Pelhrimovsko [ Region ]
Pelhrimovsko
It is called "The Gateway to the Highlands" or "The Country among Three Peaks". It is a region of deep forests, clean lakes and virgin nature attracting tourists to take long walks, to relax in summer and to go cross-country skiing in winter. There are not many similar areas in the Czech Republic. The fundamental features of the region are unspoilt nature and healthy environment.
The region of Pelhrimov offers its visitors tourist routes, horseriding, fishing, tennis, minigolf and a great number of facilities for people interested in other sports and games or active way of relaxation. Of the same attention should be local sights, a lot of which may be seen in the town of Pelhrimov, the administrative centre of the region. Some of them come from the earliest period of the history of Pelhrimov, between the years 1224 and 1226 - the period square with gatehouses, the Church of St. Bartholomew, the Church of St. Vitus, some Renaissance and Baroque houses and the Chateau of the Lords of Ricany. The chateau houses the District Museum, the present exposition of which includes exhibits commemorating the writer F.B.Vanek, the sculptor J. Sejnosta and the historian J. Dobias. Not far from Pelhrimov the nature preserve of Kremesnik is located, which is quite well-known as a place of pilgrimage with an old church, a skiing slope and a picnic area with a look-out tower. Of great interest is the castle of Kamen (Stone in Czech) with a Gothic palace from the 13th century. Inside the castle you may see an exhibition of motorcycles and outside the castle an Alpinium and a large English park are worth visiting.
The town of Humpolec is located by the Prague-Brno motorway and near the town of Pelhrimov. A settlement was founded on this site as early as in the 12th century. The rich history of the place is reflected in the ruins of Orlik Castle and the Jewish cemetery from the 17th century. Worth seeing is the Dean's Church of St. Nicholas and the local Hrdlicka Museum offering large exhibitions about the anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka. The nearby village of Kaliste is where the native house of the wold-famous composer Gustav Mahler is situated. In Humpolec you can also taste - for your better mood - the unpasteurized Bernad beer.
Zirovnice is generally known for its button industry. You should visit an exposition of button-making at the local castle, the interior of which can boast beautiful fresco paintings from the 15th century.
The town of Pacov was founded at the end of the 13th century. Visitors to this town are offered many sights such as the Church of St. Michael, the Chapel of St. Wenceslas, a museum dedicated to the poet A. Sova and the painter J. Autengruber, and a Baroque castle. Motoring fans should know that the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) was established here in 1904.
The town of Kamenice nad Lipou has a lime-tree not only in its name (Czech "lipa", instrumental case "lipou" = lime-tree) - a famous piece of this Czech national tree grows in the castle park and it is estimated to be between 700 and 900 years old. The Renaissance castle houses a children's sanatorium these days. The nearby village of Vcelnicka is the seat of the world-famous glass works Antonin Ruckl.
The dominant feature of Pocatky is the beautiful parish church of St. John the Baptist with Gothic and Baroque inventory. In the town centre is a public fountain built in the Classical style with an early 18th century Column of St. John of Nepomuk. The poet Otokar Brezina was born in this town. Another children's sanatorium is to be found in one of the environmentally least spoilt places in the country, in Cernovice, with large woods inviting for a walk. There are other interesting places to see here - a Jewish graveyard, the Church of the Holy Cross or a Renaissance castle. The settlement of the name of Horni Cerekev was founded as early as in the 13th century. The heart of the small town is formed by a Renaissance castle from the 17th century rebuilt in the Baroque style, which incorporated an early fort surrounded by water and the nearby Church of Annunciation with the burial chamber of the family of Liskovec. The cemetery church of St. John the Baptist from the 14th century is embellished with a sun-dial.
The village of Zeliv, situated on the Zelivka Stream, is famous for its monastery and the abbey Church of the Birth of the Virgin from the 12th century, which was altered in the Baroque-Gothic style by G. Santini.
A very special institution is the Museum of Records and Curiosities collecting interesting and somehow unique exhibits and gathering information about record breakers not only within the Czech Republic, but also from all over the world. Another museum of rarities is situated in the village of Dvoriste near Obratan - that one has a collection of insulators and lightning arresters.
