Loučeň Castle
Most stately homes and castles in Czechia close for the winter months. I suppose not many people enjoy traipsing around an unheated building when it’s -20 C outside. Loučeň castle is
The Spinsters’ Church
I hold on as the swaying of the boat almost makes me lose my balance. I am on a vaporetto heading to the Venetian island of Giudecca. I want to
Maltese windows
When the Knights of Malta built Valletta in the seventeenth century, it was admired by all who saw it. We don’t realise that it took 400 years or so to
The Bullet Holes in the Gas Tank
A gas tank is not the sort of thing most people put on your “Must see” list. In the Prague suburbs, there is one of the world’s last surviving gas
Konopiště Castle and World War I
No more than a 30-minute train ride south of Prague you can visit Konopiště castle. This is where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand travelled from when he went to Sarajevo and
The not-so-old part of historical Prague
As tourists, we tend to make the mistake of assuming that any structure which looks suitably old is automatically ancient. It’s easy to walk around any city and make this
The Mansion that thinks it’s a Castle
About an hour’s drive from Prague, you can discover the grandly named Mnichovo Hradiště castle. I say “grandly named” because it is nothing more than a mansion rather than a
The Knights of St Lazarus
The Knights of Malta (to give them their full name, the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta) are certainly familiar to followers of this site. I was
Prague’s Marian Column
Prague’s Old Town Square used to contain one of the largest sundials I’ve ever heard of. Judging by reports in the local news, it just might be rebuilt too. And
Charles’ Crown Castle
As architectural designs go, insisting on a new castle that resembles a crown is quite original. Wanting this sort of thing to impress the king is less original, but that’s