Strakonice - bagpipe metropolis

Accessibility

Year-round

Entrance fee

free

How to get there

You can use one of the local car parks

Time needed to visit

2 hours

Additional information

Strakonice was granted town rights as early as 1367, and since 1402 it has been held by church representatives.

The castle of Strakonice is an exceptional monument, both historically and architecturally. You may be confused by the castle's classical wing at the entrance, but once through the gate, there is no doubt about the castle's majesty. The entire castle is currently undergoing renovation and will open during 2021, but the 31-metre high Rumpál Tower and the Black Kitchen are still open to visitors.

There is not much information about the castle's origins. Around 1243, a palace stood at the confluence of the Otava and Volyňka rivers, inhabited by both Bavarian secular lords and Johannites, representatives of the Knights of the Order. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem acquired the entire castle at the beginning of the 15th century. As the Hussites plundered the convent of the Johannites in Prague, they took refuge in Strakonice and until 1693 they had a grand priory there. Today, the castle is home to the Museum of Central Pootaví and a new exhibition on the history of the Order of the Knights of Malta is being prepared, in which the Order, now again based in Prague's Lesser Town, symbolically participates.

After the reconstruction, the castle will also house the largest collection of bagpipes in Central Europe, which is still being added to and expanded. The exhibition also includes historical musical instruments. You will also be able to see the traditional products of the once famous brand of the town: ČZ guns, motorbikes and bicycles.

The Otava River, the natural axis of Strakonice and Prácheňsko, famous for gold panning and pearl extraction from river pearls, is formed by the confluence of the Vydra and Křemelné rivers near Čeňkova Pila in Šumava. Today's name Otava is said to come from the Celtic term Atawa, which means "rich water."

On the hill of Kalvárie west of Strakonice Castle stood the Gothic chapel of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in the vicinity of which was a cemetery where, according to folk legend, the legendary Švanda the piper was buried. His trail, nowadays adapted for hiking, leads from the castle along the river, where it turns and returns to the castle. The trail offers an unpretentious and pleasant walk, during which you can learn a lot. Josef Kajetán Tyl, the author of the famous Švanda dudák, often came here with a theatre group and more than once sighed how he would like to settle here, because he liked Strakonice...

Almost everything revolves around bagpipes here today: the museum has a large exhibition of famous and modern musical instruments, the International Bagpipe Festival has been staged here every two years for more than 20 years and the local specialty is Dudák beer.

Rhodians and Personalities

• František Ladislav Čelakovský (1799-1852) - Czech national revival poet, critic and translator.
• Ing. Pavel Pavel (born 1957) - experimental archaeologist who, as a member of Thor Heyerdahl's Easter Island expedition, put into practice his theory of how ancient Aborigines transported giant Moai statues.
• Josef Skupa (1982-1957) - the "father" of Spejbl and Hurvínek, whose memorial plaque adorns his birthplace in the middle of the Great Square.

Our tip
The International Bagpipe Festival in the second half of August is attended by bagpipe groups from all over the world. Some of the best known musicians are from Scotland, Holland, Germany and also Turkey.