Pecs

Pictures taken in Pisek and above all Pecs on our Summer Holiday 2010
Blatna castle Although the area has been inhabited since the 6th century, the first written record of Blatná dates back to 1235, when probably just a wooden fortress built on a rocky piece of land in the middle of a marshland (blata in old Czech, hence the name Blatná - A Marshy Place) existed. Not much is known about the castle until the second half of the 13th century, when it becomes the property of the house of Bavorové of Strakonice. From 1391 the castle and then already existing town belonged to the house of Lvové (i.e. Lions) of Rožmitál. Under the new masters the fortress was for the first time rebuilt in stone (the oldest parts being the tower and Rožmitálský Palace) and the surrounding marshes were changed into wide water trenches, thus giving the castle the looks of "A swan sitting in a lake". : 2010, Czech republic, Keski-Eurooppa, Platna, Tsekki, building, castle, linna, loma, rakennus Babenberger Burg Gars am Kamp Castle, locally known as Burg Gars am Kamp but also as Babenberger Burg or Burg Gars was first mentioned in the 11th century. It was built on a rock near the shore of the Kamp river, by the noble Babenberger family. Leopold II, "The Beautiful", von Babenberg and his son Leopold III, "The Saint", both Margraves of Austria, resided here between 1075 an 1095. Between 1096 and 1121 it was owned by Bishop Ulrich of Passau. Of later owners the Lords of Maissau and the Barons of Teufel are worth mentioning. In 1709 the castle was completed. Around 1800 the castle fell into disrepair as a result of the rooftaxes after which it was destroyed, in 1809, during the French War. In 1996 ownership of the castle transferred to the town of Gars am Kamp. The castle is now used for different cultural activities as there is an open air theatre. Gertrude church was built on the lower terrace of the castle hill, which combines all the styles from Romanesque to Baroque in itself. It was built in the 11th century as well and is one of oldest churches in Austria. : 2010, Babenberger Burg, Gars am Kamp, Keski-Eurooppa, building, castle, church, historia, history, kirkko, linna, loma, rakennus Full load Quite a few hay rolls loaded on a tractor/truck/whatever : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, loma Kamenný Most Stone Bridge was built before the end of the 13th century, making this the oldest bridge in the Czech Republic (older than Prague's Charles Bridge) and likely the second oldest bridge in Central Europe (only the stone bridge in Regensburg is older, from 1135 to 1146). The Písek bridge used to be an important link in the Gold salt route which crossed the Otava at this site. The structure is 110 meters long and 6.25 meters wide, is held by seven arches, and gives the impression of a "small" Charles Bridge. Six arches are original, but the seventh is from 1768 and is double the normal width; it served for the passage of rafts. Six bridge pillars were built in the Middle Ages on dry ground; the builders built construction pits out of protective walls so that the water could flow around. It's a pity that the two towers that guarded the entrance to the bridge on both sides haven't survived. The first fell victim to the great flood of 1768 (the poor watchman is said to have been washed away with the tower), while the second tower didn't suit the growing demands of transportation and was mercilessly demolished in 1825. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pisek, bridge, historia, history, joki, loma, river, silta
Royal Castle The castle used to hold three fortification towers, but none of them are standing today. In the still-existing western wing we can visit the large Gothic Hall which displays copies of frescoes from the end of the 15th century. The castle was first mentioned in writing in 1254 and was built (under the supervision of King Přemysl Otakar II himself) at the same time as the town, which explains why it fits so perfectly into the town's layout. The last ruler to live in the castle was King Wenceslas (Václav) IV. In 1419, the castle passed into the hands of the Písek burgrave Jan Hájek of Hodětín, but it went through many owners soon afterward. It was purchased by the city of Písek in 1509, where it remained until 1547. Over the following years and centuries it was abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair. The western wing, entrance tower, and parkán were demolished in 1851, and the castle was transformed into the torso we see nowadays. The remaining part of the castle houses the Prácheň Museum today. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pisek, building, castle, historia, history, kaupunki, linna, loma, rakennus Canoeing People canoeing on the Otava river in Pisek. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Otava, Pisek, canoe, joki, kanootti, loma, river Married frogs Cute wedding decoration on a car's bonnet we saw in Pilsen. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, decoration, frog, häät, koriste, loma, marriage, sammakko Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew The construction of the Gothic style building, located on the main square, started in 1295 and was finished by the beginning of 16th century. The building is 58m long, 30m wide and the spires are 25m high. The tall spire is 102.6 m high and is the highest in the Czech Republic, and also the third tallest building in the Czech Republic. The Madonna of Plzeň, a statue situated next to the altar, dates from 1390. The statue is an example of the "beautiful style" of the Czech Madonnas in gothic art. Šternberk Chapel, built during the first half of 16th century and decorated with Renaissance wall paintings, was restored from ruins during 20th century. : 2010, Czech republic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, St. Bartholomew, Tsekki, cathedral, city, katedraali, kaupunki, loma
