The journeys of Captain Oddsocks

A peek at Písek

2009-11-09T08:48:00.003+01:00

Písek is a pleasant riverside town of 30,000 people not far from where the waters of the Otava River join the mighty Vltava below Zvíkov castle. It's far from being Bohemia's most intact historic town, but Písek does have some outstanding individual pieces of medieval architecture and many of the modern buildings that interrupt the streetscapes are interesting and attractive in their own right.

Písek is the Czech word for sand and the name refers to the gold-bearing flat-bottomed river that was the main source of the town's wealth. Thanks to finds of ceramic utensils, archaeologists believe gold was panned at Písek as far back as the bronze age, but the earliest written record is from 1336 in the time of King John of Luxembourg.

Predictably for South Bohemia it was John of Luxembourg's father-in-law, King Přemysl Otakar II, who was responsible for the founding of Písek. His builders constructed a castle, a defensive system of stone walls, a church, a monastery and a bridge across the Otava around the same time as they were fortifying Zvíkov, 18 km to the north.

Not all of their hard work survived the centuries, but the stone bridge has weathered seven centuries of wars and floods to remain modern Písek's most valuable and beautiful piece of historic architecture. Pre-dating Prague's Charles Bridge by a hundred years, Písek's simply named Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) is the oldest in the Czech lands and one of the oldest in Central Europe. It became a graphic symbol of the catastrophic floods of 2002 when it disappeared completely underwater.

The 2002 floods damaged historic cities and towns from Český Krumlov to Litoměřice and there were serious fears for Písek's stone bridge. When the bridge resurfaced most of the retaining walls had been washed away and the paving had been ruined but the core of the structure was largely intact.

When the flood waters receded, an underwater investigation showed angels, saints and most of the rock from the bridge walls lying on the river bed. Cranes were brought in to lift the historic stone to the bank where it could dry properly and be prepared for re-installation. The missing sections of the walls were replaced with the granite that most closely matched the original. The ceremonial reopening of the bridge was in May 2003, less than 12 months after the destructive floods.

Písek's other outstanding piece of medieval architecture, the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, was far too high to be affected by the floods but it has also been recently reconstructed and its forecourt is now a lovely open space with interesting but unobtrusive sculptures, a preserved medieval well and the glass covered remains of a Celtic Oppidum from the 6th century.

The church tower has dominated the skyline of Písek since it was completed in 1489, but the bulbous baroque tip of the bell tower was built only at the beginning of the 19th century after the original was destroyed by a lightning strike. The clean white core of the church was built in the 1200's, modified in later centuries and returned to its original Gothic appearance in the 1880s.

The most interesting details of the church exterior are the stone carvings around the entrance, depicting the earthly Jagiellon kings and the city coat of arms beneath portraits of Matthew, John, Luke, Paul, Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and a Latin inscription mentioning the builder of the tower and entreating “Defend we who love you Jesus, from our enemies”.

Backing up the Son of God in defence of the town were a system of stone walls and moats that encircled the old town. The staircases from the small plaza in front of the church lead down through the old stone walls and from there, Piseckeho Ul leads along the old walls to the semicircular bastions of the old Putim gate and the river, where a path follows the base of the stone fortifications along the river to the old bridge.

The white building that towers over the city walls just before the bridge is what is left of the castle. Extensively damaged by fire in 1510, the castle stood in ruins for years until gradually being replaced by new structures. The east wing was replaced by the baroque town hall in the mid 1700s and the north wing was turned into a brewery around the same time. The west wing is the best preserved part of the castle and now houses the award winning city museum. Even without looking at any of the exhibits (the gold panning one is especially good) it's worth the nominal price of entry into the museum just to see the old halls of the castle itself.

Further along the riverside path stands one of the interesting modern structures in Písek; Křižíkova elektrárna (Křižík's powerplant). He'd previously illuminated streets in other places, but when Engineer Křižík flipped the switch of his trial system on 23rd June 1887, Písek became the first town to be completely illuminated by electric lighting.

The dynamos of the original system were powered by a steam engine, but when Písek approved a permanent system they converted the waterwheels of an old mill and followed up their streetlighting milestone by creating the country's first hydroelectric power station.

