A Weekend in Czechia
After a long break from writing on Medium, I’m back again to tell you about yet another trip to Czechia (perhaps more commonly known as The Czech Republic).
Last Thursday was Männertag here in Germany which meant I had a free day to do whatever I wanted so I took this as an opportunity to book the following Friday off from work and hopped onto the regional trains from Leipzig to Chodov, Chezchia.
Chodov
Chodov was our affordable home base from which we could travel to the surrounding cities. This small city was not much to look at compared to our next two but the people of Chodov were a dream! During our very first day in Czechia, we wandered into the tourist office (Turistické informační centrum Chodov) in search of a city map. But the lady working there (I wish I’d gotten her name!) went above and beyond her usual duties to make us feel welcome. She embarked us on a personal tour of the beautiful Church of St. Lawrence, which overlooks the city. The tour included historical accounts of the church’s story, a look around the organ, as well as a visit to the very top of the church where our volunteer guide rang the bells for us!
Loket
We added our day trip to Loket to our itinerary following a recommendation from our Airbnb host. This gorgeous small town feels like an echo of Czechia’s medieval history, complete with historic architecture, a castle, and even a dungeon-dwelling dragon! To begin our day in Loket, we enjoyed a steady hike in the surrounding Slavkov Forest. From this circular trail, the stunning sights of Loket and its peaceful river are always in view, with several viewpoints along the way to take in the sights of the castle and its village. It is easy to see why this gorgeous Bohemian town was a set location for James Bond — Casino Royale!
After working up an appetite, we sauntered back into the town to eat at the authentic Czech restaurant Restaurace Staroslovanska Kuchyne. Here, we enjoyed an old-style rustic Slavic atmosphere, complete with traditional music, and good food. If you’re in the area and looking to try authentic deer pelmeni — this is your spot!
After lunch, we explored the castle museum; seated at the very crown of Loket. Within the castle, we had access to almost all areas; it was surprisingly easy to get lost as we navigated through all the levels of the building. The most memorable portion, however, was the torture museum which you can find on one of the lower levels of the castle. Not for the faint of heart, the museum showcased the most gruesome of medieval torture techniques from Europe, with expressive life-like models. The castle dungeons are definitely the place to visit if you like to indulge in your morbid curiosity.
Our final stop was the town centre, and this is where I found myself the most impressed by Loket. The town itself has a surprising amount of German influence; most signs are translated into German and the staff in most tourist attractions would automatically speak to us in German. As German speakers, this was of course no problem for us but being mistaken for Germans was quite unexpected. Having not researched Loket prior to travelling there; I was completely oblivious to the role it had played in ending the Second World War. It was in The White Horse Hotel in central Loket, and coincidentally one of the oldest hotels in Europe, that Herbert Osterkamp signed the final surrender act on behalf of the XII corps of the German army on the 8th of May 1945, therefore contributing to the finalisation of the end of the war. This is commemorated by a United States Army plaque outside The White Horse Hotel. Aside from that, the hotel itself is beautiful and provides open access for visitors looking to snoop around. We grabbed a coffee at the hotel café and enjoyed the stunning views of the valley!
One tip: we found that even learning some very basic Czech went a long way! Ending every interaction with “hezky den!” put us in good favour of the locals.
While the Czech countryside and rural areas are extremely breathtaking, what really made the trip was the hospitality and kindness of the locals. I will look back fondly at their treatment of us as visitors to their country. Of course, we couldn’t visit the Karlovy Vary region of Czechia without seeing the city of Karlovy Vary itself, but that’s for another article!
