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'Český Krumlov' (IPA: ; or ''Böhmisch Krumau''; ) is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, best known for the fine architecture and art of the historic old town and Krumlov Castle. Old Český Krumlov is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city is named ''Český Krumlov'' ("Bohemian Krumlov") to differentiate it from ''Moravský Krumlov'' ("Moravian Krumlov") in the southeast of the country.

Contents

History

Sights

Culture

Trivia

External links

History

Construction of the town and castle began in the late 13th century at a ford in the Vltava River, which was important in trade routes in Bohemia. In 1302 town and castle was owned by the House of Rosenberg. Emperor Rudolf II bought Krumau 1602 and gave it to his son Julius d’Austria. Emperor Ferdinand II gave Krumau to the House of Eggenberg. Since 1719 until 1945 the castle belonged to the House of Schwarzenberg. Most of the architecture of the old town and castle region dates from the 14th through 17th centuries; the town's structures are mostly in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The core of the old town is within a horseshoe bend of the river, with the old Latrán neighborhood and castle on the other side of the Vltava.
The town became part of the Austrian Empire in 1806 and Austria-Hungary in 1866. 8,662 inhabitants lived in Krumau an der Moldau in 1910, including 7,367 Germans and 1,295 Czechs.
After World War I, Krumau belonged from October 1918 until September 1919 to Upper Austria within the Republic of German Austria. In November 1918 Czech troops occupied the town. During the interwar era it was part of Czechoslovakia. Between 1938 and 1945 it was annexed by Nazi Germany as part of the Sudetenland. The town's German-speaking population was expelled after World War II and it was restored to Czechoslovakia.
During the communist era of Czechoslovakia, Krumlov fell into disrepair, but since the Velvet Revolution of 1989 much of the town's former beauty has been restored, and it is now a major holiday destination popular with tourists from Germany, Austria, and beyond. In August, 2002, the town suffered from damage in the great flood of the Vltava River.

Sights

Krumlov Castle is unusually large for a town of Krumlov's size; within the Czech Republic it is second only to the Hradčany castle complex of Prague.
Krumlov Castle contains a preserved Baroque theatre (completed 1766), complete with original stage machinery, scenery and props: one of only a few such theatres that still exist (others at Drottningholm and Gripsholm in Sweden). Due to its age, the theatre is only used three times a year (only two are open to the public), when a Baroque opera is performed in simulated candlelight.
Krumlov has a museum dedicated to the painter Egon Schiele, who lived in the town.
Ten kilometers from Krumlov is one of Bohemia's oldest monasteries, Zlatá Koruna ("The Golden Crown"). About 30 km from Krumlov is the Hluboká Castle, established in the 12th century and later remodelled according to Windsor Castle in England.
Krumlov is close to the Šumava National Park, the Czech Republic's largest national park. The Šumava mountains lie along the border with Austria and Germany and offer a range of natural habitats - peat bogs, Alpine meadows, primeval forests, lakes, and rivers. The area is popular with walkers, cyclists, and canoeists on the Vltava.
Český Krumlov is home to Pivovar Eggenberg brewery.

Culture

Český Krumlov is an important cultural center, hosting a number of festivals and other events each year. The best known is the Five-Petalled Rose Festival, which is celebrated on the weekend of summer solstice in June. The downtown area is cleared of traffic and recreated as a medieval town with craftsmen, artists, musicians, and local people dressed in costumes from the Middle Ages. Various activities such as jousting, fencing, historical dance performances, and folk theatre take place at the castle, local park, and the river bank, among other places. The festival is concluded by a fireworks show above the castle.
Since the Velvet Revolution in 1989, over eighty restaurants have been established in the area, including Don Julius, Papa's Living, the Tavern Markéta in the Castle gardens, the pub Na Louži, and the Pizzeria Latran. Many restaurants are located along the river and near the castle

Trivia

★ Asteroid 2747 Český Krumlov was named after the town by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos.

★ The 2006 film ''Hostel'' was filmed in Český Krumlov, although it is set in Slovakia.

★ The opening sequence of the 2006 film ''The Illusionist'' was also filmed in Český Krumlov.

External links

★ Official site

★ Ckrumlov.cz, town history

★ Krumlovinfo.com a non-commercial site

★ Museum on the local passion play and other items [1]

★ Cesky Krumlov - basic facts, sights, culture, hotels, virtual tours