The Alternative Guide to… Czech Republic
Czech Republic at a Glance
Capital city: Prague
Population: 10.5 million
Local currency: Czech koruna (£1 = 34 koruna)
Famous face: the writer Franz Kafka is one the Czech Republic’s most famous sons, as is the father of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud.
5 things you never knew about the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is famous for both its beer and spa towns, but savvy little brewery Chodovar on the German border has combined both these passions to create a beer spa. A warm beer or hop bath can apparently help with cellulite, digestive problems and (rather unsurprisingly) stress.
The patron saint of the Czech Republic is Vaclav the Good, although you may know him better as Good King Wenceslas from the popular Christmas carol. His reputation for heroic goodness and martyrdom in 935 led to his sainthood, a national holiday and his festive legacy.
Historically, one of the most common Czech male names is Joseph/Josef (about 10% of the population). At one time, the village of Josefovice had to have at least one person named Joseph in every house and St Joseph’s Day in March is widely considered their second birthday. Tie a trip to the Czech Republic around this time and you can expect St Patrick’s Day-style celebrations throughout the country.
There are 12 World Heritage Sites in the Czech Republic, one of which is the unusual Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora. Outside, it’s a small and unassuming church, but inside it’s estimated to contain the skeletons of around 70,000 people, whose bones have been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings for the chapel, including a macabre chandelier.
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Centuries ago, the city of Brno (the second largest in the Czech Republic) was placed firmly on the map when a huge dragon began savaging the citizens and their livestock. Legend has it that a nomadic butcher had the idea to fill the carcass of a sheep with caustic lime, killing the beast when he feasted on the catch and thus saving the town from his terrible reign. Sure, the "dragon" that now hangs in the town hall as proof of this story is actually a crocodile, but to be fair to the people of Brno, it’s a pretty big crocodile.
National dish
A hearty plate of sliced roast pork served with a dough dumpling and sauerkraut, then slathered in gravy. Make sure you also save plenty of room for a sausage with mustard from one of the many street stalls and a crisp glass of pilsner.
If you see one thing in the Czech Republic, make sure it’s…
... the Sky Walk. Just a 3-hour drive from Prague is the Dolní Morava mountain range, home to the newly-opened Sky Walk. Looking like a space-age rollercoaster, this extreme walkway is 3,600 feet above sea level and is accessed via a chairlift. Climb its web of wooden tiers for outstanding panoramic views of the Morava River valley and surrounding peaks, before choosing your route back down the 18-storey structure; we recommend the 328-foot metal slide for speed and thrills.