Sightseeing Tours

Northern routes | Southern routes | Šimon Adler´s museum

Northern routes


A: "To the smallest towns in Europe"
Pilsen - Rabstejn nad Strelou - Nectiny - Pnovany - Vseruby - Mesto Touskov - Pilsen

Other tips for individual trips:
Chyse (the castle with the museum and the memorial hall of Karel Capek, the cemetery church)
Plasy (originally cistercian cloister from 1144, damaged during the Husism and 30 years war, since 1826 the property of the prince Metternich. The conventional buildings were rebuilt by J.B.Santini and K.I. Dientzenhofer. The St. Maria' s in Heaven church is a Roman basilica rebuilt into Baroque style with valuable pantings from Karel Skreta, Petr Brandl,Willmann and others. The castle used by Metternich was rebuilt by J.B. Matheye. Part of the areal is an unique building - a royal chapel built before 1265, with wall painting from 1280 on the ground floor. The cemetery church was also rebuilt by Matheye.
Manetin ( the roots are reaching into the 12th century , originally was a royal property and later a church property and in the 15th century was own by prince family. The castle is a baroque master piece of J.B. Santini from the half of the 18th century. There is a patio with baroque statues in front of the castle which is surrounded by baroque houses.
From the Baroque is also a deans church of St. John the Babtisor with the interior equipment and valuable paintings from Petr Brandl. We can also find his paintings in the St. Barbora's church. There are several interesting statues in the whole town.

B: "Follow the Jewish sights trough the Berounka valley"
Pilsen - Rokycany - Radnice - Teresov - Hresihlavy - Kozlany - Pilsen

Other tips for individual trips:
Plasy (originally cistercian cloister from 1144, damaged during the Husism and 30 years war, since 1826 the property of the prince Metternich. The conventional buildings were rebuilt by J.B.Santini and K.I. Dientzenhofer. The St. Maria' s in Heaven church is a Roman basilica rebuilt into Baroque style with valuable pantings from Karel Skreta, Petr Brandl,Willmann and others. The castle used by Metternich was rebuilt by J.B. Matheye. Part of the areal is an unique building - a royal chapel built before 1265, with wall painting from 1280 on the ground floor. The cemetery church was also rebuilt by Matheye.
Manetin ( the roots are reaching into the 12th century , originally was a royal property and later a church property and in the 15th century was own by prince family. The castle is a baroque master piece of J.B. Santini from the half of the 18th century. There is a patio with baroque statues in front of the castle which is surrounded by baroque houses.
From the Baroque is also a deans church of St. John the Babtisor with the interior equipment and valuable paintings from Petr Brandl. We can also find his paintings in the St. Barbora's church. There are several interesting statues in the whole town.

Southern routes


A: "Romantic Jewish cemeteries of south Pilsen region"
Pilsen - Stenovice - Dolni Lukavice - Prestice - Svihov - Merklin - Pilsen

Other tips for individual trips:
Chudenice (tour through the historical center with a rectorial church, Kolovec's pottery, Museum of engineering and craft.
Chudenice (historical center with a rectorial church, the Old Castle - a regional museum, the American garden and the viewtower Bolfanek, the New castle with park)
Kladruby (Benedictins cloister was founded in 1115 surrounding village was privileged in 1300. The cloister is a large complex important mainly for its baroque rebuilding. J.B.Santini whose church of St. John of Nepomuk on the Green hill in Zdar nad Sazavou is on the list of UNESCO monuments rebuilt the St. Maria' s cathedral into a baroque-gothic style. Frescos and plasters decoration of the interior were made by Asams brothers.
Other rebuilding was done by the baroque master K.I.Dientzenhofer.

B: "Only one remaining ghetto ih the Pilsen region"
Pilsen - Spalene Porici - Kasejovice - Nepomuk - Blovice - Pilsen

