Citytrips-Highlights.com

Archiv für 9. April 2012

A historic jewel at the heart of Europe – this is the Czech Republic. This country has everything – fairy-tale castles and medieval towns as well as spa resorts and scenic national parks. The Czech Republic is also considered as the birthplace of some of the world´s finest beer. These are just a few reasons why you should visit this wonderful place.
Castles and Chateaux

If there is a place in the world that truly deserves to be called the „country of castles and chateaux“, it is undoubtedly the Czech Republic. There are literally hundreds of magnificent castles, glorious chateaux, ruins and fortresses. The Czechs are very proud of this legacy and visiting them is one of the country’s most popular pastimes.
The most popular are: Prague Castle,Ceský Krumlov, Lednice, Karlštejn, Hluboká nad Vltavou, Konopište, Křivoklát, Kromeříž, Sychrov, etc…
UNESCO Sites

There is a great number of magnificent monuments in the Czech Republic, all part of its rich history, showing the great cultural tradition of the country. The map of the Czech Republic is full of preserved historical towns, old castles, glamorous chateaux, magnificent cathedrals and beautifully decorated churches. However, 12 of the places have more than that. They are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List: Ceský Krumlov, Historical centre of Prague, Holašovice, Kromeříž, Kutná Horá, Litomyšl Chateau, Telc, The Holy trinity Column in Olomouc, The Lednice-Valtice Area, The Pilgrimage church of St.John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora, The Villa Tugendhat, Třebíc.

Accommodation
Accommodation in the Czech Republic corresponds to the standards of European countries. It is possible here to find cheap accommodation for students on their travels and also top-quality luxury accommodation in hotel suites.
Hotels
Hotels are designated one to five stars and classification is no different from that in the surrounding countries. Hotels are common in every city and also in areas frequently visited by tourists, for example near lakes or in the mountains.
Special types of accommodation
The Czech Republic is famous for its medieval castles and chateaux. Many of them offer luxury accommodation programmes in chateau apartments.

Poland belongs to very interesting attractions for tourists. Beside historical towns and places there are 22 national parks, approximately 1200 natural reservation and 400 protected areas. In addition, for those ones who like to relax, there are beautiful spas. One of them, Cieplice, is known since 1281.
The rich polish history has left wonderful medieval towns here which are visited by foreign tourists very often. The most famous are:
Warsaw – this city is quite young because it was not founded until the 13th century. One of the most valuable sights is the Royal Castle. The original building of this castle was destroyed during the Second World War, so nowadays you can see only a copy of it. Many of the Polish legends are connected with the Royal Castle. According to one of them in 1569 the king Sigismund Augustus, who was in mourning after death of his beloved wife Barbara Radziwiłł, asked the renowned sorcerer Master Twardowski to evoke her ghost. The experiment was successful with support of a magic mirror, which today is kept in the Węgrów Cathedral. Despite that some people suspected that it was not the Queen’s ghost but closely resembling her king’s mistress Barbara Giżanka and the whole event was set up by Giżanka’s accomplice Mikołaj Mniszech, king’s chamberlain.
Krakow –it is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. It has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural and artistic life. It is royal city where the first Polish university was found and where the first Polish book was printed.
The times when the only accommodation which could be expected in Poland was in a hostel or the traditional hospitality of a farmer´s barn have passed. Nowadays Poland has a wide network of places of stay with more opening up all the time.