Czech Republic

Transport yourself to 19th century Český Krumlov through the captivating museum model showcasing the town as it was in 1800.

Immerse yourself in the rich history of Český Krumlov as you explore the intricately crafted museum model, capturing the essence of the town in the 1800s.

The town grew up around a Gothic castle, built on the cliffs above the Vltava by Bohemian nobles in the mid-13th century. In the succeeding centuries, aristocratic occupants, including members of the house of Schwarzenberg, expanded the castle, incorporating Renaissance and Baroque elements and ultimately creating one of the largest castle complexes in central Europe.

The medieval character of central Český Krumlov has been preserved, and it was inscribed on UNESCO´s World Heritage List in 1992. From the Middle Ages to the mid-20th century, the city was populated by a mixture of Czechs and Germans.

After the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Czechoslovak government rejected the German form of the city´s name in favour of the present Czech version, and after World War II the government expelled the German-speaking population. Today tourism is a major economic activity; in addition to hundreds of historic buildings, attractions include local museum, art galleries, theatres and festivals.

The museum of the town of Český Krumlov was contacted, but did not send any photos. 

Photographs found on the Internet (appropriately cited) were used to describe this model. The ceramic model depicts the town of Český Krumlov around 1800. It was created in 1977 – 1984 at a scale of 1:200. Architect Petr Pešek and ceramicist Jana Pešková took part in the model, creating the model from colored fired clay. The whole model covers an area of 56 hectares of the city's monument reserve, up to 800 buildings, the bends of the Vltava River and the city fortifications (this no longer exists nowadays). The oldest part of the whole model was the Budejovice Gate with the entire Budweis suburb of Latrán. In its entirety, the model was made available to the public at the beginning of 1985 and is still one of the most admired museum exhibits.

SOURCES:

KUČA, Karel. Města a městečka v Čechách, na Moravě a ve Slezsku. Praha: Libri, 1996. ISBN 978-80-7277-410-48.

Keramický model města | Regionální muzeum v Českém Krumlově. Regionální muzeum v Českém Krumlově [online]. From: https://muzeumck.cz/gallery/fotogalerie-keramickeho-modelu-mesta-cesky-krumlov/