A FAIRYTALE TOWN
THAT COMES COMPLETE WITH JAUNTY GYPSY MUSIC.
BURIED IN THE HEART OF CENTRAL EUROPE IS THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
SKIPPING PRAGUE, THE CAPITAL,
WE START IN OLOMOUC IN MORAVIA
BEFORE VISITING MORAVSKY KRUMLOV,
TREBON, TEREZIN, KONOPISTE,
AND CESKY KRUMLOV.
AS EUROPE UNITES INTO ONE VAST FREE TRADE ZONE,
IT'S EMPLOYING ITS OWN KIND OF INTERNAL MARSHALL PLAN,
INVESTING HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
INTO ITS OWN INFRASTRUCTURE.
HERE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC,
THEY'VE GOT A NEW EXPRESS TRAIN
ZIPPING YOU IN LESS THAN TWO HOURS
FROM PRAGUE TO HERE, OLOMOUC.
ITS CIRCA-1950s TRAIN STATION
IS A FASCINATING BLEND OF OLD AND NEW.
BRIGHT AND HAPPY WORKERS PUT DOWN THEIR HAMMERS
AND SICKLES LONG ENOUGH TO GREET YOU,
A REMINDER OF THE COUNTRY'S RECENT COMMUNIST PAST.
JUST A SHORT TRAM RIDE FROM THE STATION
GETS US TO THE OLD TOWN CENTER.
OLOMOUC, THE HISTORIC CAPITAL OF THIS REGION,
IS THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S FIFTH-LARGEST CITY
WITH 100,000 PEOPLE AND HOME TO A LEADING UNIVERSITY.
WITH ITS WEALTH OF CAFES, CLUBS, AND STUDENT LIFE,
OLOMOUC GIVES YOU VIBRANT LOCAL CULTURE
WITHOUT THE TOURIST CROWDS AND HIGH PRICES OF PRAGUE.
I'M JOINED BY MY CZECH FRIEND AND CO-AUTHOR
OF MY CZECH REPUBLIC GUIDEBOOK, HONZA VIHAN.
SO, MORAVIA, IS THAT A POLITICAL UNIT
OR AN ETHNIC REGION?
MORAVIA IS A REGION: IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
AND HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE MORAVIAN PEOPLE?
WELL, TO GENERALIZE,
THE MORAVIANS ARE MORE EMOTIONAL AND FRIENDLIER
THAN THE PEOPLE IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY.
Steves: THE FORTUNE AND MISFORTUNE OF OLOMOUC
COMES FROM ITS STRATEGIC LOCATION
AT THE INTERSECTION OF CENTRAL EUROPE'S
MAIN EAST-WEST AND NORTH-SOUTH
TRADE ROUTES.
THE CITY'S HISTORIC CORE IS SIMPLY WORKADAY MORAVIA.
TRAMS CLATTER THROUGH THE STREETS
AS THEY HAVE FOR A CENTURY.
THE TOWN'S ECONOMY IS LIVELY,
EVEN WITHOUT MUCH TOURISM.
STANDING IN FRONT OF THE TOWN HALL,
SURROUNDED BY THE VAST SQUARE
AND ITS FINE NOBLE AND BOURGEOIS RESIDENCES,
YOU CAN IMAGINE THE IMPORTANCE OF OLOMOUC IN CENTURIES PAST.
THE PEOPLE HERE ARE PROUD,
AS IF THEIR FINE CITY WAS STILL RULING MORAVIA,
WHICH IT HASN'T DONE SINCE ABOUT 1640.
LOCALS BRAG THAT THEIR CITY IS HOME
TO THE COUNTRY'S SECOND-MOST-IMPORTANT BISHOP
AND ITS SECOND-MOST-IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY.
PERENNIALLY NUMBER TWO OLOMOUC ACTUALLY BUILT ITS BELL TOWER
TO BE SIX FEET TALLER THAN PRAGUE'S.
BUT, WHEN IT COMES TO PLAGUE MONUMENTS,
OLOMOUC IS UNRIVALED.
THIS BABY IS THE TALLEST AND MOST GRANDIOSE ANYWHERE.
THROUGHOUT CENTRAL EUROPE,
SQUARES LIKE THIS ARE DECORATED WITH SIMILAR STRUCTURES
ERECTED BY LOCALS TO GIVE THANKS FOR SURVIVING THE PLAGUE.