St. Mary's plague column St. Mary's plague column from 1681 by the Plzeň sculptor Kristian Widman. The stone balustrade with its statues supports a powerful plinth with a second group of four statues; the column is then completed by a head and, on it, a Baroque replica of the famous Plzen Madonna. The statues on the balustrade and plinth date from 1714 and represent St. Bartholomew, St. Wenceslas, St. Frantisek Xaversky, St. Ruzena, St. Antonin, St. Roch, St. Barbora and St. Florian. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Maria, Pilsen, Plzen, St. Mary's plague column, city, historia, history, kaupunki, loma, ruttopylväs, uskonto Pilsen Town Hall Pilsen Town Hall was designed by Italian architect Giovanni de Statia and built in 1558. The building is decorated with sgrafitto depicting the heads of the Bohemian estates and Pilsen’s coat of arms. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, historia, history, kaupungintalo, loma, rakennus, town hall Town hall wall Graffitis depicting the heads of the Bohemian estates and Pilsen’s coat of arms. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, city, historia, history, kaupungintalo, kaupunki, loma, seinämaalaus, town hall, wall graffiti Historic building Another historic building in Pilsen, from the 17th century, now housing a hotel, Penzion U Salzmannu. There's also a restaurant/pub. : 2010, Czech republic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Tsekki, city, kaupunki, loma
By The Golden Rosary and The Wallenstein house The facade of the Pilsen house By the Golden Rosary includes in its gable a house sign with the motif of a large angel and small little boy, so-called putti, holding a cartouche with gold beads and a cross. From the corner of the building at the second floor level a sculpture of a soldier with a halberd in armor from the time of the Thirty Years' War. A dragon, grinning beneath the feet of the hostile warrior recalls the sad date – November 21, 1618, when Pilsen was conquered for the first time in its history and was occupied by the victorious Protestant army divisions led by Arnošt of Mansfeld, who passed house no. 104. They had managed to penetrate Pilsen’s defenses just at the end of Dřevěná ulice. The one beside "By the Golden Rosary" is the Wallenstein house. This Renaissance building dates from the 16th century and originally served as the first seat of the reeve of Pilsen. The facade is Baroque, modified around 1730 by Jakub Auguston. In 1633-1634, Albrecht von Wallenstein lived here prior to his death. Also known as the European House, today it is the seat of several foreign cultural institutions – the English and Austrian libraries, a German reading room, the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise. : 2010, By the Golden Rosary, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Wallenstein House, building, city, historia, history, kaupunki, loma, rakennus Historical buildings Beautiful old houses surrounding the main square, right next to the cathedral. : 2010, Czech republic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Tsekki, city, kaupunki, loma Historical buildings The one on the left is Budova biskupství (Diocese building). The house was rebuilt in 1710 by Baroque architect Jakub Auguston and is one of the most valuable Baroque structures in Pilsen. The one to the right of it is The House by the Red Heart, more in a close-up picture. : 2010, Czech republic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Tsekki, city, kaupunki, loma Dům U Červeného srdce (House by the Red Heart) Dům U Červeného srdce (House by the Red Heart). This Neo-Renaissance building is easily identified by a red heart in the middle of the facade. The house, decorated with sgraffiti by Mikoláš Aleš, dates from 1894. The sgraffito scene recalls the famous tournament which was held in Pilsen in honor of Ferdinand II of Tyrol. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, historia, history, loma, neo-renessanssi, rakennus, seinämaalaus, wall graffiti
House at the White Unicorn The house, which now serves as a chemist, a neo-Renaissance facade with graffiti on the topic of collection of medicinal plants by cartons Mikoláše Alše to 1896 : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, White Unicorn, apteekki, building, historia, loma, pharmacy, rakennus Puppet museum Building no. 137/ 23 on náměstí Republiky in Pilsen has been one of the most important patrician buildings in the city since the Middle Ages. It is a listed building. The building is part of the original mediaeval town plan, the shape of which can still be seen today. It has two wings at the front and a rear courtyard building, connected by a narrow wing on the east side of the inner courtyard. The core of the front part of the building is from the pre-Hussite era. After a fire in 1507 the building underwent an expensive late Gothic restoration. From this period come the details on the ground floor of the front building. The independent rear courtyard building, which has one wing, also comes from the late Gothic era. The major alterations in Renaissance style from 1580-90, made by the then owner, Jan Bakalář, gave the courtyard its Renaissance appearance, which it partially preserves to this day. The alterations also gave the front house one of the most beautiful Renaissance facades, and added to it a second storey and a gable. