The Bird Castle, Česky Krumlov, Czechia

Czechia, Travel, ,

Sep 17 – I bet you know that rich nobles back in the day kept nightingales and song birds around just to hear them sing. But did you ever wonder whose job it was to catch those birds? They were called fowlers, and today we’re climbing the Fowlers Hill.

At the top of the hill is a monument, called the Little Castle or Bird Castle, that was originally intended as a memorial to commemorate the victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Leipzig of 1813. The troops there were commanded by a brother of the Duke of Česky Krumlov. 

Walking back through our fairytale town
Looking up to the Cloak Bridge
Outside the castle walls
Through the castle gardens
…and out past where any tourists go
A path up Fowlers Hill – see the trail marker on the tree?
A shady path through the woods
Here are those funny mushrooms again
At the top, the Bird Castle, originally intended as a memorial to the Napoleonic Battle of Leipzig
Here’s what the unfinished monument looked like before it was privately acquired in 2010
Now it’s a cozy residence
See the birds on the gate?
Down the other side of the hill, back towards town
Back into the castle gardens
…on toward home
…and back to the tourists
Jim enjoys speaking with the Syrians who run the local kabab and pizza places (there are no KFC or McDonalds here).
Today we enjoyed a kebab pizza – the best of both worlds!
Česky Krumlov, we’ll miss you!

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