Best of Berlin, Prague, & Vienna

August - September 2014

Česky Krumlov
Monday, September 1st
59°F, Light Rain All Day

This is a small town (14,000) about a 3 hour bus ride south of Prague with the obligatory castle (closed) and an interesting history.

The pre-WW II population of this little town was 70% German. They supported the Nazi take over in 1938 and the Czech minority had to leave. At the end of the war when Germany was divided up between the allies, Czechoslovakia came under the control of the Soviets. Peaceful coexistence with the Germans in Česky Krumlov was impossible. The Germans, many who had lived here for centuries, were told to move to Germany. Those that didn't move were murdered, raped and plundered. In 1989, the displaced Germans demanded that the Czech government apologize. They're still waiting.

After a quick tour of this charming town on the river Altava, we escaped the group to do some laundry. While waiting for the wash we had lunch at the Eggenberg Brewery. I had a roasted sausage wrapped in raw bacon (I'm still not sure what kind) and Barbara had meatloaf so I could try it. The meatloaf turned out to be flattened sausage. It was a little like eating Spam. Don't get me wrong, I love Spam and now so does Barbara (at least the Czech kind).

A little known fact: Budweiser originated from this area. Before the war the owner took his family and recipe and move to USA. Later the Czech Republic sued the USA in international court to regain the rights to Budweiser. The court ruled that the USA manufacture could only sell Budweiser in the North America and the Czech manufacture could not sell in North America.