František Křižík is often associated with Prague, and in the suburb Karlín where he had his workshops a major street and metro station both bear his name. Písek however is an appropriate location for his landmark achievement because he was born in South Bohemia (near Klatovy in 1847) and retained a strong connection with the region until passing away near Tábor in 1941.

The hydroelectric plant was converted to alternating current in 1926 and produced power for the town until 1986 when it had to be closed after falling into disrepair. It was refurbished and opened to the public in 1994, and a top-hatted Křižík still keeps an eye on things from high in the rafters.

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Where the Czech...? #117

2009-11-06T15:41:00.000+01:00

Does anyone know where this is?

Where the Czech...? #116

2009-10-30T11:02:00.000+01:00

Does anybody know where in the Czech Republic this photo was taken?

A trip to Třeboň

2009-10-27T18:07:00.002+01:00

If you ask Czech people about visiting Třeboň often the first two things they will mention will be the local fishponds and that it's a spa town. The carp from the nearby ponds are certainly a local specialty worth trying but the spa is of no use to casual visitors. Treatments have to be booked weeks in advance, there's nothing interesting about the architecture and the spa patients add little if anything to the atmosphere and public life of the town.

Třeboň is as beautiful as any other small town in Bohemia and for foreign visitors the most attractive thing is not the fish or the spa, but the historic architecture of the compact old town. There's a lovely main square with a sprawling chateau complex at one end, a Neo-Gothic brewery complex that looks like a small castle and narrow cobblestoned back streets lined with colourfully painted two storey houses and the whole town is surrounded by either parkland or water.

At the highest point of the old town is a striking church with an unusual double nave. The church of St Giles was built in the late 1300's and became a popular model for churches in Bohemia and South Moravia for the cleanliness and simplicity of its architectural forms, clever lighting and high standard of craftsmanship. Three preserved altar panels painted by the otherwise unidentified Master of Třeboň similarly influenced the development of Central European painting.

Třeboň's main square is long and narrow; about four times as long as it is wide. At the eastern end a busy street swoops in from the side and leaves again through the old Gothic gate tower, but the rest of the square is a pedestrian zone. At the western end the buildings of the chateau hide behind two big trees and halfway along the southern side the 31metre high clock tower of the town hall dwarfs the two and three storey buildings around it. The other buildings around the edge of the square mostly house shops and other businesses and there at least half a dozen restaurants that set up outdoor seating areas in the warmer months.

The Třeboň chateau is a sprawling complex of connected and free-standing palaces separated by crunchy gravel courtyards. Originally a fortress and castle, the chateau was rebuilt by the lords of Rožmberk in the 16th century and added to by their successors, the Schwarzenbergs, in the 17th century.

The Rožmberks were a branch of the noble Vitkovice landowning dynasty, whose power and influence in South Bohemia rivalled or exceeded that of the Bohemian king, and in 1573 Vilem of Rožmberk was a candidate for the throne of Poland. After selling Český Krumlov to Emperor Rudolf II in 1601, the Rožmberks chose Třeboň as their main residential seat. Amongst other possessions they moved their family archive which, despite being partially looted by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War, remains one of the most extensive and valuable collections of documents from medieval Bohemia with documents dating back as far as 1184.

The last of the Rožmberks, Petr Vok, died heirless in 1611 and after the uncertainty following the Thirty Years War, the Schwarzenberg family emerged as owners of the Třeboň castle and estates, gaining thus their first possessions in the Czech lands. The chateau palaces are accessible to the public in two main parts; the renaissance palaces of the Rožmberks and the 19th century apartments of the Schwarzenbergs. Also within the chateau complex are two restaurants, a cafe and the grounds and parks are freely accessible for visitors to wander and explore at their own pace.

Just outside town and across the Svět pond is the other prominent historic site connected with the Schwarzenbergs. Their neo-Gothic family tomb was built in the 1870's to house the coffins of several generations of their ancestors. An essentially octagonal building surrounded by hedges, gravel paths and thick groves of mixed forest, the Schwarzenberg tomb is an impressive example of the precise 19th century neo-gothic style of architecture with its turrets, flourishes and decorative touches.

The upper floor is a chapel and beneath it down a short staircase is the crypt in which 26 coffins lie side by side. The walls and ceilings of both floors appear to be made of precisely fitted blocks of pale stone, but they're actually of fired brick covered with a decorative layer of carved and stamped plaster. The plaster used is a special cement-free mix that hasn't yet needed repair in the 130 years of its existence.