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, historia, history, kaupunki, loma, nukketeatterimuseo, puppet museum, rakennus U Zlaté lodi (By the Golden Ship) If we look up in front of house no. 206, with its main facade facing the square and side facing Riegrova, we can see ornamenta tion in the form of a golden sailboat. As the house sign indicates, our ancestors used to know it as the Golden Ship. At the end of the 19th century, a legend explaining the origin of the name began to spread. One of the former owners of the building, apparently a well- known Pilsen merchant, once undertook a journey across the sea. While sailing, the ship was attacked by a storm so violent that even the experienced captain began to lose hope. Then the merchant promised the Virgin Mary that he would donate a small boat made of real gold to a church at the place of his safe landing. When the ship was finally rescued, the wholesaler kept his promise and even had the facade of his house decorated with a golden ship. : 2010, By the Golden Ship, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, historia, history, kaupunki, loma, rakennus Beautiful building One more of thouse beautiful buildings I saw in Pilsen. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, historia, history, kaupunki, loma, rakennus
Beautiful building Another nice building in Pilsen, most likely built in the end of the 19th century. : 2010, Czech republic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Tsekki, city, kaupunki, loma Franciscan Church It is one of the oldest and one of most valuable buildings in Plzen, originating from the 13th century, Premysl dynasty. Construction still has early gothic traces, but later, in 1611, the ruined chapel was replaced by a new one, and second one was added later, at the same 17th century. : 2010, Czech republic, Franciscan Church and monastery, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Tsekki, building, city, historia, history, kaupunki, kirkko, loma, luostari, rakennus Velká synagoga (The Great Synagogue) A Viennese architect called Fleischer drew up the original plans for the synagogue in Gothic style with granite buttresses and twin 65-meter towers. The cornerstone was laid on December 2, 1888 and that was about as far as it got. City councillors rejected the plan in a clear case of tower envy as they felt that the grand erection would compete with the nearby Cathedral of St. Bartholomew. Emmanuel Klotz put forward a new design in 1890 retaining the original ground plan and hence the cornerstone, but lowering the towers by 20m and creating the distinctive look combining Romantic and neo-Renaissance styles covered with Oriental decorations and a giant Star of David. The design was quickly approved and master builder Rudolf Štech completed work in 1893 for the bargain price of 162,138 guilders. The mixture of styles is truly bewildering; from the onion domes of a Russian orthodox church, to the Arabic style ceiling, to the distinctly Indian looking Aron kodesh. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, kaupunki, loma, rakennus, religion, synagogue, synagooga, uskonto Velké divadlo (Great Theatre) In Smetanovy sady (park) is the J.K. Tyl Divadlo (theatre) – also called the Great Theater. It was built in 1902 in the Neo-Renaissance style with Art Nouveau elements, and today is one of the two permanent venues of the theatre. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, culture, kaupunki, kulttuuri, loma, rakennus, teatteri, theatre
Czechoslovak Hussite Church The original church built in neo-Gothic style in 1869. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, church, kirkko, loma, rakennus, religion, uskonto Tram A bit old-fashioned looking tram on Klatovska : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, city, kaupunki, liikenne, loma, raitiovaunu, traffic, tram “Thank You America!” monument The history of the memorial, which is dedicated to the US Army’s liberation of Pilsen, dates back to the period shortly after the war. Unveiled on May 6, 1995, the memorial is a collective work. The round slabs featuring a low relief of Europe showing the main directions the US Army took in its advance through the continent, were created by František Bálek. The memorial is composed of two inscribed granite pylons and round slabs recessed into the ground in front of the area between the two pylons. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, historia, history, loma, muistomerkki, sota, war, “Thank You America!” monument Cute bus A nice old bus on Americká : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, bussi, city, kaupunki, liikenne, loma, traffic
