278 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp288–91 and pp292–5

Telč 0

161 km (100 miles) SE of Prague.

• 6,000. £ @ n Náměstí
  Zachariáše z Hradce 10, 567 112

407. http://www.telc-etc.cz

The turning point for Telč
came in 1530, when a fire
devastated the town. Lord
Zachariáš, the governor of
Moravia, brought in Italian
master builders and architects
to rebuild the town’s castle. In
the end, they rebuilt almost all
the houses in the Renaissance
style, endow ing the town
with a striking archi tectural
uniform ity that has survived
to this day. Telč was added to
the UNESCO List in 1992.
The Main Square (Náměstí
Zachariáše z Hradce), is lined
with pastel-coloured houses
with a breath taking vari ety of
gables and pedi ments, some
250 years old. At the nar row
western end of the square is
the Telč Chateau (Zámek telč),
a Renaissance build ing devised
by Lord Zachariáš. Inside, the
highlights are the rooms with
stun ning coffered ceilings,
such as the Knight’s Chambers.
It also has a fine col lec tion of
arms and porcelain.
Modern Telč is separated
from the Old Town by two fish-
ponds, which almost surround
the tiny historic centre.

+ Telč Chateau

Tel 567 243 943. # Apr–Oct:

9am–12pm, 1–4pm Tue–Sun; May–

Sep: 9am–12pm, 1–5pm Tue–Sun.

& 8 http://www.zamek-telc.cz

Třebíč q

163 km (101 miles) SE of Prague.

* 41,000. £ @ n Karlovo

náměstí 53, 568 847 070.

http://www.trebic.cz

The industrial town of Třebíč

is best known for the Basilica

of St Procopius (Bazilika sv

Prokopa) and its historic

Jewish quarter. The church

once belonged to a monas-

tery, founded in 1101 by

the Czech Royal Dynasty,

the Přemyslids. It was trans-

formed into a castle in the

1600s. The 13th-century

church was restored in the

Baroque period but retains

its Romanesque portal, with

floral and geometric patterns.

Notable features include the

rosette window in the apse

and the unusual “dwarfs’

gallery” running out side.

The enor mous crypt fea -

tures 50 col umns, each

with a different capital.

The restored Jewish quarter,

Telč Chateâu seen beyond the town’s fishponds

Znojmo w

205 km (128 miles) SE of Prague.

* 36,000. £ @ n Obroková 10,

515 222 552. http://www.znojmocity.cz

Above the Dyje river lies

Znojmo, one of Moravia’s old-

est towns, with a network of

small streets at its heart. The

best of its historic sights is

the Romanesque Rotunda of

St Catherine (sv Kateřiny),

located inside the Znojmo

Castle (Znojemský hrad),

which has strik ing fres coes

and portraits of Přemyslid

princes. A large part of the

castle is now a brewery. The

lane of Velka Mikulasska

leads to the Gothic Cathedral

of St Nicholas (sv Mikuláš),

which has a globe-shaped

Baroque pulpit.

• Znojmo Castle
  Přemyslouců 8. Tel 515 222 311.

  Apr: 9am–5pm Sat & Sun;

  
  

  May–Sep: 9am–5pm Tue–Sun. &
  7 limited access.
  Panoramic view of Znojmo, one of Moravia’s oldest towns

  
  

Zámostí, between the Jihlava

river and Hrádek Hill, is on

UNESCO’s World Heritage

List. Třebíč’s Jewish popula-

tion peaked at the end of

the 18th century but subse-

quently dwindled due to

the impact of the Holocaust.

With many original buildings

intact, the quarter is evocative

of the old ghetto. In par tic-

ular, the colourful Leopold

Pokorný ulice and richly fres-

coed Rear/New Synagogue

(Zadní/Nová synagóga) are

worth a visit.

R Basilica of St Procopius

Zámek 1. Tel 568 610 022. #

daily. & 8 (book in advance).