The detailed 40 minute guided tour of the Schwarzenberg tomb is something like a walk through the family's history, beginning with their roots in Bavaria, their arrival in Třeboň after the Thirty Years' War, and their long history of service at the Hapsburg imperial court in Vienna. The largest coffin in the crypt belongs to Felix Schwarzenberg, who was foreign minster of Austria-Hungary when he died in 1852. Apparently the size of the coffin has more to do with politics and prestige, because he was actually quite a small man.

In the 1940's the Schwarzenberg lands were confiscated by the Nazis and the family fled to exile in the United States. Shortly after returning to reclaim their ancestral lands, the Schwarzenbergs were dispossessed again, this time by the nationalisation policies of the new communist government. This time they went into exile in Austria, from where they actively supported Czechoslovakian political dissidents.

Some of their former possessions were returned to the family in the early 1990's after the fall of the communist regime, but the majority of it remained the property of the state. The Schwarzenberg tomb itself is Czech government property; only the coffins belong to the family. Like other major aristocratic landholdings, there are ongoing court cases involving the restitution of Schwarzenberg property and it seems likely that the tomb will be returned to the family eventually.

Walking back from the tomb toward Třeboň the path leads along the top of the Svět pond levee bank past a frightful statue of the Rožmberks' local governor, Jakub Krčín. This southern road into the old town is spanned by two stone gate towers about 50 metres apart. Between the two gates on one side are the two best fish restaurants in town and on the other is the local brewery.

The brewery produces Regent beer and was founded when the Schwarzenberg counts reconstructed the old Rožmberk armoury at the beginning of the 18th century. Tours of the brewery are available for groups of five people or more and there's a good beer hall on the premises. A meal of local fish washed down by a glass or two of unfiltered yeast beer is one of the more appetising regional specialties in the Czech lands. Try the carp fillet chips.

In late October or November every year, the fishponds around Třeboň are drained and the fish transferred to tanks until just before Christmas. The fish harvests (výlovy rybníků) are a cultural tradition that dates back centuries and the weekend celebrations usually feature live music and dance, beer, wine and other specialties to go along with all the fresh fish.

Třeboň's rich calendar of cultural events also includes the mushroom celebrations in September and the Festival of Animated Film in May which is, along with the Festival of Children's Films in Zlin and PIFPAF Olomouc, one of the best opportunities to see why Czech animation is so highly regarded across the world.

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Where the Czech...? #115

2009-10-23T06:48:00.000+02:00

Does anybody recognise this pretty town square?

Biking around Břeclav

2009-10-19T14:46:00.003+02:00

For most travellers, Břeclav is one of those places like Kolín or Přerov that you pass through dozens of times without ever getting off the train. Simultaneously one of the oldest and youngest settlements in the Czech lands, there's plenty in and around Břeclav to reward any traveller who makes the effort to visit.

Just outside town near the Pohansko hunting lodge are the preserved foundations of buildings from the time of the Great Moravian empire, but most of Břeclav's current architecture is less than 100 years old, thanks mostly to the Allied bombs of 1944 that effectively destroyed the historic centre of town.

There are however a handful of historic buildings, the most impressive of which is the chateau. From the 14th Century Břeclav belonged to the noble Liechtenstein dynasty, but passed to the Žerotíns in the early 1500's. They had time to transform the old fortified castle into a renaissance palace before joining the losing side in the estates uprising and forfeiting their South Moravian lands back to the Liechtensteins. The Liechtensteins added three romantically pre-ruined towers to the castle which they owned until they had to leave the Czech lands in 1945. The chateau's communist era sufferings are slowly being repaired and a wine cellar, restaurant and guesthouse operate on the site.

The baroque church of St Wenceslas that was destroyed in 1944 was replaced in the early 1990's by a reinforced concrete church whose modern origami angles look like they belong somewhere in the new world. Just around the corner opposite the very friendly and helpful tourist information office is a former synagogue and in the outskirts of town is an old Jewish cemetery with gravestones from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Across the river in the suburb of Poštorna is the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The high octagonal roof of the red brick neo-Gothic church is visible for miles across the flat countryside and is as recognisable a Břeclav landmark as either the chateau or the spires of the new St Wenceslas' church.

