Tag Archives: Cesky Krumlov

The Bird Castle, Česky Krumlov, Czechia

September 21, 2026Czechia, TravelBird Castle, Cesky Krumlov, Fowlers’ Hillkarenfranza

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.

A path up Fowlers Hill – see the trail marker on the tree?

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

Down the other side of the hill, back towards town

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!

The Castle, Česky Krumlov, Czechia

September 18, 2026Czechia, Travelbears, castle, castle garden, Cesky Krumlov, Plague towerkarenfranza

Sep 13 – This little fairytale town was built around a medieval castle on the bank of the Vitava River. No battles were fought here – it’s just a castle that was owned by one rich family after another, and is now the property of the state.

The Industrial Revolution passed by this place. Since becoming a World Heritage site in 1992, the town has revolved around tourism. Bus loads of tourists arrive every day to wander the cobblestone streets and take selfies with the castle tower in the background.

The Castle Tower dominates the landscape

Pretty pastel buildings house restaurants and tourist shops. In the square is another Plague Tower, erected in the 1700s giving thanks to the Virgin Mary for the end of the plague.

The castle,s outer walls are painted to appear three dimensional

A view from the Cloak Bridge that connects the lower and upper castles

This rider doesn’t fear falling off his horse!

Yes, three bears occupy what once was the moat – a sign assures us that these bears are not being exploited, but have been in the care of the state since the circus closed.

An art supply shop where all the paint tubes look like fingers!

The castle garden hedges are precisely trimmed

…and a display of historic beers of Česky Krumlov

For our midday meal, we found a mouthwatering Czech restaurant – Jim had the aromatic goulash with red cabbage, and I had a dish worthy of my German Oma: pulled pork and onions over a mound of sauerkraut with potato dumplings. Heaven!

Česky Krumlov, Czechia

September 17, 2026Czechia, TravelCesky Krumlov, nice people of Czechiakarenfranza

Sep 11 – When Jim planned this trip, he booked us into cities in a circle around Prague, and we figured we would travel around the circle. Turns out that you can’t get anywhere in this country without going through Prague, so our travel days will be like spokes of a wheel, going back to Prague every time before advancing to the next place.

So we spent this whole day traveling from Olomouc back to Prague by train, then onward to Česky Krumlov by bus. (The little karat above the Č indicates a Ch sound, so CHESky.) We met a young family in the train station who said they shared our sadness on this anniversary of 9/11, which we thought was so sweet. Nice people of Czechia!