Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 38 - Slavoňov, Czech Republic

This Roman Catholic wooden church sits on a small hill at the edge of the village of Slavoňov in the East Bohemia region of the Czech Republic. The church was built in 1553 on the site of a much older structure. It was originally founded by Utraquists (a moderate branch of the Hussite movement) and dedicated to Saint Martin, but the church became Roman Catholic in 1683.

The large bell tower within the church yard dates from the same era as the church, probably built in 1555. The lower half of the tower is made of brick and its height suggests it was also intended to have a defensive military function in the event of the village coming under attack. Three bells cast in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries hang in the tower.

The beams of the church are made of oak, spruce and fir logs. The joints between the logs were filled in with mortar and then the exterior of the building was covered in whitewash. The interior walls and ceiling are painted with murals of plants and flowers which date from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The murals were restored twice in the twentieth century.

Getting to Slavoňov is possible by public transport since there are several buses daily from the nearby town of Nové Město nad Metují which has train and bus links to most major cities across the country. The village is just 4 kilometres east of Nové Město nad Metují so it is also possible to walk there along a forest trail. The church is open for religious services four times per week, and at other times the door into the front entrance room is left open where it is possible to get an obstructed view of the church interior.

Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 17 - Broumov, Czech Republic

This church is found at the edge of the town of Broumov in Eastern Bohemia, just a few kilometres from the Polish border. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is the oldest wooden church still standing in the Czech Republic and one of the oldest wooden buildings in Bohemia. The settlement of Broumov was originally founded in 1171 and the first church was constructed on this site a few years later in 1177.

An invasion of the town by Hussite troops in 1421 caused severe damage to the church, and in 1449 it was struck by lightning and burned almost to the ground. The church was completely rebuilt in 1450-1451 in the form that we can see today. A windstorm damaged the tower of the church in 1550, which required extensive repairs. Further alterations to the tower and roof were made in 1811.

The church stands on a stone foundation and follows the plan of an elongated octagon in the Gothic style. Originally there were two entrances, one on the northern side and another on the western side. The roof is dominated by its slender tower which is one of the most striking features of the building's design.

The roofed porch gallery which surrounds the church was originally enclosed with wooden siding, but this was removed in 1779. Wooden planks attached to the walls of the gallery are covered with inscriptions which provide a chronicle of the town's history, recording the years of disasters such as fires, floods, invasions and the plague.

The wooden beams of the ceiling are decorated with stencil decorations of plant and animal themes. These decorations likely date from the time of the reconstruction in 1450, and they have a strong resemblance to those found in wooden churches across the border in Polish Silesia.

The main altar is designed in the rococo style and also features a late-Gothic statue of the Virgin Mary. In 2008 the church was declared a Czech national cultural monument.

The church is open daily for visitors in the summer months, but is kept locked for the rest of the year apart from occasional services and events. Broumov is at the end of a branch railway line with regular local trains running to Starkoč, a station on the main Trutnov - Prague line.

Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 13 - Loučná Hora, Czech Republic

This beautiful Roman Catholic church stands in the centre of the tiny village of Loučná Hora in Eastern Bohemia. It is an unusual example of Late Baroque style built of timber, featuring elements more commonly seen only in stone buildings. Its perfectly symmetrical shape also borrows techniques generally used in the design of palaces and castles.

Construction of the present structure started in 1778 and was completed in 1782, though the church stands on the site of an older wooden church which is mentioned in records of the village.

At the time of its construction wood must have been chosen over stone as the building material for economic reasons, since other churches of this style are typically built of stone.

In front of the church stands a separate bell tower which was completely reconstructed in 1942 based on the plans of the original tower. Long ago the grassy area that surrounds the church was the village cemetery, though it has now been moved to an area at the edge of the village. In the church interior the central room serves as the nave, while the eastern end forms the chancel and the western end contains the choir.

The roof is covered with shingles and features mansard-style edging. The church was originally covered in plaster on both the exterior and interior, though this was later removed to reveal the beauty of the wooden beams beneath. The interior of the church is mostly empty nowadays and is used for occasional church services and other village functions.

The village of Loučná Hora is quite easy to reach by train, arriving at the station called Smidary which is less than one kilometre to the south-west. Smidary station is connected by local trains with the town of Chlumec Nad Cidlinou which is on the main rail line between Prague and the city of Hradec Králové.