Klatovska 20 Townhouse on Klatovska 20. It's built in 1894 but that's the only info I have. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Klatovska, Pilsen, Plzen, building, city, kaupunki, kaupunkitalo, loma, rakennus, townhouse Měšťanská beseda Měšťanská beseda (Municipal meeting) house was built in 1901 after the plans of architect Alois Čenský. The dominant feature of an axially symmetrical facade is a middle buttress topped with golden onion-shaped roof and two narrower lateral buttresses, which are tipped with shields with four allegorical paintings by Lada Novak . By the same author are also murals Concert (left) and lectures (right) in the space between the windows of the 2nd and 3rd floors. Central buttress above the main cornice facade is finished allegorical sculpture of Svornost and nobility, in whose center is located a shield with the Czech lion (the work of Antonin Popp ). Municipal Meeting with several social halls and lounges, Cinema, Beseda , theater Jonas and the famous Art Nouveau Café is one of the most important socio-cultural center in Pilsen. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Měšťanská beseda, Pilsen, Plzen, building, culture, historia, history, kulttuuri, loma, rakennus Měšťanská beseda Měšťanská beseda (Municipal meeting) house was built in 1901 after the plans of architect Alois Čenský. The dominant feature of an axially symmetrical facade is a middle buttress topped with golden onion-shaped roof and two narrower lateral buttresses, which are tipped with shields with four allegorical paintings by Lada Novak . By the same author are also murals Concert (left) and lectures (right) in the space between the windows of the 2nd and 3rd floors. Central buttress above the main cornice facade is finished allegorical sculpture of Svornost and nobility, in whose center is located a shield with the Czech lion (the work of Antonin Popp ). Municipal Meeting with several social halls and lounges, Cinema, Beseda , theater Jonas and the famous Art Nouveau Café is one of the most important socio-cultural center in Pilsen. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Měšťanská beseda, Pilsen, Plzen, building, culture, historia, history, kulttuuri, loma, rakennus The statue of Bedřich Smetana Bedřich Smetana (2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer who pioneered the development of a musical style which became closely identified with his country's aspirations to independent statehood. He is thus widely regarded in his homeland as the father of Czech music. Internationally he is best known for his opera The Bartered Bride. Smetana was naturally gifted as a pianist, and gave his first public performance at the age of six. The statue is sculpted by Alois Soper in 1975. : 2010, Alois Soper, Bedřich Smetana, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, loma, music, musiikki, patsas, statue
Matka a díte Statue of Mother and Child in a fountain, located in Kopecky Park. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Kopecky park, Pilsen, Plzen, fountain, loma, patsas, puisto, statue, suihkulähde Gallery of West Bohemia Former meat market hall built in 1392. This Gothic style building served in it's original purpose until the mid 20th century. After major renevation the building was opened as an art gallery in 1972. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Meat market, Pilsen, Plzen, art, building, historia, history, lihamarkkinat, loma, rakennus, taide Nice well Nicely decorated well near the former meat market building. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, city, kaivo, kaupunki, loma, well Vodárenská věž The Water tower from the first half of the 16th Century was part of the city fortifications by the former Prague gate and once served to fill fountains on Republic Square. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, building, historia, history, loma, rakennus, vesitorni, water tower
West Bohemian Gallery Originally a Gothic building, the house on the corner of Pražská and Perlová streets later underwent a Renaissance rearrangement. A major reconstruction was then done during the Classicist period. The earliest history of the building is represented by its two-storey cellar and a rare, late Gothic ceiling on the ground floor, decorated with a floral design. The entrance portal and the vaults of the main hall are evidence of the Renaissance reconstruction done sometime before 1607, when the building was reconstructed, supposedly by Jan Dragin, a mason of Italian descent. Around 1614, the owner of the house is said to be Antonín (Anton) de Stazio, an Italian builder active in Pilsen from 1602 to 1631. He probably came from the family of Giovanni de Stazio († 1595), one of the first members of the Italian community in Pilsen and the builder of the Pilsen Town Hall. : 2010, Gothic, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, West Bohemian Gallery, art, building, goottilainen, historia, history, loma, rakennus, taide Getting married! A newly-wed couple coming from the church and most likely are heading towards a park to get some pictures taken. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, city, häät, ihminen, kaupunki, loma, marriage, people 1803 The house is located in the Prague Street No. 12 and it's pretty clear it was built in 1803. : 2010, Keski-Eurooppa, loma Wall relief A beautiful wall relief, very likely of Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia, who ruled Poland, Czech republik and Praque and died either 28th of September 929 or 935. He was declared as saint. It is located on number 5 Pražská. : 2010, Holiday, Keski-Eurooppa, Pilsen, Plzen, Wenceslaus I, building, historia, history, loma, martyr, rakennus, seinäkoriste, wall relief