Amazing Architecture # 3 - Pustevny, Czech Republic

Pustevny is a hilltop ensemble of gingerbread-style folk buildings in the Valašsko region of the Czech Republic close to the border with Slovakia. The surrounding Beskyd mountains are popular with hikers in the summer and skiers in the winter, and there is a chairlift in operation to carry visitors up the mountain to the village.

The buildings were designed by Slovak architect Dušan Jurkovič and constructed together with local Moravian master builder Michal Urbánek in the 1890's, drawing upon traditional Slavic folk art and building styles of the Valašsko region and the Carpathian Mountains. The final appearance of the buidlings also incorporates elements of the Art Nouveau style which was prominent at that time. Construction began in 1897 and was completed in 1899. Jurkovič also designed several other wooden buildings with a classical Slavic folk style in the present-day Czech Republic, such as the spa buildings in Luhačovice or the covered bridge in the castle gardens in Nové Město nad Metují.

The two most famous buildings in Pustevny are named Libušín and Maměnka, and they sit side by side together on top of the hill. Maměnka houses accommodation and has a wooden interior decorated in a similar style to the exterior, with traditional expressions and sayings painted on the walls.

Libušín is a restaurant serving traditional Wallachian and Moravian dishes. The name of Libušín comes from the legendary Czech princess Libuše. The interior of Libušín is decorated with beautiful frescoes designed by Mikoláš Aleš based on Wallach and Slovak folk legends. Art Nouveau-style chandeliers add a further touch of elegance to the dining room.

Another famous feature of the architectural collection at Pustevny is a small bell tower which stands near the trail head for the climb to the top of Radhošť mountain. The tower was designed by Jurkovič in the same distinctive Wallachian style as the other buildings and is a valuable example of Slavic folk art.

Further up the hill towards the summit of Radhošť there is a stone statue of the Slavic pagan god Radegast, while at the highest point there is a wooden chapel dedicated to Saints Cyril and Methodius, the patron saints of Moravia. Several festivals and special events take place in Pustevny each year, with the Snow Sculpture competition held in January among the most popular.

On 3 March 2014 a large fire in Pustevny caused extensive damage to the folk cottage called Libušín. The open air museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm declared that it was committed to rebuilding Libušín as faithfully as possible according to the original design. This project was expected to cost tens of millions of Czech Crowns and a fund for public donations was established. Benefit concerts were also held to get the funding campaign started.

There are several ways to get to Pustevny depending on the direction you approach it from. A road up the mountain from the southern side ends with a parking area just below Pustevny, and several buses per day run to the village from the nearby town and regional tourist hub of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. Hiking trails also lead from the eastern end of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm to the summit of Radhošť mountain and onwards to Pustevny. For those who prefer a relaxed trip to the top there is a chairlift in operation in both winter and summer which connects Pustevny with the village of Trojanovice at the base of the mountain on the north side.

Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 24 - Maršíkov, Czech Republic

This large timber church stands in the small village of Maršíkov in the Jeseníky region of North Moravia in the Czech Republic. It was built in 1609 using wooden beams taken from an older wooden church which had been dismantled in the nearby town of Velké Losiny. The wooden church in the village of Žárová, a few kilometres north of Velké Losiny, was constructed in 1610 with wood taken from the same dismantled church.

The church in Maršíkov was originally Lutheran, and was dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is considered to be one of the finest examples of late-period Renaissance folk architecture in the Czech Republic. Up until the early 1900's a low stone wall surrounded the church and the village cemetery which was located directly behind it. The cemetery was moved to a location on higher ground further away from the road.

The interior contains unique Rococo-style decorations from the late 18th century. The main altar includes a painting of the Archangel Michael, while the side altars depict the Virgin Mary and Saint John of Nepomuk. The walls of the nave are covered with timber boards with overlapping joints and are painted in dark red and grey. In the choir above the entrance area there is an organ from the 18th century.

The wooden steeple at the centre of the roof line is topped with a large onion dome which is grander in scale than those usually seen on the 17th and 18th century wooden churches found in this region. The dovetail joint interlocking system used to connect the ends of the wooden beams is typical for wooden churches in Silesia and northern parts of Moravia and East Bohemia.

The key for the church is kept by the family which lives in the house directly in front of the church entrance. They are used to opening it a few times per week for Czech and German bus tour groups, but they may be a little hesitant to do so for individual tourists who come unannounced, especially if they are busy with other activities. Offering them a donation for the church (50 to 100 crowns) might provide the right encouragement.

The village of Maršíkov isn't serviced by buses very frequently, but it is an easy two-kilometre walk from the town of Velké Losiny, which has frequent train and bus connections with Šumperk and Zábřeh, both of which have regular connections with Olomouc, Prague and other parts of the country. There are several restaurants and accommodation options available in Velké Losiny because tourists come to visit the spa, chateau and hand-made paper museum in the town and use it as a base for hiking in the Jeseníky mountains.

Wooden Churches of the Carpathian Mountains # 21 - Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem, Czech Republic

This beautiful church now stands on a small hill in the village of Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem in the Beskydy region of northern Moravia. The story of its history begins far to the east in present-day Ukraine in the region of Subcarpathian Ruthenia, a territory which was part of Czechoslovakia between the two world wars in the early 20th century. It was constructed in the small Rusyn village of Hlinance at the end of the 17th century or the first years of the 18th century, and was consecrated as a Greek Catholic church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. By the early 20th century the church was in very poor condition and was replaced by a modern church in the village.

