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Guide: Prague, Říčany and surroundings

The capital city of Prague

Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, is one of the most significant centres of tourism in Europe (10 million foreign tourists a year). The historical centre is part of the World Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO and one of the best preserved medieval building complexes in all of Europe. Art lovers will rejoice at the many galleries, museums, theatres and other cultural venues.

Not only in the course of the summer season, annual music, theatre, film, and other festivals and workshops take place here. Experience Prague yourself!

Selection of Prague’s places of interest:

You can get from Říčany to Prague by car, by bus (urban mass transportation) as well as by train. Whichever destination you are unable to reach on foot is accessible by the integrated urban mass transportation system (subways, trams, buses). The hotel personnel will readily provide you with all the necessary information on transportation.

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Říčany and its surroundings

Říčany is, thanks to its short distance to Prague and quiet vicinity, a sought-after vacation spot. Tourists are attracted to this town mainly because of its peaceful atmosphere, selection of possible sporting activities, number of natural landmarks and accessibility to historical and cultural monuments. Another allurement represents the opening of a new, giant waterpark called Aquapalace in the nearby village of Průhonice-Česlice.

Places of interest in Říčany:

The hotel personnel will readily provide you with all the necessary information on transportation, opening hours, entrance fees, etc.

Josef Lada’s Country

Říčany lies in the micro-region of Josef Lada’s Country which consists of more than 20 Central Bohemian villages. A famous Czech painter, illustrator and writer, Josef Lada, whose name the region nowadays bears, used to look for inspiration in the local countryside with its picturesque villages. Many sights and landmarks are reachable by following hiking trails which are relatively easy to follow (suitable for families with children as well as for seniors).

The journey of Mikeš the Cat - a tip for children

Familiarize yourselves with Lada’s fairytale character of Mikeš the Cat and follow the path which he pursued as he went to see the world. It leads from Hrusice to Říčany. Along the way, children collect stamps and in 12 places they can read passages from Lada’s books and look through Lada’s beautiful pictures.

www.laduv-kraj.cz

Fairytale books in Czech, English, and German can be purchased straight in the hotel.

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Other places of interest near Říčany

Jevany

• Gottland - a museum dedicated to the singer Karel Gott, Pražská 78, Jevany

Hrusice

• Josef Lada’s Museum and Memorial
• Path of Mikeš the Cat (Hrusice - Říčany)
• A. Jedlička’s models exhibition - scale models of Hrusice’s houses and characters from Lada’s body of work
• the Church of St. Wenceslas

Ondřejov

• an observatory and arboretum with rare tree species - nightly sky observation

Velké Popovice

• brewery of Velké Popovice - we offer an excursion into the brewery premises

The park and arboretum in Průhonice

• ranks among the largest natural parks in Europe (240 ha)

The beech woods of Voděrady

• a vast protected nature reserve with plenty of hiking and bicycle trails

The hotel personnel will readily provide you with all the necessary information on transportation, opening hours, entrance fees, etc.

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Guide: Significant Czech monuments within 50 km

Konopiště Castle (33 km)

The original medieval castle founded in the 13th century has been reconstructed by its owners many a time. The final appearance of the castle and its interiors wasn’t finished until the crown prince to the Austria-Hungary throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, came along, bought the castle at the end of the 19th century, and transformed it into a representative imperial residence. In the castle, you will find historically valuable museum collections. For instance, a weapons collection and the Museum of St. George are both very impressive. In the castle moat, you can take a look at a number of bears that usually attract visitors’ attention. In the course of a gripping commentary, which the guides are able to provide in foreign languages as well, you will find out about the castle’s history.

Places of interest:

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The Chateau of Jemniště (40 km)

The Chateau of Jemniště was founded in the first half of the 18^th century to replace the original Gothic building. It was designed in the Baroque style and served as a summer house. It is surrounded by a beautiful English park. In the course of a visit, you will walk through luxurious mansion halls and lobbies. The chateau was nationalized by the communist regime. It was given back to its original owners as late as in 1995, and the current owner, Jiří Sternberg, occupies its left wing.

Places of interest:

• 1 sightseeing circuit
• an English landscape park
• the Chapel of St. Joseph

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Karlštejn Castle (45 km)

The Gothic castle founded in the year 1348 occupies an entirely unique position among the Czech castles. Karlštejn Castle was built by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV as the place for safekeeping the royal treasures, especially the collections of holy relics and coronation jewels of the Holy Roman Empire. At the brink of the Hussite Wars, the Czech coronation jewels were transported to Karlštejn Castle for safety reasons. With the exception of a few short-term time periods, the jewels stayed here for almost 200 years.

Absolutely unique is the original wall decoration which dates back to the 14th century, the collection of 129 panel paintings by Master Theodoric in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (the largest of its kind in the world), the largest portrait gallery of Czech monarchs in the country, the exhibited replica of St. Wenceslas Crown, which is the coronation crown of Czech Kings, as well as the unique castle well.

On a regular basis, the castle becomes a venue of cultural events and historical reenactments. In the castle village, the visitors will find shops with souvenirs and workshops.

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Kutná Hora (47 km) - 3 monuments listed in World Heritage List

The town was founded in the early middle ages next to silver mines. Silver and mintage accompanied Kutná Hora ever since its foundation. Thanks to this feature, the town was the second most important in the country, right behind Prague, for a long time. Kutná Hora used to be called “the treasury” or “the treasure of Bohemia”. Until the 18th century, the central mint resided here. The historical centre of Kutná Hora falls under the World Heritage Program under the auspices of UNESCO. Apart from the numerous monuments, you can also visit an ossuary - a chapel decorated by the remains of more than 40000 human bodies.

If you happen to visit Kutná Hora, don’t forget to take advantage of the unique opportunity to inspect the silver mines. Equipped with coats, helmets and flashlights, you will go 30 meters underground down the shaft and experience the feelings of medieval miners.

Places of interest: