Štramberk Living History

www.stramberskepikanterie.cz Accessibility: 352 km from Prague

by train from Prague 4 h by bus from Prague — by car from Prague 3 h 25 min

Target group: Pleasure seekers: families with children

The Romantic ruins of a medieval castle with a legendary tower, now a lookout tower, look down on the extraordinarily charming scenery of a small town dubbed Moravian Bethlehem for its picturesque winding streets lined with timbered houses. Moravian Bethlehem The castle complex is freely accessible, so you can climb the tower yourselves, but it is much more interesting to choose one of two guided tours – if only for your children. The tours are known as Štramberk Spice and their biggest advantage is that you will learn about the most interesting parts of the town’s history and why it is known as “Moravian Bethlehem”. Discover the secrets of its ancient nooks and crannies lined with timbered cottages, look around St. Bartholomew’s Church, see where “Štramberk ears”, a local renowned sweet delicacy, are prepared, and where the excellent local beer is brewed, discover the part of the castle where the most telluric energy of Mother Earth rises, and take a look into a historical shelter hut and tourist chalet. From the viewing gallery of the famous “Trúba”, as the castle tower is locally known, you will find out just what you are actually looking at. Visit the prehistoric cave Šipka, where a globally significant Discovery was once made – part of the jaw of a Neanderthal child – and see the ruins of Stallenberg Castle. You can even request something else – guides are ready to prepare an individual programme in advance.

Trúba and “Ear” Bakeries But let’s start at the beginning – Stallenberg Castle was built for the Olomouc Přemyslid princes sometime around 1200. At one time it also belonged to the Knights Templar. In the late 18th century, the front part of the castle collapsed, and the complex began to fall into disrepair. The castle received its Romantic appearance in the early 20th century through the care of prominent Prague architect Kamil Hilbert, who was also working on the completion of Prague Castle’s St. Vitus Cathedral at the time. That was when the 40 m tall castle tower gained its characteristic roof. The tower is square at the bottom, with walls 3.5 metres thick. It is not until 24 metres above the ground that it becomes round in shape. And it is this very cylinder soaring above the fortifications and trees that

18 Destination Manual 2020 | Cultural Tourism

gives it its popular name Kulatina (log) or Trúba (tube). The reconstruction gave the castle two new gates and part of the ramparts which originally circled and protected the whole town was partially repaired. The tower can be climbed via a three-flight staircase up to its protruding wooden viewing gallery, offering glorious views of the whole town, the peaks Kotouč and Bílá hora, the Beskid massif and Starojičínský hill, as well as Hostýn, Jeseníky and the Moravian Gate. And what are the famous Štramberk ears? A guided tour will take you to the place where they are made. These pastries made from honeyspiced dough twisted into cones resembling ears have been baked in Štramberk for centuries to commemorate a legendary victory of the local Christians over the Tartar army. This is because the Tartars cut off their slain enemies’ ears and sent them in sacks to their khan. And if your children are looking for fun, take them to the Museum of Zdeněk Burian, a world-famous painter of dinosaurs and the prehistoric world.

City nearby: Ostrava – Undiscovered Raw Beauty An ideal base for a trip to Štramberk is Ostrava, the city with the highest concentration of technical monuments in the Czech Republic. Travel to Dolní Vítkovice, the largest freely accessible industrial area in the country and have a coffee at the top of a tall furnace. Landek park will take you to a mining exhibition deep underground. And after putting the kids to bed, you can spend a lively night in the clubs and bars of legendary Stodolní Street – the distinctive phenomenon of Ostrava nightlife.

www.stramberskepikanterie.cz Štramberk Castle: www.stramberska-truba.info Šipka Cave: www.mesto-stramberk.cz/jeskyne-sipka.php Museum of Zdeněk Burian: www.zdenekburian.cz Botanic garden Štramberk: www.stramberk.info/dr-cs/9-botanicka-zahrada.html Technical Museum Tatra: www.tatramuseum.cz Sigmund Freud Birth House in Příbor: www.freudmuseum.cz Ostrava: www.visitostrava.eu Moravian-Silesian region: severnimorava.travel