This was one of my favourite trips in the Czech Republic. The interior of the palace is nothing remarkable; however the exterior and the town itself were very rewarding.

The main feature of the castle is the sgraffiti decoration on the outside, what from a distance look like bricks are in fact designs made from etching away plaster to reveal the undercoat. Each design is different; the centres contain many different images, from leaves to people. It gives a very nice impression, it also features on the main wall of the interior colonnaded courtyard but it is used here to depict biblical/ mythical scenes on a much larger scale.

The only way to see the interior of the castle is on a tour of which there are two different types. If you do want to see the interior I would recommend trying to get the tour which includes the theatre as I hear this is the highlight. Unfortunately I ended up on the second tour which led me on a procession through yet another average European Castle. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time on it.

The Castle is situated just above the centre of the town and was the birthplace of the composer Bedrich Smetana. He plays a large role in Czech cultural heritage and many concerts are given in his honour through out the year.

The interior of the castle did hold one more delight though, in the shape of the former wine vaults. These now house a display of the works of local sculptor Olbram Zoubek; who after upsetting the communist government spent 20 years restoring the sgraffiti decorations on the castle. It is quite cold and eerie but you get a look at some interesting sculptures in an otherwise closed part of the. To fight off the cold you are given a blanket and mulled wine.

The rest of the town is very pleasant and I had the feeling I was the only non Czech tourist there. It is also cheap. I was served the cheapest beer I came across in all my travels at the train station (in 2005 it was 10,50 CZK about €0,36 or the price of a stamp)

It can be a bit of a trek to get here, there is a small local train that meets some of the trains to/from Prague at Chocen. It took me about 2h 45m from Prague, or there are direct busses from Olomouc 1h 40m. check www.idos.cz for more details.

I had a really great day here and I would recommend it for people that want to see the real Czech Republic away from the bustling crowds of Prague. You wouldn’t be missing much if you skipped the palace interior though.