Other tips for individual trips:
Stary Plzenec (originally an administrative fortress of Premysls family from the half of the 10th century) From the end of the 10th century is also a chapel of St Peter. Another church building are not much younger - the Birth of St. Maria's church was founded in the12th century , and there are some gothic paintings on the walls. Originally built in roman style but later rebuilt was the St. John the Babtisors church- now in the gothic style.
Radyne (a castle above Stary Plzenec, founded by the king Charles IV. in the 14th century, originally called Charlescrown. There are only monumental ruins left from the large castle which was left in the 16th century.
Kozel (a hunting chateau from the end of the 18th century build by Cernins and later rebuilt into a summer seat. The large English park was established here in the second half of the 19th century.
Nebilovy ( a village with its original fortress from the 14th century. The castle was founded at the beginning of the 18th century and its builder was Pilsener architect Jacob Auguston. He follow the design by Jacob Hildebrandt. The St. Jacob the Bigger church is also an interesting architectonic building rebuilt in the 18th century.)
Nepomuk ( a town with an interesting architecture - a baroque dean's office and the hospital, the st. Jacob's church originally a roman building later rebuilt into baroque style, and also the St. John of Nepomuk cathedral and museum)
Nepomuk is a town closely tide up with the church and its influence. The tradition of the Jewish settlement is thin and young and never had any remarkable gloom. There is a mention from the second half of the 19th century about a praying room which was situated inside of the townhouse. Another one was probably in the village Klaster.
There used to be a private Jewish school here at the end of the 19th century but it vanished and the Jewish children had to go to the state school.
There are no other remarkable sights of the Jewish settlement.
The historical and local situation was very complicated. The village firstly appeared in the lists in the 13th century as a trading village Pomuk owned by the church. Then in the 14th century was enlarged by the village Presanice and just before the Husism privileged . The famous Cistercians cloister was built on the side of the hill called Green hill in the 12th century. In 1420 the cloister was damaged and the monks were banished. Later they tried to renew the cloister but it wasn't succesfull.
Nepomuk become a town in 1730.
Afterall of the historical tragedies there are many important architectonics. The St. Jacob's church (on the Presanicke square) was established in the 12th century - in the time when the cloister was established too. Later was rebuilt into baroque style. During the period of the Josephins reforms it was used as a granary. At the end of the 19th century was renewed in the neogothical style.
Another interesting building is the St. John of Nepomuk's church established by Stemberks in the 17th century later was rebuilt into baroque style during the rule of Martins.
The author of this reconstruction was K.I.Dientzenhofer. He also rebuilt the dean's office (n.1 next to the St. Jacob's church).
Probably the most famous person here is a saint who is well known all around the catholic world and his statue we can find all around the world too. John of Nepomuk was born here and his life is well known from many legends. We can also see his silver tombstone in the cathedral of St. Vitus in Prague.
Other important people:
August Nemejc (1861-1938) who was born here, he was a painter of a regional meaning. He is an author of the curtain in the Tyl's theatre in Pilsen and he painted lunets in the interior of the Western museum in Pilsen.
Josef Ondrej Liboslav Rettig (1821-1871) a son of a famous revivalist and author of a famous cookbook , he became a priest. He used to work as a rector on the former piaristic collage. He devoted his whole life to natural science and he established here a meteorological center. He was buried here.
Little confusing was an even around the discovering of the Green hill script which was later claimed as a forgery.
Zelena hora (originally a property of the cloister in Nepomuk but later own but different nobel families. The castle was build in the 17th century during the Stenbergs rule. From this time is also dated the reconstruction of the St. Maria's the Virgin church.)
Klaster (originally an area of the Nepomuk cloister from the 12th century after its doom the village with the rectory was built into it.)


AN EXPOSITION OF THE JEWISH MINORITY LIFE IN WESTERN BORDER LAND OF BOHEMIA
Simon Adler´s museum has been estabilished in 1997 as a memorial of jewish historian and rabbi, Dr. Šimon Adler, who was born here and became a victim of holocaust in Auschwitz extermination camp in 1944.
The beginning of exposition describes his life and fate of his two sons - Sinae and Matytiahu Adler, now living in Israel. The second part is focused on culture and religion of jewish inhabitants in border land between Kraslice in the north, and Modrava in the south. It starts with a list and photo documentation of 110 extinct jewish communitites and conserved buildings. Everyday life is shown here, inclusive reconstructed original kosher slaughter and an interiour of a local pub. In the folowing part of the exposition visitors can find religious objects chosen from collections of the Western Bohemia Museum in Plzeň. The exhibits illustrate the most important moments in life of a jewish family: birth, circumsision, bar-mitsva, wedding day and death. The end of the exposition is presented by a household showing everyday life of jewish inhabitants in this region about the year 1900 when trademan Wilhelm Adler lived here and Šimon Adler spent his childhood.
We believe that the script of this exposition with a view to everyday life of the jewish minority in western border land of Bohemia contributes to knowledge about multinational region of Šumava mountains, and shows that people of different religion and different nationality can establish a consistent community if they are not disturbed by political manipulation. The museum was found at Mr. Matytiahu Adler´s instance (vicepresident of Touro College Jerusalem / New York) and financial support of the town Hartmanice and the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
In the building of the museum there is an auditorium for 50 visitors too, exposition of history of Hartmanice with surroundings as well as displayed local traditional crafts. The museum is located in the village Dobrá Voda near Hartmanice, not far from the church of St. Vintíř and close to medicinal spring. The view from Dobrá Voda to countryside with the castle Kašperk is one of the most beautiful in Šumava mountains.