THE TIP OF THE COLUMN FEATURES THE HOLY TRINITY --
GOD, THE FATHER, MAKING A BLESSING,
CHRIST, SITTING ON A GLOBE,
AND THE DOVE, REPRESENTING THE HOLY SPIRIT.
TUMBLING BELOW THE TRINITY, THE ARCHANGEL, MICHAEL,
WITH HIS EVER-READY SWORD AND SHIELD,
REMINDS US THAT THE CHURCH: IS IN A CONSTANT STRUGGLE WITH EVIL.
IT ALL SITS UPON A TINY CHAPEL
WHERE, ON THE DATE THE COLUMN WAS INAUGURATED IN 1754,
THE MIGHTY HABSBURG EMPRESS, MARIA THERESA,
WHO TRAVELED ALL THE WAY FROM VIENNA,
KNELT TO PRAY, DEVOUT YET ENVIOUS.
PROUD LITTLE OLOMOUC, WAY OUT HERE IN MORAVIA,
HAD A PLAGUE COLUMN GRANDER THAN VIENNA'S.
A SERIES OF ALLEGORICAL FOUNTAINS
DECORATE THE OLD TOWN.
MOST WERE INSPIRED BY CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY.
THIS ONE, FEATURING JULIUS CAESAR,
IS DEDICATED TO THE LEGENDARY FOUNDER OF THE TOWN.
THE MODERN TURTLE FOUNTAIN IS A POPULAR
MEETING PLACE FOR YOUNG MOTHERS
AND A FINE PLACE TO WATCH TODDLERS ENJOY THE ART.
THIS ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK WAS DESTROYED
BY THE NAZIS IN WORLD WAR II.
TODAY'S VERSION WAS REBUILT IN 1953 BY THE COMMUNISTS
WITH THEIR KITSCHY FLAIR FOR PROPAGANDA.
IN GOOD SOCIAL REALIST STYLE, YOU HAVE EARNEST CHEMISTS
AND HEROIC MOTHERS RATHER THAN HOLY SAINTS AND VIRGIN MARIES.
IN THIS REGION, SO RICH IN AGRICULTURE,
THESE SYMBOLS OF THE 12 MONTHS
EACH FEATURE A SEASONAL FARM ACTIVITY.
HIGH NOON IS MARKED BY A PROLETARIAN PARADE,
WHEN A MECHANICAL CONGA LINE OF MILKMAIDS,
CLERKS, BLACKSMITHS, TEACHERS,
AND FIRST DEFENDERS ARE CELEBRATED
AS THE CHAMPIONS OF EVERYDAY SOCIETY.
[ MELODIC CHIMING ]
AS WITH ANY FULL-SERVICE ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK,
THERE'S A WHEEL WITH 365 SAINTS
SO YOU'LL ALWAYS KNOW WHOSE SPECIAL DAY IT IS.
AND THIS CLOCK COMES WITH A MOSCOW-INSPIRED BONUS.
RED BANDS SPLICE IN THE SPECIAL DAYS OF COMMUNIST HEROES.
LENIN DIED ON THE 21st DAY OF THE YEAR.
STALIN'S SAINT WAS THOMAS, DAY 355.
[ MELODIC CHIMING ]
WE CAN'T LEAVE OLOMOUC WITHOUT EXPERIENCING
ONE OF THE CITY'S GREATEST ATTRACTIONS --
ITS NOTORIOUSLY STINKY CHEESE.
SO, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT
THE GREAT CZECH BEER, BUT WHAT'S WITH
THIS FAMOUS CHEESE FROM MORAVIA?
OH, THE OLOMOUCKE TVARUZKY?
WELL, IT'S THE STINKIEST CHEESE IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY.
REALLY?
AND IF THERE IS ONE THING YOU ASSOCIATE WITH OLOMOUC,
IT'S THIS CHEESE.
MY MOM, WHO COMES FROM THIS REGION,
WHEN I WAS A KID, WHEN SHE WOULD START EATING THIS AT HOME,
ME AND MY DAD,
WE JUST CLEAR OUT THE KITCHEN.
SO THE THING THAT MAKES THIS CHEESE IS THE WAY IT AGES.
IT AGES ON AN AGED MEAT,
SO THE MEAT ITSELF HAS TO BE AGED TO AGE THIS CHEESE.
