The 10 Best Small Towns in the Czech Republic

If there's one thing in the Czech Republic that can knock your socks off, it's its store of elegant Moravian and Bohemian small towns in thoroughly enchanting settings, each with a flourish of a castle or two and cobbled and stepped public squares where you can discover any number of historic buildings, markets and other nuggets. And here are the pick of the lot, the 10 best small towns and villages in the Czech Republic.

[ Pages of interest: Prague, Czech Republic and Famous Castles in Czech Republic ]

_esk_ Krumlov

One of the loveliest of the Czech small towns, with a famous castle and a fabulous old town which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights here include the 17th-century Castle Theater at the _esk_ Krumlov Castle and the Five-Petalled Rose Festival held on Summer Solstice weekend in June, the latter a memorable recreation of the medieval town and its festivities.

Location: South Bohemia

Population: 14,000

Litomy_l

Flavorful 13th-century town with a UNESCO-listed town center, a Renaissance castle, and strong cultural underpinnings. On the town's main square are a Gothic town hall and a series of lovely Baroque and Renaissance houses. Litomy_l is also the birthplace of 19th-century Czech composer Bed_ich Smetana.

Location: East Bohemia

Population: 10,500

Tel_

Thirteenth-century Moravian town with a 15th-century Gothic-cum-Renaissance castle and a unique and long urban plaza lined with 16th-century Renaissance and Baroque houses with high gables – one of the most fabulous such architectural collections in Eastern Europe – which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tel_ also provided the setting for the setting for the 1979 film Woyzeck.

Location South Moravia

Population 5,900

Litovel

Traditional Czech town, situated in the Upper Moravian Vale, at an elevation of around 700 feet (233 m). The town is rich in history and offers up a veritable cornucopia of historical monuments and structures, including a 16th-century stone bridge over the river Morava and an equally ancient, mid 16th-century town hall with a 72-meter tower that fronts on the elegant P_emysl Otakar Square. A local brewery adds to the town's offerings.

Location Upper Moravia, eastern Czech Republic

Population 10,100

_ternberk

Lovely 13th-century Moravian town with a picturesque old public square at the heart of it, cobbled and stepped and lined with ornate, historic buildings where you can search out a café to linger in. There's also a preserved castle, _ternberk Castle, worth seeing, as well as a church with an 18th-century column.

Location Moravia, eastern Czech Republic

Population 14,100

Uni_ov

Ancient Czech town, founded in 1213, and one of the seven royal Moravian towns. Uni_ov is largely centered around its landmark town hall, and has some quaint little shops and restaurants to delight visitors. It is also easily accessible from Olomouc, which is just 14 miles (22 km) to the southeast of here.

Location Olomouc Region, Moravia, eastern Czech Republic

Population 12.400

_tramberk

Supremely picturesque small town in eastern Moravia, overlooked by the hilltop Trúba Castle with its triumphal tower. The town is largely built on the slopes of a wooded lime hill, amid a cluster of 18th- and 19th-century timbered houses and other lovely old buildings. Also, on the outskirts of town is the _ipka Cave where Neanderthal bones were found. The closest city to _tramberk is Kop_ivnice.

Location Moravian-Silesian Region, eastern Czech Republic

Population 3.400

Ro_nov pod Radho_t_m

Location

Population

Velké Losiny

Location

Population

Mikulov

Location

Population

Slavonice

Location

Population

© Indian Chief Travel Guides