Probably the best reason to visit Břeclav though is its proximity to the Lednice-Valtice area, which was added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 1996, because of the way it “succeeds in bringing together in harmony cultural monuments from successive periods and both indigenous and exotic natural elements to create an outstanding work of human creativity.”

The towns of Lednice and Valtice are each around ten kilometres (seven miles) from Břeclav and from each other and the triangular area in between is the core of the world heritage area. Covered in flood plain forest, vineyards, a 200 hectare landscaped park, and crisscrossed by smooth trails and quiet roads, it's the perfect place for a day or weekend of cycling and exploring. Břeclav tourist information has bicycles for hire from 300Kč per day for a single or 450Kč for a tandem.

I've cycled the area twice recently, once alone and once with friends and the only trouble we had was that there was too much to see and do in the time we'd allowed, which I guess is a good problem to have.

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Where the Czech...? #114

2009-10-16T16:56:00.000+02:00

Who knows what this building is?

SEFO - Return of the Blob?

2009-10-12T12:37:00.017+02:00

The planned Central European Forum is intended to be a modern art gallery and museum of world class, so an innovative, memorable and striking work of modern architecture is ideal. But does such a thing belong in the centre of the second largest, second most valuable historic preservation zone in the Czech lands?

The purpose of the Forum is to provide a space for Central European art as an entity. The project documentation points out that fine art in the “neighboring countries has many similar features...yet..no one has ever attempted to cover and present it systematically in its entirety”. And that “Forum is a much wider term than museum or gallery. Apart from its essential activities, various discussions, lectures symposiums and other events will be organised”.

The planned buildings of Central European Forum (Středoevropské Forum or SEFO) will be an extension of the Olomouc Museum of Modern Art on Denisova ulice where five historic houses were demolished in 1969. The site is currently vacant but if funding is obtained for the project it should be completed and opened to the public by 2014. The first proposed designs for the Central European Forum were presented to the public last week and have provoked enthusiastic debate.

The modern design is for buildings of poured concrete mimicking the height and shape of the residential houses along the street, but with a smooth finish devoid of any decorative detail. In addition to exhibition halls, the forum will include a library, bookstore, performance space, garden amphitheatre, cafe, and multimedia archives. Director of the Olomouc Art Museum, Pavel Zatloukal says "The new museum will not be a place where people whisper and walk on tiptoes. On the contrary, we want visitors to become active participants creatively and artistically" and therefore generous space will be reserved for artistic activities.

The plans for the forum are the subject of an exhibition in the Olomouc Museum of Modern Art lasting until next Sunday the 18th, or you can see photo galleries here and here and a virtual tour here or here.

Opponents to the design say that it looks like a air raid shelter and the style of architecture doesn't belong in the valuable historic centre of baroque Olomouc. The site is directly opposite the recently restored Stará Škola ( the oldest part of Moravia's oldest university) and the monumental baroque church of the Virgin Mary of the Snows.

Olomoucký Deník explains that priest Pavel Bačo will look across at the forum every day and quotes him as saying the design is “like a fist in the face. That style of architecture doesn't belong here and it would be better to build nothing at all than something like that. If there's a petition against the design, I'll support it”.

There's an impassioned discussion on t his website but like most internet discussions the commentators say more about themselves than they do about the subject. Between the pointless insults, the consensus among opponents to the design is that it doesn't suit its surroundings. Some compare it to a crate of milk bottles waiting to be collected, a mouthful of teeth with one missing or a row of recycling bins. Supporters say it's outstanding and original and compare it to the Kunsthaus in Graz, the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the Eiffel tower.

One prominent supporter of the design is city mayor Martin Novotný who likes the suggestion of the five buildings that previously stood on the site and says that the design is memorable enough to become its own logo. Mayor Novotný was however careful to point out that his opinions don't represent an official reaction from city hall and that a vigorous public discussion can only be good. The National Historic Preservation Authority is yet to publicly comment.

For my part, I'm really not sure what to think. It's reassuring that the same architects are those responsible for the wonderful interiors of the Olomouc Archdiocese Museum, I'm a fan of Prague's dancing building and I'd be pleased to see architect Kaplicky's blob library go ahead. Any city would be proud to have a museum like Graz's Kunsthaus or Bilbao's Guggenheim.

