Nepomuk, Czech

Sissy and I, along with a friend, spent Labor Day weekend, exploring a new area of Czech.

We left after work and drove towards Nepomuk, where we arrived right as it was getting dark. We stayed in the Grünberg Post Office, which is now apartments. It was originally the family residence of the Knights of Hirchfeld. And it was a stage coach and post office in the 18th and 19th centuries. Check it out here.  There is also a little cafe behind the apartment where you can check in and grab a bite and a museum of vintage motorcycles and other machinery. We stayed in an apartment called Wilhelmina. Additional information attached below. 

We woke up the next morning, ready to explore. Today we would travel to Klatovy, which was about 30 minutes from where we were staying.  We expected the town square to be busy and when we arrived it was empty. We enjoyed our time exploring the main square and a few attractions. When visiting make note that on Saturday shops close early like noon or 1 o’clock.

After parking the car in the town square, we headed towards the catacombs or katakomby. We got an admission ticket for both the catacombs and the black tower.  The catacombs were filled with many relics and informative signs. There was a crypt which contained different mummies with informative signs explaining how they preserved these people. It was very interesting!

Then we walked to the Black Tower which consists of 226 steps to the top offering an amazing view of Klatovy. We were able to see the bell and how the clock on the outside works. The video show how the clock works.

After climbing down, we found a small bakery and got a morning treat. ​

Then we walked around, taking in the view and doing some window shopping. Then I looked inside the sanctuary of Jesuit church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and St. Ignatius. You can only view this church with a tour. For lunch we found an Italian restaurant and enjoyed some pizza for lunch.

Then we walked off our lunch taking in the view of another church, the Roman Catholic parish of Klatovy. We were able to look inside the sanctuary. ​

Then we saw the White Tower, which in late renaissance style, dated 1687 and was the entrance to the archdeacon church until 1898.

On our way back to the apartment, we took in the views of the Czech countryside. We stopped to see a memorial on the side of the road. ​

Once back at our apartment, we decided to explore the castle on the hill known as the Green Mountain Castle or Grünberg Castle. We drove to the parking lot at the base and walked up a hill. We were greeted with a turn table entrance where we each paid  a $10 admission fee. Once we arrived and started to explore, we became very disappointed. After paying the entrance fee, there wasn’t much to see. It was very runned down and needed work. In 1951, one of the Auxiliary Technical Battalions (PTP) was established here at the castle. ​

From there we walked down the street and had dinner at Restaurace Sokolovna Nepomuk. We ate outside since we had Sissy and watched the tennis matches on the nearby courts. ​

The next morning, we decided we would drive and explore an antique shop called Antik Bazar in Mirovice.  We learned most are closed on the weekend and must visit during the week. It was about 45 minutes from the apartment, but we enjoyed the views along the way. When you arrive you must follow the gravel road along the train station. The antique shop is housed in an old grain train depot. The owner Eva was super friendly and spoke English. We spent some time exploring and I found a few things I needed to have. So after loading the car and bidding Eva good bye we headed back to our apartment. We traveled some interesting roads, as we made our way to Miroctice, where we had a late lunch. We arrived right before they closed. Many places take an afternoon break between lunch and dinner

Then we arrived back in Nepomuk and headed to the town square to explore. We learned that Nepomuk was a medieval settlement in the early 10th century. At the end of the 13th century, silver mining began. We took in the views of Archdeaconry Church of St.  James the Elder.

On the way to dinner, we explored The Pilgrimage church of St. John of Nepomuk.

We had dinner at Svejk Restaurant. While we were eating outside, we took in the beautiful sunset.

The next morning, we checked out. We wanted to do more shopping in Klatovy, so we stopped on our way home. We arrived around 9am and the place was super busy and we had to drive around to find parking. We left a little before lunch and stopped for lunch along the road. We hit some traffic and arrived home late in the afternoon. Another great trip in the books!