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO AGE: IN ORDER TO LEARN TO LIKE THIS CHEESE.
AND WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING ON IT?
THAT'S YOUNG ONION.
YOUNG, STRONG ONION.
WHY'S THAT IMPORTANT?
IT'S GOOD FOR YOU AS A MAN.
[ LAUGHS ]
STINKS, BUT IT'S GOOD.
AND WHAT IS THIS?
THIS IS A REALLY STRONG MINT: SO YOU CAN GO AND KISS YOUR WIFE WHEN YOU GO HOME.
[ LAUGHS ]
30 MILES SOUTH OF PRAGUE IS KONPISTE,
THE LAVISH RESIDENCE OF THE ARCHDUKE FRANZ FERDINAND.
ITS INTERIOR DATES FROM ABOUT 1900
WHEN THE HEIR OF THE HABSBURG THRONE,
FRANZ FERDINAND, MOVED IN.
AGAINST THE WISHES OF HIS UNCLE, EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH,
FRANZ FERDINAND MARRIED A CZECH COUNTESS, SOPHIE.
TO ESCAPE FAMILY PROBLEMS BACK IN VIENNA,
HE PURCHASED KONOPISTE AND MOVED HERE
TO RAISE THEIR THREE CHILDREN AND WAIT HIS TURN TO BE EMPEROR.
MONEY WAS NO OBJECT: AS FRANZ FERDINAND TURNED HIS CASTLE
INTO A PALACE WITH ALL THE LATEST COMFORTS.
AS ONE OF THE FIRST CASTLES IN EUROPE TO HAVE AN ELEVATOR,
A SHOWER WITH HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER...
AND EVEN A NEW-FANGLED FLUSH TOILET,
KONOPISTE SHOWS MODERN LIVING AROUND THE YEAR 1900.
THE ARCHDUKE HAD LOTS OF TIME ON HIS HANDS
AS HIS UNCLE, EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH,
HELD ONTO POWER FROM 1848 ALL THE WAY UNTIL 1916.
WHILE HE WAITED, FRANZ FERDINAND AMASSED ONE OF
THE BEST COLLECTIONS OF ARMS AND ARMOR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
THE EXHIBIT, MOSTLY ITALIAN FROM THE 16th TO THE 18th CENTURIES,
RAISES WEAPONRY TO AN ART FORM.
AND FOR FRANZ FERDINAND, GUNS WERE MORE THAN SHOWPIECES.
OBSESSED WITH HUNTING, HE TRAVELED
AROUND THE WORLD,
SHOOTING AT ANYTHING WITH FOUR LEGS -- DEER,
BEAR, TIGERS, ELEPHANTS, AND THIS POLISH BUFFALO.
HE ACTUALLY RECORDED OVER 200,000 KILLS IN HIS LOG.
KEEP IN MIND, ROYAL HUNTING
WAS A KIND OF MASSACRE GAME, WITH HIS AIDS SWEEPING
DOOMED ANIMALS INTO THE ARCHDUKE'S EAGER SIGHTS.
OVER 4,000 TROPHIES
DECORATE THE WALLS AND HALLS OF HIS CASTLE.
FRANZ FERDINAND DID MORE THAN HIS SHARE OF SHOOTING,
BUT IN 1914, HE HIMSELF WAS SHOT,
ALONG WITH HIS BELOVED WIFE, SOPHIE, IN SARAJEVO.
HIS ASSASSINATION SPARKED WORLD WAR I,
WHICH ULTIMATELY ENDED THE RULE OF THE HABSBURG FAMILY,
WHOSE CROWN HE HAD WAITED SO LONG TO INHERIT.
ANOTHER SITE NEAR PRAGUE IS TEREZIN,
A TOWN BUILT IN THE 1780s WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART WALLS
DESIGNED TO KEEP OUT GERMAN ENEMIES.
IN 1941, THE NAZIS EVICTED ITS 7,000 INHABITANTS
AND PACKED IN 60,000 JEWS,
CREATING THE TEREZIN CONCENTRATION CAMP.
THE TOWN'S HISTORIC WALLS,
ORIGINALLY MEANT TO KEEP GERMANS OUT,
WERE NOW USED BY GERMANS TO KEEP THE JEWS IN.
BUT THIS WAS A CONCENTRATION CAMP
WITH A DEVIOUS TWIST.
