Czech Republic

Prague, Miraculously Preserved

Prague is one of the few major European capitals that emerged from the Second World War without significant destruction. What stands today — the Gothic spires of the Old Town, the Baroque palaces of Malá Strana, the medieval Charles Bridge, and the castle complex that has dominated the Vltava since the 9th century — is not a reconstruction. It is the original. Walking Prague's historic centre is walking through a city that has accumulated architectural layers from the Romanesque through the Art Nouveau without losing any of them.

Beyond Prague, A Country of Castles

The Czech Republic outside Prague is consistently underexplored. Český Krumlov, a UNESCO-listed town in South Bohemia, is a Renaissance castle town on a river loop that looks like a film set. Kutná Hora, an hour from Prague, was once the second most important city in Bohemia — the Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara and the Sedlec Ossuary (a church whose interior is decorated with human bones) make it one of the most unusual day trips in Central Europe.

Beer Culture as Heritage

The Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world and produces some of the finest lager beer brewed anywhere. Pilsner — the world's most widely consumed beer style — was invented in Plzeň in 1842. Drinking beer in the Czech Republic is a cultural experience: the pub (hospoda) is a democratic institution, and the unpasteurised tank beer (tankové pivo) available in traditional establishments is the finest expression of the lager style produced anywhere.

Architecture Across Every Era

Few cities display as many architectural styles in as compact an area as Prague. Romanesque rotundas, Gothic cathedrals, Renaissance palaces, Baroque churches, Art Nouveau municipal buildings, and the Cubist architectural movement unique to Prague — the only city in the world to have produced one — are all present, accessible, and walkable within an afternoon.