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Cesky Krumlov (Český Krumlov)

Cesky Krumlov in (German: Krumau an der Moldau / 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.The city is named Český Krumlov ("Bohemian Krumlov") to differentiate it from Moravský Krumlov ("Moravian Krumlov") in the southeast of the country.

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. 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 Latran neighborhood and castle on the other side of the Vltava. The town's German-speaking population was expelled after World War II. 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. 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 musem 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 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.

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