THIS WAS THE NAZI'S MODEL JEWISH TOWN.
IN REALITY, A CONCENTRATION CAMP,
DOLLED UP FOR PROPAGANDA PURPOSES.
HERE IN WHAT THEY CALLED: "THE SELF-GOVERNING JEWISH RESETTLEMENT AREA,"
JEWISH CULTURE SEEMED TO THRIVE
AS CITIZENS PUT ON PLAYS AND CONCERTS,
PUBLISHED A MAGAZINE, AND RAISED THEIR FAMILIES
IN WAYS THAT IMPRESSED RED CROSS INSPECTORS.
THE GERMANS WANTED THE JEWS TO ACCEPT THIS NEW REALITY --
HARSH, BUT AT LEAST LIFE WOULD GO ON.
CHILDREN MADE DOLLS OF THEIR FRIENDS IN TRANSPORT,
AS IF RELOCATING: WAS JUST THE START OF THE NEXT STAGE OF THEIR LIVES.
THEY DREW CARE-FREE MEMORIES OF LIFE BEFORE INCARCERATION,
AND THEY MADE SCRAPBOOKS ABOUT LIFE IN THE CAMP.
THE MUSEUM COMES WITH A RECREATED BARRACKS
FURNISHED WITH ACTUAL BELONGINGS
OF TEREZIN INMATES.
SINKS WERE INSTALLED, LOOKING GOOD
FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE INSPECTORS
FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD,
BUT NEVER ACTUALLY PLUMBED WITH WATER.
GROUP SHOWERS BECAME A ROUTINE PART OF LIFE HERE.
THE FATAL LAST SHOWER: MANY TEREZIN RESIDENTS WOULD LATER TAKE AT AUSCHWITZ
LOOKED NO DIFFERENT, EXCEPT THERE WERE NO WINDOWS.
TOLERABLE AS THIS SHAM JEWISH TOWN SEEMED,
VIRTUALLY ALL OF TEREZIN'S JEWS
ULTIMATELY ENDED UP DYING EITHER HERE
OR AT THE EXTERMINATION CAMPS FURTHER EAST.
AS YOU EXPLORE THE CAMP,
PONDER THE MESSAGE OF ALL SUCH MEMORIALS --
"FORGIVE, BUT NEVER FORGET."
TODAY, THE CZECH REPUBLIC,
INDEPENDENT AND ENJOYING AN UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY,
IS DOTTED WITH PLAIN AND SLEEPY TOWNS.
THESE NONDESCRIPT WORKADAY PLACES GO ABOUT LIFE,
OBLIVIOUS TO MODERN TOURISM.
BUT ONE PARTICULARLY UGLY TOWN HIDES AN ARTISTIC PEARL.
MORAVSKY KRUMLOV HAS ONLY ONE REAL RESTAURANT,
AND SHOPS SHUT DOWN BY 5: 00.
THE CONCRETE UGLINESS OF THE CIRCA-1950s MAIN SQUARE,
REBUILT AFTER THE TOWN: WAS BOMBED OUT BY RUSSIANS IN WORLD WAR II,
FEELS A WORLD APART FROM THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
BUT THERE'S ONE GOOD REASON TO VISIT MORAVSKY KRUMLOV --
DISCOVERING "THE SLAVIC EPIC"
BY THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S GREATEST PAINTER,
ALFONS MUCHA.
HIS MASTERPIECE IS TUCKED AWAY IN THE TOWN'S DECAYING CASTLE.
AROUND 1900, MUCHA MADE A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL
COMMERCIAL CAREER FOR HIMSELF
AS THE ART NOUVEAU POSTER ARTIST
AND ILLUSTRATOR OF ADS AND MAGAZINE COVERS.
HIS SPECIALTY -- PRETTY WOMEN WITH FLOWERS,
PORTRAITS OF RICH WIVES,
AND SWANKY MODELS CELEBRATING THE GOOD LIFE.
BUT HE GREW TIRED OF COMMERCIAL ART.
MUCHA DEDICATED THE SECOND HALF OF HIS CAREER, 18 YEARS,
TO PAINTING "THE SLAVIC EPIC," 20 HUGE CANVASES
DESIGNED TO TELL THE STORY OF HIS NATION
ON A GRAND SCALE.