The thing about daring projects though, is risk. Sometimes you get away with them and sometimes you don't. If this version of the SEFO project goes ahead successfully, Olomouc will reclaim its place among the cultural capitals of Central Europe. If it turns out looking like grain silos or an air raid shelter, it will spoil a prominent part of the historic centre and confirm the prejudices of smug Praguers who think that everything past the end of their Metro line is an overgrown village populated by mullet-wearing bumpkins.

While I'd like to think Olomouc has the pizzazz to bring this off, I'm not completely convinced. What do you think?

Where the Czech...? #113

2009-10-09T15:21:00.002+02:00

Who knows where and what this building is?

A pilgrimage to Pelhřimov

2009-10-05T06:30:00.002+02:00

Pelhřimov is best known as being the city of world records and the home of Poutník beer, one of the best brews in the country. But its old town centre has a fine collection of historic architecture including churches, gate towers and some lovely residential buildings, particularly the ones facing the main square.

The town was apparently founded in 1225-26 by Bishop Pelegrin of Prague who passed through on a pilgrimage to Rome and was so taken by the beauty of the place that he founded a settlement. The symbol of Pelhřimov is a pilgrim at the gates of a fortified city and the town's name is derived from the name Pelegrin, so there seems to be substance to the legend even if no written records.

At its beginning Pelhřimov was a wooden town and the architectural highlights that survive today are all from later centuries. The preserved parts of the old town walls and the upper and lower gate towers are from the 14th century, as is the church of St Bartholomew. The valuable town houses range from the 16th century to a rare cubist reconstruction from the early 20th century. Just on the northern edge of the old town are St Vitus' church and a free-standing bell tower which were rebuilt for the Jesuits in the early 1700's.

St Bartholomew's church towers over the upper end of the main square but its entrance is from the western end that faces away from the square. The original Gothic torso of the church has been preserved but was covered with a striking pattern of deep red and white sgraffito when that became fashionable in the 1500's.

The main square is surrounded by attractive old houses representing architectural styles from early Gothic to the present. The beautifully crooked and asymmetrical house at number 17 is the oldest on the square and once belonged to the city burgrave. Renaissance arches and baroque scrolls decorate houses on all sides of the square, and the imposing facade of the Hotel Slavie was refurbished in the art nouveau style in the 1920's.

The most architecturally interesting building on the square though is the house at number 13, which was rebuilt in the Cubist style in 1914. Architect Pavel Janák redesigned balconies, windows, the gable and added subtle cubist relief work to the facade. The hard edges and acute angles of cubism might sound out of place amongst historic facades from the 16and 17th centuries, but it's a clever, subtle and original design that fits in surprisingly well. Along with the burgrave's house it was the highlight of the square for me. Unfortunately the style that might best be called Drab and Insensitive Post-revolution Commercialism is also present in building of the bank over on the corner where Palackého Ul enters the square.

Along Palackého is the lower gate tower and its five floors are home to the Museum of records and curiosities. Inside are displayed and explained the biggest, fastest, longest, oldest and smallest of everything from motorcycles to scarves to feats of strength and endurance. There are also quite a few huge items of clothing that seem to have been sewn by their companies purely for the purpose of getting into the museum, but the real curiosities like cross-country water skis(!!) were the most interesting part of the museum for me.

Pelhřimov is 105km from Prague, 50km from Tábor, 30km from Jihlava and direct buses travel to and from those towns several times each day.

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Where the Czech...? #112

2009-10-02T10:17:00.001+02:00

Does anybody know what and where this building is?

Temelin nuclear power plant

2009-09-28T03:43:00.001+02:00

The Temelín nuclear power plant between Protivín and Týn nad Vltavou in South Bohemia is probably the most controversial modern structure in the Czech lands, and with recent developments it seems like it will be in the news for some time yet.

The second of the Czech Republic's nuclear power plants, the construction of Temelín began in 1987. In the uncertainty of the early 1990's the government scaled back and built only the first two of the four planned production blocks. Temelín's current owners, ČEZ (the Czech Energy Company) now want to expand to the original four blocks, and have called for tenders for the project which it hopes to complete by the year 2020.