Natural Wonders # 2 - Adršpach-Teplice Rock Towns, Czech Republic

The fantastical rock formations of Adršpach-Teplice are undoubtedly one of the most unique natural attractions the Czech Republic has to offer. Tucked away in a quiet corner in the north of the country near the Polish border, the two 'rock cities' receive far fewer international tourists than they deserve. There are several different locations scattered around the Czech Republic which can boast bizarre limestone rock formations (The Czech Paradise, Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Kokořinsko) but those found near the small villages of Adršpach and Teplice nad Metuji are probably the most impressive when taken as a whole.

To give an idea of the scale and appearance of these 'rock cities', imagine walking through a canyon just a few metres wide where pinnacles of stone rise like office towers on all sides, some of them reaching up more than 25 metres with trees clinging to their sides. A unique ecosystem exists in these clefts between the massive stones, attracting large ferns and unusual plant formations which thrive in the cold, damp environment. The paths along the canyon floors will lead you across tiny streams, past raging waterfalls and up and down a series of metal ladders attached to the rocks.

The stone formations that tower above you often have shapes that resemble objects or human figures, hence they have been given colourful names such as 'The Dwarf', 'The Lovers', 'The Mayor and His Wife', 'Smetana Playing the Piano', 'Grandma's Armchair', 'Goethe's Table', and 'Butcher's Axe'. The trails are well-marked and don't involve any difficult climbing or scrambling, so people of all ages can be seen walking among the stone formations.

Between the two rock cities there is a small lake where rafts are waiting to ferry visitors across to the other side. The oarsmen who steer the boats sing traditional songs and tell jokes to entertain the passengers during the crossing. One of the most memorable portions of the trail is the region called 'Siberia' in the Teplice rock city. The name is fully appropriate since this is the coldest and narrowest of the canyons, with blades of rock soaring up on both sides so that little light reaches the path floor. Ferns grow out from every surface reaching for the sun far above.

It is possible to see the best stone formations in both rock cities in a long day if you start early enough. Both are equally worth visiting, though perhaps Adršpach has a slightly more impressive set of geological oddities. A route starting from the train station in Adršpach leads past a small lake and then follows a green-marked path into a pine forest before emerging in a grove with the first of the formations.

A circular loop path takes in the best of the Adršpach rocks and can be completed in one or two hours depending on your pace. A yellow-marked path connects the two rock cities, while a blue-marked trail makes a loop that includes the highlights of the Teplice formations.

Along the Teplice trail it is worth making a diversion up a series of steep ladders to see the remains of a rock fortress called Střmen which was built by Hussite soldiers.

An ideal place to finish a walk is at Teplice nad Metuji Skaly, where there is a train station as well as a number of good restaurants and hotels. A plentiful assortment of accommodation and eating options can also be found in the village of Adršpach.

The rock cities are typically packed with Czech, Polish and German tourists during the peak summer months, but if you can visit in the off-season times of early spring or late autumn you'll be able to experience the walk with less waiting time at ladders and narrow sections of the canyons. Visiting in winter is also possible, when the canyons take on a completely different appearance under a heavy blanket of snow.

Panoramic View # 2 - Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

Climbing a church tower for a panoramic view is a common part of sightseeing in central Europe, nearly every town of note has a tower which is open for visitors to climb. Scaling the hundreds of steps to the top is often a challenge, and sometimes you have to pass directly next to or under a giant bell that may begin to ring at the exact moment you are passing. The bell tower in Hradec Králové, known as the 'White Tower', is 71 metres high, and contains the country's second-largest bell.

The 16th century tower also features an unusual clock face with a long hand that tells the hour, and a shorter hand that tells the minute. Standing on the observation platform at the top gives a dramatic view over the old town square and the surrounding streets featuring many buildings with gothic, renaissance and baroque facades. Outside the old town and across the river is the new town, composed of buildings constructed between the two World Wars in the Rondo-Cubist style by such architects as Josef Gočár and Jan Kotěra. Beyond this in the distance you can see socialist-era architecture which is typical of the region's larger cities.

Hradec Králové is a worthwhile day trip from Prague or Olomouc, but the city also provides access to the Krkonoše mountains and the Ardšpach-Teplice rock cities to the north, so using it as a base for a few days is also a good option.