THE ART FILLS THIS HUMBLE SPACE
ONLY UNTIL A SUITABLE HOME CAN BE FOUND IN PRAGUE.
IN THIS SELF-PORTRAIT,
YOUNG MUCHA IS THE SEER, A CONDUIT,
DETERMINED TO SHARE WISDOM OF A SAGE SLAV
WITH HIS FELLOW CZECHS.
MUCHA PAINTS A BROTHERHOOD OF SLAVIC PEOPLE --
SERBS, RUSSIANS, POLES, AND CZECHS,
WHO SHARE A COMMON HERITAGE, DEEP ROOTS,
A HARD-FOUGHT PAST, AND ULTIMATE TRIUMPH.
THROUGH THIS SERIES OF EPIC EVENTS,
CZECHS CAN TRACE THEIR ETHNIC ROOTS.
MUCHA, WITH HIS ROMANTIC NATIONALIST VISION,
SHOWS HOW, THROUGH THE AGES, GOTHS AND GERMANIC PEOPLE
HAVE BROUGHT TERROR AND DESTRUCTION TO THE SLAVS,
THE SLAVS, WHOSE PAGAN ROOTS
ARE WOVEN DEEP INTO THEIR NATIONAL CHARACTER.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH
PROVIDED A COMMON THREAD FOR SLAVIC PEOPLES.
TO MAINTAIN THEIR IDENTITY,
THEY STOOD UP TO THE ROMAN CHURCH
WITH COURAGEOUS RELIGIOUS LEADERS
BOLDLY CONFRONTING VATICAN OFFICIALS.
THE PRINTING OF THE BIBLE IN THE CZECH LANGUAGE
WAS A CULTURAL MILESTONE.
THEN, THEY ENDURED THREE CENTURIES OF DARKNESS
DURING THE TIME CZECHS WERE RULED BY THE CATHOLIC AUSTRIANS.
MUCHA'S FINAL CANVAS SHOWS THE ULTIMATE TRIUMPH
OF THE CZECH PEOPLE, AS, IN THE 20th CENTURY,
THEY JOINED A FAMILY OF NATIONS
WITH THEIR CZECH ETHNICITY INTACT.
"THE SLAVIC EPIC."
A SHORT DRIVE TAKES US TO ANOTHER POPULAR STOP, TREBON.
IT'S VENERABLE SQUARE: IS LINED WITH PLAYFUL ARCADES, ARTFULLY BLENDING
BOTH RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE BUILDING STYLES.
THE TOWN WAS BUILT BY 17th-CENTURY BUSINESSMEN
WHOSE WEALTH CAME FROM FISH FARMING.
FROM ONE OF THE OUTDOOR CAFES,
YOU CAN WATCH THE PARADE OF LOCAL LIFE
IN THE SHADOW OF ANOTHER PLAGUE MONUMENT.
THE BANKS SPORTS A RELIEF: EXTOLLING THE VIRTUE OF WORKING HARD
AND STOWING YOUR MONEY RIGHT HERE,
AND A HAPPY FISHERMAN CRADLES THE HISTORIC AND WIGGLY,
SOURCE OF THIS TOWN'S WEALTH.
CENTURIES AGO, THE LAKE BUILDERS OF TREBON
EMPLOYED INGENIOUS TECHNIQUES.
THEY TRANSFORMED WHAT WAS A FLOODING MARSHLAND
INTO A CLEVER AND DELIGHTFUL: COMBINATION OF LAKES, OAK-LINED DYKES...
AND FERTILE MEADOWS.
RATHER THAN UNPROFITABLE SOGGY FIELDS,
THE NOBLES WANTED PONDS, SWARMING WITH FISH.
TODAY, FIVE CENTURIES LATER, TREBON REMAINS
THE FISH-RAISING CAPITAL OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
16th-CENTURY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
STRUCK AN AMAZING BALANCE: BETWEEN CIVILIZATION AND NATURE,
WHICH TODAY IS A PROTECTED ECOSYSTEM.
NATURE ENTHUSIASTS VISIT TO BIRD-WATCH,
BIKE ALONG DYKES HELD TOGETHER BY ROOTS OF CENTURIES-OLD OAKS,
AND, OF COURSE, CATCH A FEW FISH.
TREBON'S OTHER CLAIM TO FAME, ITS PEAT SPA.