The expansion of the plant has raised concerns in neighbourin g Austria, where a vocal section of the community has long voiced their disapproval of what they see as dangerously antiquated Soviet technology uncomfortably close to their northern border. From time to time the more fervent activists get so worked up as to block the border crossings at Dolní Dvořište and Železná Ruda or to picket the Czech embassy in Vienna. It's hard to take Austrian complaints seriously though while they continue to voluntary purchase surplus Czech electricity, a substantial portion of which (at least theoretically) comes from Temelín.

Temelín and ČEZ have been in the Czech news because of a controversial and overpriced contract awarded to a shady company whose former director was recently jailed for planning the violent abduction of his replacement. The understandable Czech wariness of Russian influence is also a large factor in the public debate about the expansion. Supporters of the project say that an expanded Temelin will reduce future reliance on fossil fuels from the east, but opponents worry that the involvement of Russian companies in the project could have the opposite effect. The recent expulsion of two Russian diplomats for spying on sensitive Czech Republic energy concerns seems to indicate that there's at least some substance to their fears.

From 1991 onwards, the construction of Temelín underwent dozens of inspections by experts from the International Agency for Atomic Energy and their recommendations prompted further modifications to the design. The replacement of the control and warning system with a new digital version and a complete upgrade to inflammable cables were the greatest changes and Temelín became the only nuclear power plant in the world to use only inflammable cables. The new systems were supplied and installed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and on the recommendation of IAAE inspectors, Westinghouse was also chosen as the supplier of the fuel, but that contract ended several years ago and the Russian company Tvel will supply Temelín's nuclear fuel for at least the next ten years.

Somehow I'd gained the impression that it would be possible to tour parts of the power station when a group of more than five people gathered, but I apparently misunderstood. Tours of the site are available but only to school groups or groups with some kind of professional interest. Even then, the identities of the visitors are thoroughly checked weeks in advance. As the receptionist pointed out 'touring a nuclear power plant is not an everyday thing'.

There is however an interesting and informative visitors' centre in the Vysoký Hrádek chateau near the eastern tip of the powerplant's four square kilometres. Control panel simulators, fuel rod casings and working models of various power sources are all on display but the two things I liked most were the 15 minute 3D film and the working tabletop model of a cloud chamber.

A cloud chamber is an instrument that creates the right conditions to show radiation, in this case the background alpha, beta and gamma rays that are in the atmosphere all around us all the time. It works by creating a mist of evaporated alcohol which condenses when hit by alpha, beta or gamma rays, something like the vapour trail that follows an aircraft wing in the right atmospheric conditions. The different types of radiation variously looked like wriggly worms of five to six centimetres had shed their skins or as if pellets from a toy gun had been shot through the cloud. The less frequent gamma rays were more like shots from a real gun. I found it quite fascinating and could have watched for hours.

If you're passing through South Bohemia and would like to take a peek for yourself, the Temelín visitors' centre is open year round, seven days a week from at least 9am to 4pm (longer hours in summer). Admission is free of charge.

Where the Czech...? #111

2009-09-25T10:01:00.001+02:00

With last week's challenge unsolved here are two photos for you this week; to solve it you need to identify both places...

Wine harvest festivals

2009-09-22T00:31:00.005+02:00

Vinobraní is the name given to the traditional autumnal wine harvest festivals of the Czech lands, and the 2009 season is in full swing.

A traditional vinobraní in a small vineyard sees family members and friends travel from all ends of the country to help bring in the year's grapes and prepare the new wine. A small house or large weekend cottage near the vineyard is the focus of activity, and there seems to be as much or more eating, drinking, singing and laughing as there is fruitpicking or wine making, as well as catching up and sharing burčák with neighbours and friends not seen since the same time last year.

But there are also public vinobraní festivals that anyone can go along to and the biggest and best are held in South Moravia, the country's main wine growing region. Znojmo and Mikulov both had their festivals on the weekend of the 11th and 12th, Mělník and Bzenec were this weekend just gone and Velké Pavlovice's vinobraní was way back at the beginning of the month. But the season being in full swing means it's not over yet. On the 3rd of October the Valtice vinobraní will take place at the UNESCO-listed chateau and coming up on the 25th and 26th of September will be the Litoměřice vinobraní and the Valtice burčák festival.

