Cesky Krumlov and its Five-Petalled Rose Festival
The Festival is a blaze of colour, people, dancing, drinking, jousting, music, eating, stalls and much, much more, and it ends with a spectacular firework display. Hundreds of people dress up medieval costumes and join the parade along the streets. It goes on for days with all sorts of entertainment to keep both young and old happy. It is a well kept secret and is unmissable.
Background history
Cesky Krumlov is situated on the banks of the Vltava river the town is built around a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The town was first mentioned in documents from 1253, when Krumlov was called Chrumbonowe.
It’s had a really chequered history, ruled by the Rosenbergs from the 1300’s to 1600’s, the Habsburgs from 1601 to 1622 (they didn’t last long), then the Eggenbergs until 1719 when the Schwarzenbergs took control for 7 generations only to have it snatched away in 1939 when the Germans marched in. After the war the Russians took control but they let the buildings slowly deteriorated, luckily it was included in the list of Unesco World Heritage sites in 1992.
The river Vltava winds its way round the picturesque little town and there are many foot bridges so you can get around (it’s actually easier to get around on foot than by car), the castle was built on the higher ground and has been added to over the years by various generations, the smaller flatter area was where the peasants built their houses. When you look down at the town from the castle ramparts all you can see is a muddle of red roof tops and church steeples.
The Town
We drove to Cesky Krumlov from Prague, picked up a small car at the airport and drove for about and hour and a half through pretty countryside and some lovely little villages. In one village we stopped at a road side kiosk for an ice cream and sat in the sun watching a wedding party emerge from the local church. You can get there faster if you use the motorways but you might miss the character.
Our hotel overlooked the river (of course) and was ‘wood heaven’ if you are into stained pine. Pine doors, pine flooring, pine stair case, pine windows, pine paneling, pine furniture …. the bathroom was a haven, there wasn’t any pine in sight and it also boasted a spectacular view.
If you’ve been to Prague and you thought the architecture there was lovely, you won’t believe just how stunning Chesky Krumlov is.
The main square is quite large with plenty of bars and restaurants. There are lots of places to sit and take in the views and every corner you go round has yet another view.
We visited in June to see the famous Five Petalled Flower Festival held annually in ÄŒeský Krumlov, it’s named after the five petalled flower which is the main theme of the town’s crest / coat of arms. In fact the whole experience transports you back to medieval times. If I were to go there again for the festival I’d definitely dress up.
There are lots of performance stages all over the place with different groups playing anything from Madrigals to medieval Motorhead. There are a myriad of stalls and craft fairs and to top it off a tournament with knights on horse back jousting whilst the crowds cheer them on.
The Procession
The highlight of the festival is a spectacular procession in historical costumes, featuring knights on horseback, fools, soldiers, belly dancers, peasants and nobles. There must have been at least 300 people who were all dressed up in costumes from different eras. Some people took it very seriously but some were obviously having a ball.
Living Chess Game
On the Castle grounds outside the Summer Palace, with the audience sat on a revolving amphitheater type auditorium we watched live chess pieces on a giant chess board. I can’t remember which colour won now.
Local fayer
After a busy day we relaxed at a local hostelry where we sampled the local fare, and it was gorgeous.
Whilst we were there some locals popped in for refreshments. They were very obliging when they spotted me trying to take a secret photo 🙂
Finale
On Saturday night we were entertained with a wonderful firework finale which lit up the city.
The following day we walked around the town after all the stalls and stages had been dismantled and the crowds had thinned out (apart from the many coach loads of Japanese tourists on day trips from Prague). It really is one of the prettiest towns in Europe I’ve been to.