PATIENTS COME, MOSTLY ON THEIR DOCTORS' ORDERS,
AND THEREFORE COVERED BY THE NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM,
FOR WEEK-LONG STAYS,
AND GAWKY TOURISTS CAN LINE UP FOR A SOAK, TOO.
WITH CLINICAL EFFICIENCY...
RICK STEVES?
I'M SUDDENLY PART OF THE SYSTEM,
LIKE IT OR NOT.
SOAKING IN THE BLACK, SMELLY PEAT SLUDGE
IS THOUGHT TO CURE ACHING JOINTS AND SPINES.
WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.
THE TREATMENT CONTINUES: WITH A CURSORY HOSE-DOWN.
IT'S CAPPER, A NO-NONSENSE MASSAGE,
GIVES A RELAXING OPPORTUNITY TO JUDGE
THE POWER OF PEAT.
MOVING ON, WE ENTER THE REGION OF BOHEMIA.
THIS PART OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC, CLOSEST TO GERMANY,
IS MUCH-APPRECIATED FOR ITS PASTORAL COUNTRYSIDE,
AND FLOATING A FEW HOURS DOWN THE VLTAVA RIVER
THROUGH BOHEMIAN FORESTS AND VILLAGES,
YOU SEE WHY.
FAMILIES AND GANGS OF FRIENDS ENJOY MULTI-DAY RIVER TRIPS.
THESE GUYS AREN'T LETTING A LITTLE RAIN
DAMPEN THEIR SPIRITS.
ANYONE PASSING THROUGH CAN RENT A CANOE
AND ENJOY A PADDLE, SHORT OR LONG.
FLOAT COMPANIES PICK YOU UP AND DROP YOU
AT CONVENIENT AND SCENIC SPOTS OF YOUR CHOICE.
GOING WITH THE FLOW TAKES YOU TO
MY FAVORITE STOP IN THE CZECH COUNTRYSIDE
OUTSIDE OF PRAGUE, CESKY KRUMLOV.
THE ENCHANTING TOWN OF CESKY KRUMLOV,
BURIED IN THE HILLS OF BOHEMIA,
LASSOOED BY ITS RIVER, AND DOMINATED BY ITS CASTLE,
FEELS LOST IN A TIME WARP.
ITS DELIGHTFUL OLD TOWN OF SHOPS AND COBBLED LANES,
CHARACTERISTIC LITTLE RESTAURANTS,
AND EASY-GOING CANOEING OPTIONS
MAKES IT A FAVORITE WITH TOURISTS.
AND THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF ACCOMMODATIONS.
OUR HOME IS THE CASTLEVIEW APARTMENTS.
PLUSH AND THOUGHTFULLY-EQUIPPED,
MY ROOM IS TYPICAL OF THE WORK LOCALS ARE DOING,
AS EVEN MEDIEVAL LOFTS ARE BEING RENOVATED
TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE GROWING NUMBER OF VISITORS.
OPEN BEAMS,
A HANDY KITCHENETTE,
AND, AS ITS NAME PROMISES, A CASTLE VIEW,
MAKE THIS A FINE TEMPORARY HOME.
WITH A NATURAL MOAT PROVIDED BY THE VLTAVA RIVER,
IT'S NO WONDER THIS PLACE HAS BEEN A CHOICE SPOT FOR AGES.
THE 16th CENTURY WAS THE TOWN'S GOLDEN AGE
WHEN CESKY KRUMLOV WAS A CULTURAL POWER,
HOSTING ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS, AND ALCHEMISTS
FROM ALL OVER EUROPE.
THE TOWN'S MANY TOURISTS SET THEIR SIGHTS
ON THE MIGHTY CASTLE OF THE ROSENBERG FAMILY.
FOR THREE CENTURIES, UNTIL ABOUT 1600,
THE ROSENBERGS, BOHEMIA'S TOP NOBLE FAMILY,
RAN THE CITY FROM THIS PERCH.
ITS 16th-CENTURY RENAISSANCE PAINT JOB
IS FANCIFULLY RESTORED.
VISITORS WAIT THEIR APPOINTED TIME
FOR A TOUR IN THE CASTLE COURTYARD.
THE INTERIOR GIVES A GLIMPSE OF THE ULTIMATE
IN BOHEMIAN NOBLE LIVING THROUGH THE AGES.
IMAGINE BEING A GUEST, BACK IN THE 16th CENTURY,
OF THIS MAN, COUNT ROSENBERG.