At this time the wealthy owner of a mining company in Ostrava, Eduard Šebela, approached the villagers of Hlinance and offered to buy the church and have it moved to Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem where he had his summer retreat near the Beskydy mountains. Records show that Šebela paid 24000 Czech crowns for the church, but this was likely the cost of having it dismantled and transported by rail to the site in Kunčice rather than a payment to the villagers.

Following its reconstruction in the new location in northern Moravia, the church was reconsecrated and dedicated to St. Prokop and St. Barbara, the patron saints of miners, reflecting the business interests of the new owner. The church was then used as the location for the wedding of Šebela's daughter.

By the 1980's the church was again in poor condition, but it underwent extensive renovation in the early 1990's. The interior of the church contains the original iconostasis, which was carefully restored by specialists in 1992. The church was broken into by thieves in 1994 and again in 1995, with the loss of several icons, paintings and a tabernacle.

The interior of the church can only be seen during services and other special events, but a visit to the church and its surrounding cemetery is still very worthwhile at other times. The village of Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem is reachable by train directly from Ostrava or the nearby town of Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, which has onward train connections to many parts of the Czech Republic.

Quirky and Unusual Sights # 4 - The Minaret in Lednice, Czech Republic

The Lednice-Valtice region was once the family home of the Lichtensteins, who began developing the complex in the 18th century. Many pavilions, fountains, statues, arches and castle ruins can be found spread over an area of several hundred square kilometres. In the 19th century the complex was further developed with many structures built between the family's palaces in the towns of Lednice and Valtice.

The palace in Lednice is surrounded by a huge landscaped garden, the most unique and outlandish feature of which is the minaret, built in a Moorish-revival style in 1802. At 60 metres high, it was supposedly the tallest minaret outside the Muslim world at the time of its construction. In the early 19th century it was very popular for the European aristocracy to embrace exotic foreign cultures and artistic forms by having palace rooms decorated in Chinese, Japanese or Middle Eastern styles.

One story of the minaret's construction claims that Prince Alois Lichtenstein had planned to construct a church in the town of Lednice, but his proposal was rejected by the local municipality. As an act of cheeky defiance, he ordered the construction of the minaret as a substitute. Its construction was led by the architect Hardmuth, who had a difficult task given the extremely swampy ground the structure is built on. This was overcome by driving wooden piles deep into the soil to act as a foundation. The minaret has a wide base structure with turrets and arcades lining the roof, all topped with a crescent moon symbol. The exterior of the lower floor is decorated with textual inscriptions from the Koran written in Arabic script. The lower floor contains eight rooms with Moorish designs painted on the walls. The main tower provides views over the Lednice castle gardens and as far south as Valtice and the Austrian border. Today it is used as a lookout tower and is a popular attraction for visitors to the Lednice palace.

The Lednice-Valtice area is a possible day trip from Brno, Bratislava or Vienna. Local trains connect it to the nearby town of Břeclav, which is a major rail hub with regular trains to all the surrounding cities and international capitals. The Lednice-Valtice area can also be explored while staying in Mikulov, which is a lovely Czech town a few kilometres west of the region.

Beautiful Towns #1 - Štramberk, Czech Republic

There are many fine small towns to see in the Czech Republic, but most of them have been well and truly discovered - Český Krumlov is now an essential stop for almost every visitor to the country, and the one place visitors usually see outside Prague. Other fine examples of small-town architecture include Telč in south Moravia, with a postcard-perfect town square, Loket (near Karlovy Vary) with hilly cobbled streets and a castle surrounded by a sharp river bend, and Mikulov (south of Brno) a pretty town to spend a day or two in to check out the wine industry (try the local white wines). However, these places have also begun to see foreign visitors and even tourgroups, so I would like to mention a town with heaps of charm which is still completely off the foreign tourist radar (lots of Czech tourists make the trip though). Štramberk, near Nový Jičín in north Moravia, is as memorable a place as any you can find in the Czech Republic. It's the sort of place you'll want to settle into for a relaxed day or two to soak up the vibe, as the town is especially atmospheric to walk around in the early morning or after sunset. It has the finest examples of traditional Vlach wooden architecture in Moravia with its array of tidy wooden cottages that spread across a hillside, and a tall red castle tower sticks out from the trees lining the crest above them. A pastel-painted square of bright buildings with curvaceous facades sits at the centre of it all, where locals sell the town's unique specialty, a sweet pastry called Štramberk ears. According to legend, the 'ears' are so named because they resemble the shape of the ears of captured soldiers from the Tatar raids. The best view of the town can be had from a hilltop in the direction of the train station when walking from the old square; a marked path leads off to the right and up through the forest. Standing at the top you'll see what I mean - the view of the town is so perfect you'll find yourself photographing it from every angle. Part of the way up the trail through the forest is a cave where bones of prehistoric humans have been found. There are many fine pensions and homestays along the main street heading to the train station, and in the back lanes of wooden cottages surrounding the square. Several restaurants serving Czech and Moravian specialties can be found around the main square. For backpackers, it is possible to make a day trip from Olomouc, which involves a train connection through Nový Jičín. The Poet's Corner Hostel in Olomouc is without doubt the best place to stay in that wonderful city.