Familiar Names, Unfamiliar Spots: Discovering the Hidden Gems of Czechia to Overcome Boredom
On the Kudy z boredy website, there’s a story about a group who visited Šternberk Castle for a weekend. Some of them accidentally went to Šternberk in Olomouc instead; it seems that no one pointed out that the correct name for the castle in Posázaví is Český Šternberk.
In a similar manner, those organizing a trip to Helfenburg split into two groups: one went to Helfenburk near Bavorov in South Bohemia, while the other group went to Helfenburk near Úštěk. There’s even a story about a man who read about an Open Day at Květná glassworks on our site and decided to go. However, he listened to navigation instead of us and instead of reaching May, a part of the village of Strání located in the White Carpathians, he ended up in Květná, which is between Polička and Svitavy, where nobody recognized the glassworks he was searching for.
Castles, but which ones: New or Goat?
One common mistake travelers make while exploring South Bohemia is confusing the beautiful rococo castle known as the Czech Versailles. This grand place is situated close to the Bohemian-Moravian border, almost two hundred kilometers away from the South Bohemian region.
It’s also tricky when it comes to Goat castles: this refers to both the lookout tower in Mikulov and the ruins of a Gothic castle near Tabor. Additionally, if someone mixes up Valeč with Valčí, it can be confusing: one Valeč has a Baroque castle located at the foot of the Doupovské hory, while the other Valeč is found in the Highlands; the castle there has been transformed into a hotel complex.
Girls’ castles, stones and jumps
You can get confused about the Girls’ castles too: the most recognized monument with this name is the ruins of a gothic royal castle, which is a significant landmark in Pálava and is also called Devičky, Maidberk, or Maidenburg. However, there are other Maiden Castles in Prague, and another one not far from Osoblaha occasionally referred to as the Girl’s Stone Castle, which overlooks the Vltava River between Český Krumlov and České Budějovice.
Many of these places are linked with stories of chased or cruel girls: take note of the tales surrounding Dívčí kámen (Girl’s Stone), which is a lookout above Lovětínská gorge near Lichnice Castle, the Dívčí skok (Girl’s Leap) lookout in Divoká Šárka on the edge of Prague, and the Skála smrti (Rock of Death) near Cvikov, which features an unusual relief.