YOU'D ENJOY THE SCENES FRESCOED HERE
WHICH CELEBRATE A ROSENBERG FAMILY WEDDING.
THEN, RIDING HIS ASSEMBLY LINE OF FINE LIVING,
YOU'D DINE HERE.
COME BACK TWO CENTURIES LATER, AND YOU'D DINE HERE.
AND, IF THE COUNTESS TIRED OF YOUR COMPANY,
SHE'D RETIRE TO HER ADJACENT BEDROOM,
BUT ONLY AFTER A SERVANT: LIT THE CANDLES ON HER MEISSEN PORCELAIN CHANDELIER.
AND OF COURSE, THE PARTY WOULD GO ON,
PERHAPS WITH A VENETIAN-STYLE MASQUERADE PARTY
IN THE BALLROOM.
FOR A LITTLE FRESH AIR,
YOU'D HIKE DOWN THIS CORRIDOR 150 YARDS
TO THE COUNT'S FORMAL GARDEN.
BUT DON'T FORGET,
AT 8: 00 P.M., THE CANDLES WOULD BE LIT
FOR A PLAY IN THE BAROQUE THEATER.
EUROPE ONCE HAD SEVERAL HUNDRED FINE BAROQUE THEATERS LIKE THIS.
USING CANDLES AND OIL LAMPS FOR LIGHT
AND PYROTECHNICS FOR SPECIAL EFFECTS,
EVENTUALLY, MOST OF THEM BURNED DOWN.
TODAY, ONLY FOUR SURVIVE THAT ARE IN BEAUTIFUL SHAPE
AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC,
LIKE THIS ONE HERE AT KRUMLOV CASTLE.
[ WHIRRING ]
BAROQUE THEATER WAS ALL ABOUT MELODRAMA.
LIGHTING, PERSPECTIVE, AND SOUND EFFECTS
WERE ALL MELODRAMATIC.
EVEN THE WEATHER WAS THRILLING,
WITH MACHINES TO MAKE HORRIFYING WIND...
[ WHIRRING ]
[ ROUGH WHIRRING ]
A DRIVING RAINSTORM...
[ ROUGH WHIRRING ]
[ RUMBLING ]
AND MENACING THUNDER.
EVEN BACK THEN, IT WAS ALL ABOUT SPECIAL EFFECTS.
TONIGHT, THE LIVELIEST PLACE IN TOWN
IS THE LOCAL GYPSY BAR --: GOOD FOOD AND LIVELY MUSIC.
THE EASIEST WAY FOR A TRAVELER TO EXPERIENCE THE TRADITIONAL
GYPSY, OR ROMA, CULTURE, IS THROUGH ITS MUSIC --
ALWAYS CROWD-PLEASING AND FIERY.
HOW MANY ROMA ARE THERE IN THE WORLD?
ABOUT 12 MILLION ROMAS,
MAINLY IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE.
12 MILLION?
IT'S MORE THAN THE CZECHS OR AUSTRIANS.
WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
THE ROMAS CAME TO EUROPE: IN THE MIDDLE AGES FROM INDIA.
THEY'VE LONG BEEN PERSECUTED.
HITLER TARGETED THEM JUST LIKE THE JEWS,
THE COMMUNISTS PUT AN END TO THEIR NOMADIC WAYS,
AND THEY TRIED TO FORCEFULLY ASSIMILATE THEM,
WHICH HAD CATASTROPHIC RESULTS FOR THE ROMA CULTURE.
SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THEM TODAY?
WELL, THE ROMA CULTURE IS FALLING APART.
MOST OF THE PEOPLE DON'T EVEN SPEAK THE ROMA LANGUAGE,
AND IT'S RARE TO FIND YOUNG ROMA MUSICIANS
KEEPING ALL THE TRADITIONS ALIVE.
IT'S A REAL TEST FOR OUR SOCIETY
TO LEARN TO RESPECT EACH OTHER AND LIVE TOGETHER.
WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
AND JUDGING BY THE WAY: MUSIC IS BRIDGING CULTURAL BARRIERS HERE TONIGHT,
THERE'S REASON FOR HOPE.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED OUR LOOK AT THE HIGHLIGHTS,
BEYOND ITS CAPITAL, OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
I'M RICK STEVES.
UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP ON TRAVELING.
Passport
Follow Us