3. FAMOUS TOWN OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

3. The Czech Republic – famous towns

• What are the most famous towns? What are they famous for?

• Have you ever been there?

• Are any of them included in the UNESCO list.

• Choose one town and describe it.

I hope that in the most of the towns in the Czech Republic we can find something special or interesting. That´s why I love travelling through our country- I never get bored here!

In the Czech Republic the biggest towns are obviously the capital city Prague, which has the biggest attention of tourism. The Historical Centre of Prague is listed in UNESCO list. It leads the list with monuments such as Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral and Charles Bridge. The second biggest city in the CR, Brno, is Brno located in Moravia. It has many architectural jewels, among them the fortress Špilberk and the gothic St. Peter and Paul’s cathedral. From the UNESCO list we can find here the functionalist Villa Tugendhat . I have visited Brno last holidays and I really like the historical centre. The third biggest town is Ostrava, the centre of Silesia. While Ostrava is usually not in the top ten list of tourist attractions of the Czech Republic, there are a number of interesting places to see and things to do there. Some technical landmarks, such as Lower Vítkovice Area, the Michal Min or another attraction, which is becoming more and more popular mainly among young people, is Stodolní Street (Stodolní ulice), street full of bars, pubs and clubs, bringing night-life to the city. Next big town is Pilsner, located in Bohemia. It is mostly known for brewery. Czech beer is one of the most favourite drinks, even for tourists, but obviously for Czech nation as weel. Finally, the fifth biggest town is Liberec.

From the famous and historical towns, which are all listed (or their part) in the UNESCO list, I would like to mention Telč, with town’s square, which offers a unique combination of Renaissance and Baroque houses, Litomyšl with its unique Litomyšl Castle , Český Krumlov, which is a popular tourist attraction for its overwhelming historical centre and Kutná hora.

I would like to speak more about Kutná hora, which my favourite city. It is lovely historical city, quite small, but amazing. My grandfather was born here. Kutná hora is a medieval mining town, which became rich because of its silver deposits, by the way there are mines opened for visitors, what’s amazing experience. Kutná hora is also famous for its historical centre and overwhelming Church of St. Barbara. This eye-catching piece of Gothic architecture was begun in 1388 but wasn’t completed until 1905. The construction was often interrupted as the town suffered from wars, flood and financial collapse following the closure of the mines. It’s named by St.Barbara, who is a patron of miners. Kutná Hora was added in UNESCO list in 1995.

I hope that what it is beautiful in the Czech Republic, is nature and towns. Even if talk about modern part or historic, it’s beautiful and I hope, that all of us will try to protect this beauty.