České Budějovice

After a busy week in Prague and a couple of days of rest at Resort Čapí hnízdo, we drove less than an hour south to the city of České Budějovice, the largest city in the South Bohemian Region. The name České Budějovice means "Czech Budějovice", distinguishing it from the town of Moravské Budějovice, or "Moravian Budějovice", with český referring to the Czech people or nation.

We soon discovered a lovely historic city with an impressive main square surrounded by colourful old buildings and a maze of quieter streets to explore. Founded in the 13th century, it has a long and interesting history, as well as a famous brewing tradition – it is, after all, the home of Budweiser Budvar, one of the Czech Republic's best-known beers. And, appropriately enough, we were staying at Hotel Budweis, which takes its name from the city's historic German name, Budweis! We enjoyed wandering around the old town and discovering some of its beautiful architecture.

We had just one day to explore České Budějovice since I had made plans for the rest of our stay, so we packed quite a lot into it. We began at Piarist Square, with its former Dominican monastery, old Salt Store and nearby Baroque terrace houses, before making our way to the Memorial to the Synagogue and Holocaust Victims, marking the site where the city's grand 1868 synagogue once stood before the Nazis blew it up in July 1942. Of the approximately 1,200 Jews who lived in České Budějovice prior to the break-up of Czechoslovakia, only very few survived the ghetto camp of Terezín or the subsequent deportation to Auschwitz. It was important to us to stop here and pay our respects, remembering the Jewish community that had once been such an important part of the city. We also learnt that there were Stolpersteine around the city marking the homes of murdered Jews, so we did our best to find some of them.

From the Stolpersteine along Krajinská Street, just a short walk from the main square, we continued to Přemysl Otakar II Square, the heart of the old town, where we saw the impressive Samson Fountain and nearby, the Wandering Stone, a small, cross-marked paving stone commemorating the site of a medieval execution ground. It is said that whoever unknowingly crosses the stone after 10 pm will never find his way home and will have to wander the streets of České Budějovice until morning!
The Town Hall is a magnificent Baroque landmark located on the southwest corner of the grand square. Its striking facade features three elegant towers, dragon-shaped gargoyles, the city coat of arms, and four rooftop allegorical statues representing civic virtues: Justice, Courage, Wisdom and Caution. The iron belt, which is located in the corner pillar of the Town Hall, dates back to 1765, and served for more than 100 years as a standard measure for selling cloth at markets on the main square.

We finished the day with a climb up the 225 steps to the viewing gallery at the top of the Black Tower (Černá věž). I'm a little afraid of heights, so I wasn't entirely sure I was going to enjoy it, but thankfully the wonderful views over the city made it all worthwhile!

Another day, on our way to the historic town of Třeboň, we stopped at České Budějovice's Jewish Cemetery and Memorial Hall. The cemetery was established in 1867 and was badly damaged by the Nazis in World War Two, following the deportation of local residents to concentration camps. At the entrance stands a sandstone memorial in the shape of a tomb with a Hebrew and Czech inscription remembering victims of the Holocaust. It was erected in 1950 by the Jewish community, which continued to exist in the city until the 1970s.
The cemetery is cared for by the Jewish Community of Prague. The gates are locked, but I had arranged to pick up the key from the nearby Jihotrans gatehouse. I was able to open the main gate but, unfortunately, could not unlock the door to the Memorial Hall, which displays an exhibition on the history of Jews in České Budějovice. I had to make do with peeking through the window.
The cemetery once contained more than 1,300 graves, but roughly half of the tombstones were destroyed or stolen, and only around 350 of them remain. Visitors will find tombstones in Hebrew, German and Czech. We were glad that we had been able to visit and remember a Jewish community that was almost entirely lost in the Holocaust.

* This post has been shared on Mosaic Monday

Handmade for Elaine's 80th

A new customer ordered a special card for her mum's 80th birthday. I sent her links to some cards I have made previously to help her pick. "These cards are all gorgeous, so it's hard to choose!" she wrote. Ultimately she decided that her mum would probably like this one best, but with a burgundy background - her mum's favourite colour.

My hand-drawn and hand-cut birthday card, featuring bunting and balloon details, was personalised with my customer's mum's name, Elaine, and her age. Her daughter said that, because she viewed the card as a piece of artwork as well as a birthday card, Elaine would prefer to have her own name on it rather than simply "Mum".

