Today we headed out of Prague again to check out the UNESCO city of Česky Krumlov. Walking into this city, you’re immediately blown away by the amazing, massive castle! Thankfully, we had a tour to see this castle. The castle dates back to the 1300s and was owned by many different wealthy families.

Walking up to the castle, you’re first greeted by two brown bears! The castle was known for keeping bears in its moat for protection and these bears have lived here for generations! We were able to visit the chapel, multiple dining rooms, bedrooms, and more. My favorite part is that a lot of the furniture and decor was original and dated back to the 15th century! We learned a bit about the families that lived in this castle and how the castle was sold and inherited for plenty of reasons. One of my favorites is that the silverware in the castle was mostly tin and had traces of lead. This left the men of families unable to produce children, which is the reason the castle was handed to extended families or sold after the death of the male heirs.

Another interesting story is that of a nobleman who own the castle. He was accidentally shot while out hunting by none other than Charles VI. After his death, Charles felt so bad that he helped raise the nobleman’s son, Joseph. Joseph eventually came to inherit the castle and, because of his upbringing, was quite educated and progressive. He made many repairs and advancements still seen in the castle today.

The castle was preserved so well, and many stories about its inhabitants were discovered through the letters and writings saved in the archives of the building. I really appreciate this as I don’t enjoy visiting historic places only to be shown replicas and remodeled buildings. I love the validated authenticity this castle provides and it was definitely one of my favorite things I have seen in the Czech Republic so far.

After the tour we all headed to a nearby medieval tavern for a great Bohemian feast. I had chicken and millet and dumplings and salad and finished the meal with Zahour- sweet dumplings with blueberry sauce. We walked around the city a bit more, but the rain made it hard to enjoy the beautiful bridges and river. We shopped a bit but eventually headed to the bus and back to Prague.

Tomorrow is our first (and only) day to sleep in, so we plan to head to our favorite bar tonight after some pizza!