Places of Interest in the Czech Republic

A model talk at B2 level that follows on from Prague – the second half of the specific part of maturita topic 4. It covers the places outside the capital that you should be able to describe, why tourists come to the Czech Republic, and how to recommend a trip. At the end there is the key vocabulary, useful phrases and questions the examiner may ask.

Introduction

The Czech Republic is a small, landlocked country in the heart of Central Europe. It borders Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Austria, and it consists of three historical lands – Bohemia, Moravia and a part of Silesia. It has about eleven million inhabitants and covers roughly 79,000 square kilometres. Although it is small, it has an enormous number of castles, chateaux and well-preserved historic towns, and its landscape is surprisingly varied. Seventeen Czech places are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Apart from Prague, which has a topic of its own, the following places are definitely worth mentioning.

Historic towns

• Český Krumlov (South Bohemia) looks like a town from a fairy tale. Its red roofs and narrow streets lie in a bend of the Vltava, and above them rises the second largest castle complex in the country, with a colourful round tower and a unique Baroque theatre. The historic centre has been on the UNESCO list since 1992.
• Kutná Hora (Central Bohemia) was one of the richest towns of the kingdom in the Middle Ages thanks to its silver mines – the Prague groschen, the most important coin of the time, was minted here. Its main sights are the Gothic St Barbara’s Church, dedicated to the patron saint of miners, and the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel decorated with the bones of tens of thousands of people.
• Telč (South Moravia) is famous for its long square lined with colourful Renaissance and Baroque houses with arcades.
• Olomouc (Moravia) has the Baroque Holy Trinity Column, a UNESCO monument, and an astronomical clock which, unlike the one in Prague, was rebuilt during the communist era in the socialist realist style.
• Plzeň (West Bohemia) is the home of Pilsner Urquell – the type of beer called pilsner got its name from the town. Tourists come to see the brewery and the Cathedral of St Bartholomew, which has the highest church tower in the country.
• Brno, the second largest city, is the centre of Moravia. Its most famous modern monument is Villa Tugendhat, a masterpiece of functionalist architecture by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Castles and chateaux

The Czech Republic is said to have one of the highest densities of castles in the world.

• Karlštejn – a Gothic castle built by Charles IV in the 14th century to protect the Crown Jewels and holy relics. It stands on a hill in the forests south-west of Prague and is one of the most visited castles in the country.
• Hluboká – a romantic white chateau near České Budějovice, rebuilt in the 19th century in the style of Windsor Castle.
• Lednice and Valtice (South Moravia) – two chateaux connected by parks, lakes, avenues and small romantic buildings. Together they form the Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape, one of the largest man-made landscapes in Europe and a UNESCO site.

Spa towns

West Bohemia is famous for its spa triangle: Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, which have been on the UNESCO list as part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe since 2021. People have come to Karlovy Vary for centuries to drink the mineral water from its hot springs, which is believed to be good for health. Every summer the town hosts an international film festival, and visitors also take home the herbal liqueur Becherovka and thin spa wafers.

Nature

• The Krkonoše (Giant Mountains) in the north of Bohemia are the highest Czech mountains. Their highest peak, Sněžka (1,603 m), is the highest point of the country. They are popular for skiing in winter and hiking in summer, and they are the oldest Czech national park.
• Šumava (the Bohemian Forest) in the south-west is a national park with deep forests, peat bogs and glacial lakes, ideal for cycling and hiking.
• Bohemian Switzerland in North Bohemia is known for its sandstone rock formations, especially the Pravčická brána, the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe. Similar rock towns can be found in the Czech Paradise (Český ráj).
• The Moravian Karst north of Brno has more than a thousand limestone caves, the deep Macocha Abyss and an underground river on which visitors can go by boat.
• South Bohemia is the land of fishponds, many of them built in the Middle Ages; the largest is Rožmberk. South Moravia, on the other hand, is the main wine-growing region, with wine cellars and the Pálava hills.

Why tourists come – and what they take home

Tourists like the Czech Republic for several reasons. Firstly, there is a huge number of historical monuments in a small area, so you can see a lot in a few days. Secondly, the nature is varied and well suited to hiking and cycling, with a dense network of marked trails. Thirdly, Czech beer is world-famous, and Czech cuisine – roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, or svíčková – is hearty, if not very light. And finally, compared with Western Europe, travelling here is still fairly affordable.

Traditional culture is still alive, especially in Moravia, where folklore festivals with folk costumes, songs and dances take place every summer. Typical souvenirs are Bohemian crystal, garnet jewellery, wooden toys and marionettes.

Conclusion – my recommendation

In my opinion, the Czech Republic is definitely worth visiting, and not only because of Prague. If a foreign friend came to see me, I would show them Prague first, but then I would take them to Český Krumlov or Kutná Hora to see a smaller historic town, and to the mountains or Bohemian Switzerland to enjoy the nature. That is where they would get to know the real atmosphere of the country.

Although the Czech Republic is small, it offers a lot of beautiful and diverse places.

Key vocabulary

Useful phrases

Structuring the talk

• Apart from Prague, it is also worth mentioning…
• Moving on to… / As far as nature is concerned,…
• To sum up,… / All in all,…

Describing places

• It is situated / located in the south of Bohemia, near…
• It is famous / well known for…
• It has been on the UNESCO list since…
• It is said to be one of the most beautiful…
• What makes it special is…

Recommending

• If I were to recommend one place, it would be…, because…
• It’s definitely worth seeing / visiting.
• You shouldn’t miss… / Make sure you see…
• I would rather take them to… than to…, because…

Questions the examiner may ask

Try to answer each question in two or three sentences, then click on the hint to compare.