This design can easily be adapted for any name and age.

Happily, the finished card was very well received. "We love the card. Thank you!" my customer wrote to me. Knowing that it will hopefully be treasured as both a birthday card and a keepsake makes all the careful drawing and cutting worthwhile.

* This post has been shared on Thinking Out Loud Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party, BFF Open House, Thursday Favorite Things, Funtastic Friday, Farmhouse Friday, Saturday Sparks, Happiness is Homemade and Huisvlijt Link Party.

Resort Čapí hnízdo

After walking our socks off in Prague, Mister Handmade in Israel and I treated ourselves to a couple of days' rest before our explorations in South Bohemia began. I had reserved a room at Resort Čapí hnízdo, a hotel and leisure complex near Olbramovice, a village in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic, about an hour south-east of Prague. It was beautiful, but it is the history of the place that makes it so interesting, and I thought it was worth sharing here.

Čapí hnízdo sits on land originally occupied by a medieval village called Kačerova Lhota. The name appears in medieval records as Lhota Kačerova or Kaczerowa Lhota, and medieval records mention property there in the late 14th century. The word Lhota is quite common in Czech place names. It refers to a type of settlement founded under medieval conditions in which settlers were given temporary relief from certain obligations, essentially an incentive to clear and cultivate new land. The second part, Kačerova, is associated with the personal name Kačer.

The village was completely destroyed and abandoned during the Thirty Years' War, a brutal 17th-century conflict fought in Central Europe from 1618 to 1648. In the second half of the 17th century, local authorities decreed the establishment of a manorial agricultural estate over the ruins, naming it Nový Dvůr Semtín. The estate eventually expanded to encompass roughly 136 hectares of farmland, pastures, and ponds, and the original agricultural activities were supplemented by a distillery established in 1875. The distillery processed local crops into alcohol, bringing strong economic growth to the immediate region during the late 19th century. However, the locals did not enjoy this prosperity for long. The geopolitical disruptions of the 20th century - including World War II and the subsequent communist nationalization of agricultural property - were highly unfavourable to the upkeep of the estate. By the late 1980s, the complex had fallen into disuse, and by the turn of the millennium it had been abandoned altogether.

The only regular occupants left on the property were the white storks, which nested on the tall brick chimney of the former distillery. They first arrived in 1926 and returned every spring, eventually becoming a familiar part of the farmstead. The chimney remained their nesting site for decades and inspired the name Čapí hnízdo, which means "Stork's Nest". Today, the historic chimney still stands near the Restaurace Lihovar (distillery restaurant) and remains one of the most recognisable features of the property. It is one of the surviving traces of the site's former life as a manorial agricultural estate and distillery, before the area was transformed into today's modern resort.

Development of the resort began in 2006, with the aim of preserving elements of the historic farmstead while incorporating modern architecture. Major reconstruction took place between September 2008 and April 2010. The distinctive circular riding arena, designed to resemble a stork's nest as a tribute to the storks that still nest on the historic chimney, was built as part of the redevelopment. It is constructed from thousands of interwoven oak logs and thick branches. Today, the historic elements of the former farmstead are incorporated into a much larger, modern resort complex.

Mister Handmade in Israel and I made good use of the pool – actually, one of three on the site – and, though we were visiting without small children, we still enjoyed walking around the Eco-Centre (Ekocentrum), which has been open to the public since 2011. The centre provides a permanent, secure habitat for injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals that cannot be released back into nature due to permanent disabilities. It houses a diverse mix of native European mammals and birds, including otters, wild boars and various birds of prey, while in separate designated zones, it also displays selected exotic species. In addition, a 2-kilometre nature trail loops around the resort's pastures, trout brooks, and wetlands to teach visitors about local biodiversity and habitat protection. Our room was lovely, with a little balcony and a terrific view, and the whole place was a wonderful spot to relax for a couple of days before continuing our journey through South Bohemia.

Disclaimer: Resort Čapí hnízdo has been the subject of a long-running legal case concerning allegations of the improper use of an EU subsidy. I visited the resort simply as a foreign tourist and have no involvement in, or personal knowledge of, the legal matters surrounding it. My post is solely about my experience as a visitor and is not intended to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.

* This post has been shared on A Pinch of Joy, Monday Morning Blog Club, Weekly Wonders, Inspire Me Monday, Talking About It Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Skywatch Friday.