BOHEMICAN
  • Home
  • Czech It Out Blog
  • Bohemican Podcast
  • My Travel Journal
  • Citation
    • Book References
    • Web References
    • WIKI References
    • Published Works
  • Czech History
    • Czech History
    • The Great War Podcast
    • Battles
    • The Treasury
  • Store

The Royal Silver Festival of Kutna Hora 2013

6/25/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Silver Festival of Kutna Hora is a big event for this medieval town every year. The 15th century is revisited in mid-June by locals and foreign travelers alike. I made the 45 minute drive east from Prague, on Route 12, to see for myself the opening fanfare and I was not disappointed. Several hundred people, dressed in medieval period clothing, marched from St. Barbara Cathedral to the fair grounds to welcome King Wenceslaus IV and his Bavarian bride, Sofia. 

The royal mining town of Kutna Hora served as a beautiful backdrop to the activities. Jousting, period music, and various reenactments made history come alive for the throngs of spectators. Many that participated were not actors, but local residents that wanted to dress up and play a role in showcasing Kutna Hora's Gothic prominence as a silver mining boom-town of the 15th century.
I highly recommend making the trip to this UNESCO World Heritage site (Medieval Fair or not) and take in the sights of St. Barbara Cathedral, a tour of the underground silver mines, the Italian Court, or numerous other activities that Kutna Hora has to offer.

-Pete

0 Comments

The Town of Kolin

6/23/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
I recently made a nice Sunday visit to a sleepy little city called Kolin, not far from Kutna Hora in Central Bohemia.

Kolin was established by German colonists and has a rich German/Czech folk tradition that includes a strong Jewish connection. Just a block away from the town square stands the 14th century Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew and it's Gothic Tower. Designed by Petr Parlor (the same architect who designed Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral), St. Bartholomew is a beautiful sight. 

Not far from the town's center (about 6 kilometers away) is a field occupied by a 19th century commemorative statue to one of the bloodiest battles of the Seven's Years War in 1757. To get to this monument you need to squeeze through a rural side street of a tiny village and off the paved road to an open field. It was hard for me to image the carnage of a war between European titans, Prussia and Austria, going toe-to-toe amid this bucolic scene of now peaceful fields. If one needs a more vivid reminder of this battle, you can visit this very field in early June for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Kolin.
-Pete

0 Comments

    DONATE  TODAY

    Picture

    "Czech It Out" 
    Blog

    Picture

    Author:

    Pete Collman is an American expat living in Prague, Czech Republic.
    

    Archives

    December 2024
    December 2021
    March 2020
    January 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    August 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    May 2012
    April 2012

    RSS Feed

    MY PICTURE 
    OF THE MONTH

    Picture
    Tower in Pardubice. Photo by Peter Collman

    App of the Month

    Picture
    Prague Minos Guide (Free)
    Picture
    Minos Screenshot
Drag & drop footer content here

Our Mission

The mission of the Bohemican website and podcast is to inform, educate, and entertain on the unique cultural identity of the Czech people. 
Picture
CLICK ABOVE OR BELOW TO DONATE
Picture

Get Social

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

BOHEMICAN

Links

Picture
CollmanPhotography
Picture
  • History of Alchemy Podcast
  • History of Germany Podcast
  • CollmanPhotography.com
  • Podcastnik.com


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.