Would you like to visit the city from the Czech fairy tales? Telč is your place to go! It may be a small city but the moment you set foot into the city square it all will be worth it. The world around Telč may have changed and the historical heart of the city itself went through several reconstructions but it managed to preserve its unique combination of baroque and renaissance style. This and the beautiful nature decorated with old remains of a castle nearby makes it a hot tourist spot.
The sgraffito buildings on the town square (source)
Straight out of a painting
The very first time when I stepped into the city centre I had to blink for a few seconds. The colourful buildings stretching from one corner of the town square to the other looks almost like a painting. Every building is slightly different and unique but their common silhouette brings it all together. This type of architecture decorated with sgraffito is very typical for the Renaissance. The square isn’t just solely renaissance style – some houses are actually also in baroque style. While being at the town square you definitely shouldn’t miss the Telč house. There you can find a rich exhibition of ceramic figures depicting the various periods of time.
The edge of the castle on the town square (source)
The renaissance castle
The dominant part of the city and one of the biggest reasons why tourists frequent this area so much is the Telč castle. The beauty of this castle was also recognized by UNESCO by putting it on the list of World Heritage Site in 1992. It was built in place of a Gothic castle. Also, like pretty much every other renaissance building, it was also built by rich aristocrats to represent them and their wealth to other people. These days however you can take a tour through it and admire the artfully crafted architecture, rich decorations and meticulously maintained gardens. The castle was so inspiring to the Czech movie directors that they shot several Czech fairy tales here. For example – The Proud Princess or Helluva Good Luck.
Aerial view of the city and its surroundings (source)
A piece of history
If touring around the famous historical buildings isn’t really your cup of tea and hiking in nature is more up your alley, Telč can accommodate your needs as well! The great fact about the Czech Republic is that wherever you are, chances are that there is at least one old castle or the remains of it within 15 kilometres of your location. The same is true for Telč. It takes 10 kilometres to get to the castle Štamberk from Telč. The entire path leads through peaceful, almost untouched nature where you can enjoy peace and history of Czechia. And not just that, like many other Czech landmarks and tourist paths, this one also has several tables around it explaining the history of that specific area.
To wrap it up, Telč is a beautiful historical Czech city straight out of a fairytale. It can provide you with history and the rich experience from hiking in nature. Bonus information – if you happen to make your way there during the weekend, you can also visit local markets.
Telč isn’t the only great place to visit here though. More about the interesting tourist spots in the Czech Republic on our blog or if you want it delivered straight to your mailbox along with the freshest developments of the coronavirus situation here, you can sign up for our newsletter.