Despite being little known abroad, burčák is a favourite and much anticipated drink in the Czech lands. A lightly alcoholic drink made from partially fermented white grape juice, burčák is only available for a short time each year and in South Moravia, they sometimes say there are four seasons; winter, spring, summer and burčák.

Good burčák should be golden and slightly cloudy and is best a few days after the beginning of the fermentation process. It's also possible to make burčák from red grapes, but because of the way red wine is left to steep and colour, it's difficult to find outside the wine growing regions themselves.

They say that burčák cleanses the blood and that to do its job properly, you need to consume as much burčák as you have blood. And at every vinobraní plenty of people gleefully set about doing just that, because it's sweet and easy to drink in great quantities. But take it easy the first time. Burčák contains living yeast cultures that continue to work in your body when consumed, and drinking too much too quickly might see you cleansing more than just your bloodstream.

That said, it's a natural product high in vitamin B, and when Mrs. Oddsocks was at the doctor last week, she was told “Burčák is healthy, drink as much as you like”.

Na zdraví!

Where the Czech...? #110

2009-09-18T07:00:00.000+02:00

Anybody recognise this old Czech town?

Burčák, mushrooms and falling leaves

2009-09-15T05:53:00.001+02:00

By this time of year, keen observers will notice two things have appeared in great quantities in the Czech Republic. One is the cloudy, bottled liquid for sale at markets and streetside stalls and the other is the wicker baskets that people seem to have decided to carry all at once.

The cloudy liquid is Burčák, the still fermenting young wine express delivered from the vineyards of South Moravia, and the baskets are for mushrooms.

Collecting mushrooms from the forest is such a popular pastime among Czechs that they are considered the world leaders. According to the Czech Agricultural University's 2006 report on the state of forests and forest economies, 70% of Czechs go mushrooming at least once a year and each household collects on average more than 8kg of mushrooms in a season.

For short term visitors to the country, keep an eye out for mushrooms on sale at street markets or as special offers on restaurant menus. They're a local delicacy as much as anything else you might like to try during your stay, and anything on sale publicly like this will be good. Some of the varieties are extremely poisonous, so if you do stumble across and decide to pick wild mushrooms by yourself, please, please, please ask somebody knowledgable to check them for you before you even think about going anywhere near the kitchen.

The muchomurka variety is one to be especially careful with. The pink muchomurka is an edible mushroom, but it's very, very similar in appearance to the red muchomurka, which is a strong psychotrope and the white, tiger and green muchomurky which are among the deadliest mushrooms in the world. It might sound simple enough just to eat the pink ones, but the colours of the mushrooms do not always correspond to their names and especially the tiger muchomurka can be tricky to distinguish from the edible pink variety.

For anyone who is around the country a bit longer, mushrooming is an activity you can probably take part in, even if you don't realise it. Keen mushroomers guard their favourite locations carefully, so nobody is going to tell you where to go, but if you let it be known that you can be ready early on the morning after a decent rain, you'll probably find that most of your Czech friends will be happy to take you along.

On a vow of secrecy of course.

Where the Czech...? #109

2009-09-11T16:00:00.000+02:00

Anybody recognise this town square?

Optimistic - The Ecstasy of St Theresa

2009-09-07T07:52:00.000+02:00

An oldie to finish off this series of Monday Music Clips...

Where the Czech...? #108

2009-09-04T10:45:00.000+02:00

Does anybody know where this is?

Nedavno - Jarret

2009-08-31T07:16:00.001+02:00

Nice animation in this one...

Where the Czech...? #107

2009-08-28T07:02:00.000+02:00

Does anybody recognise this street and know what's special about it?

Borrega - Čankišou

2009-08-24T07:18:00.003+02:00

Kiwi inspiration with undertones of Africa from world music specialists Čankišou

I know a couple of you regular readers live in Olomouc, so if you're free this Thursday the 27th, these guys are performing in the courtyard of the town hall from 8.00pm.

Where the Czech...? #106

2009-08-21T09:55:00.003+02:00

Who knows where this car is parked?

Dva

2009-08-17T06:10:00.000+02:00

Dva and some of their 'folklore of non-existent nations'.

Where the Czech...? #105

2009-08-14T18:53:00.005+02:00

Does anybody recognise this silhouette?