OK, an easy challenge this week. In almost a decade of crisscrossing the Czech Republic, this town is one of only two that I felt disappointed by. Do you know where it is?
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Where the Czech...? #37
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13 comments:
Looks like Brno to me. The Omega store is one of those dead giveaways!
Spot on Alsch! Good job.
It's a view of the main square of the country's second largest city, Brno.
Hey, now, how can Brno be disappointing? I haven't read a guide book that made it out to be pretty, so the nice buildings are a treat. And the people are interesting!
What was the other town?
Karlovy Vary.
I guess I was disappointed by Brno because the guidebook I used at the time (Lonely Planet Eastern Europe) listed only it and Telc in Moravia.
Despite it's museums, and monks, I don't think it belongs anywhere near Moravia's Top Two for travellers.
And that's the point of view I'm looking at it from that of a traveller, probably a foreigner looking for somewhere to visit for a few days. I'm sure it could be a nice place to live.
So the question may follow, what are Moravia's two nicest places? Well, Mikulov, Znojmo, Olomouc, Boskovice, Wallachia as a region, Stramberk/Novy Jicin/Koprivnice/Pribor and Jihlava all would have been more deserving than Brno of that spot alongside Telc in the old LP. For my bookbuying money at least...
I thought it was Brno but your disappointment fooled me.
That said, you're probably right. Olomouc is far nicer(as I'm sure you'll agree!)
Yeah, obviously I'm biased about Olomouc, but compared with Znojmo, Mikulov, Hradec Kralove, Plzen, Litomysl or Liberec, I just don't understand what people see in Brno. I don't think it's even much nicer than Ostrava and people scorn that place.
They seem to be going to Brno thinking second biggest must be second best, but I doubt it would even make the top 20 for me, or for anyone else who has been more than a couple of places in the country...
Of course, it's not a patch on Liberec!
I like the cathedral, Spilberk and the Villa Tugendhat, and Brno's also a decent base for exploring Moravsky Krumlov and the Moravian Karst. On the other hand, you can see all you need to see in Brno - as a visitor - in a day. And it's definitely not in the top 20 places for a night out!
It's a real tragedy that people are stil giving Brno a disproportionate amount of their time in Moravia. I can't understand why the guidebooks are still giving it such a big write up. Perhaps it's because most of the backpackers in Europe seem be mainly interested in big (biggest?) city destinations? Just go to Prague or Vienna and do a straw poll of your fellow travelers asking how many have even heard of Olomouc......
I'm glad to hear other people feel this way! I, too, was disappointed with Brno. While I haven't travelled extensively in Moravia, I thought Znojmo beat it hands down. (Haven't been to Olomouc yet, sorry!) So did most of the Bohemian towns I've visited. I found the city to be big without being busy, and a little impersonal, too. For a traveller, it just seemed to lack that intangible *something* that most other Czech towns had in droves.
Is it just thsoe two places you've been in Moravia, Nina? And how did you choose to go to them first?
One of the things I dislike about Brno is it's size, I think. It's big enough to be polluted and impersonal and to have crowds of people who would rather walk through you than around you, ad it doesn't have the attractions of Prgaue or vienna to make up for it. On the other hand it's not small enough to be as personable as a country town. And it takes ages to get out of Brno to go swimming or cycling.
I'm glad to see you still reading Nina, I was thinking about your last comments a couple of days ago while looking for info about Vysoke Myto (heading up that way soon).
I've only been to Znojmo, Vranov nad Dyji and Brno in Moravia. One of my friends is from Znojmo and invited me to visit for a weekend. It's one of the best places I've been to in Czech Republic. The people are incredibly friendly, the whole area is breathtakingly beautiful and surrounded by great hiking, biking, vineyards and fields. Of course, one of the best ways to travel is by having a local show you around, but I think I still would be smitten with the city even if I went alone.
I chose Brno mainly because it was the second biggest city, and I thought there would be a lot to see and do. And while there is, you're right, it doesn't quite rival Prague or Vienna.
Vysoke Myto-- in addition to the bowling bar :)-- had a very pretty and large old town square, and I was lucky enough to visit during a lively outdoor festival. While there I went to a nice Italian-ish restaurant, but I have to admit I liked the festival food better. And of course, it's right near Litomysl.
Yep, Znojmo's great; so are Mikulov, Telc, Boskovice, Kromeriz, Stramberk and the whole of Wallachia, just to name a few favourites.
There's a good chance I'm biased, but I think Moravia's nicer than Bohemia overall.
The one cold, hard fact I can come up with to support my bias for Moravia is that it's half the size but has 7 UNESCO listed sights to Bohemia's 5.
UNESCO sights are not the be all and end all of travel, obviously (Znojmo's a case in point); but they're a bit of a clue as to the parts of the country that might have kept their historical buildings a little more intact...
Brno, near svobada namesti.
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