I have been once in Ceský Krumlov and it was, apart from Prague, the Czech town I most liked. It was constructed in the 13th century on a double meander of the river Vltava and was controlled by the family Rosenberg from 1302 to 1611. After the czech defeat (1620) at the White Mountain it passed to the family Eggenberg and then Schwarzenberg, that left it when the sovietic army came in 1945. The monument that dominates the town is, on a hill, the huge castle, in Gothic, High Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, but projected especially by Baldassarre Maggi, with a high decorated round tower and two stunning courts with frescos. Very nice for its frescos by Josef Lederer is the room of the Masks, the Rococo chapel and the Rococo theatre that contains the original scene machines. Beautiful especially if you see it from the bottom is the bridge, with four storeys of arcades, that goes over a small valley and brings to the terraced gardens. There you can find the summer palace Bellaire, the winter riding school and the stables, projected by Andrea Altomonte. Under the castle there is the quarter Latrán, constructed around a street that begins at the Renaissance gate of Budìjovice, projected by Domenico Benedetto Cometa, and finishes at the bridge that brings in the centre. On this road you can find a lot of beautiful decorated buildings: the most important are the church of St. Justus, with a nice tower, the Renaissance arsenal (projected by Cometa), the town hall of the quarter with graffiti, a convent with the church of Corpus Christi, a Gothic cloister, a vast court, sculptures and a bulwark, remain of the town walls. Incredibly pretty are, on the opposite bank of the river, where is the centre, the decorated fronts of the Renaissance houses, that contain wooden ceilings, and the streets, with a regular layout, that bring to the main Square of the Concord. There are the Virgin column, made by Mätthaus Wenzel Jäckel, and the Renaissance town hall (crated by combining several houses), decorated with columns and coats of arms. Very nice is the small island on the Vltava and the nearby brewery, on the Wide Street, and the school. On the Upper Street there is the Gothic main church of St. Vitus, with nice vaults, frescos and altars, the chantry, the prelacy, with Rococo stairs on the court, the jesuitic college, projected by Baldassarre Maggi, and seminary.

This town is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, because of the quality of its architecture and of the decorations. It's absolutely worth to be vistited (if you go there you must leave the car out of the centre, closed to the traffic). It justifies the inscription and it's the second nicest town in Czech Republic with the second biggest castle (that you can visit only with a guided tour).

Photo: Ceský Krumlov - View from the jesuitic college to the castle, the centre and the quarter of Latrán with the church of St. Justus