Explore the UNESCO sites in Vysočina Czech republic

PILGRIMAGE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN OF NEPOMUK AT ZELENÁ HORA

One of the most visually stunning Vysočina UNESCO Sites is The Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelená Hora. The star-shaped complex is designed between Neo-Gothic and Baroque styles of architecture by architect Santini who was a Czech architect of Italian descent known for creating in the combination of Baroque and Gothic architecture styles.Konec formuláře

This Vysočina UNESCO site though is a pilgrimage church that was built to honor St. John of Nepomuk in the early 18th-century. The star shape of the entire structure has 5 points to reference the 5 stars in the halo of St. John of Nepomuk, who was martyred in 1393 in the Vltava River by Wenceslaus. 

It is said that Nepomuk was the confessor of Wenceslaus’ wife which led to jealousy and caused his murder. There’s an entire story and legend behind this that lead to the construction of this site.

The five stars on St. John of Nepomuk’s halo represent the stars in the sky the night of his death. He is now considered the protector from floods and drowning and is often seen as statues on bridges including the Charles Bridge in Prague. Once you’re familiar with him, you’ll start to see him everywhere around the Czech Republic!

 

JEWISH QUARTER & ST PROCOPIUS’ BASILICA IN TŘEBÍČ

Třebíč is most famously known for its Jewish Quarter and St Procopius’ Basilica, which are the Vysočina UNESCO site represented here.

The Jewish Quarter of Třebíč is compromised of 123 houses, 2 synagogues, and a cemetery dedicated to the Jewish inhabitants. In 1890, there was a population of around 1,500 Jewish people here in Třebíč, but during the 1930s only 300 of the population were of the Jewish faith. 

By World War II, everyone in the Jewish community of Třebíč were deported and heinously murdered in Nazi concentration camps. There were only 10 survivors that made their way back to Třebíč after the war and fall of the Nazi regime.

Like many Jewish sites in Europe, this one has a very dark and sad history and we believe it is important to not only learn this history but explore and visit these sites to learn.

 

JEWISH CEMETERY

The Romanesque and Gothic Basilica of St. Procopius is home to the second oldest fresco paintings in Moravia. The best-preserved area is the crypt that was once the burial place of the monks that ran the monastery as well as the Jewish Quarter which is a great display of what life and community was like for this population.

Both of these sites are also historic reminders of the co-existence between both Christianity and Judaism as religions between the Middle Ages through the 20th-century.

 

HISTORIC CENTER OF TELČ

The colorful row of historic homes that make up the beautiful historic city center are wonderfully preserved Renaissance and Baroque homes. What you see today was built after a devastating fire in the 14th century when all the wooden homes burned to the ground. Some say this was when Telč was ‘reborn.’

Zacharias of Hradec, who was the ruler of this time was the one who decided to change the castle from Gothic to Renaissance and the townspeople soon followed and the homes were also then constructed of stone and then a network of manmade ponds were built to help against any future fires.

Highlights include the row of gorgeous homes in the city center and the chateau. What we found really intersting was that another reason why this town is so attractive is that when the townspeople were making their homes Baroque, they tried one upping eachother by flaunting their wealth with their decor and design of intricate details! 

If you look closely you can actually find traces of hints on the details of the home of who actually lived there. For example, the black and white Venetian painted home has an almost vanishing pretzel on one of the home’s pillars on the square. This represents that a baker used to live in the home. Back then bakers were wealthy and therefore was able to have an extravagant Venetian inspired painted front façade of the house.

Because this was a crucial trading route between Vienna and Prague, Telč became very wealthy and was also a prosperous place for farming and fish breeding in the lakes built around town to thwart fires from ravaging the city once again.

Another interesting feature to Telč is that there are also a maze of underground tunnels that interconnect the entire town below the streets used for food storage and a way to escape town if there was another huge fire or invaders.

 

VIEW FROM THE WATCHTOWER

This is a really fabulous place to stay overnight to do some historic sightseeing as well as just take a beautiful walk around the castle grounds and be sure to climb the watchtower for a bird’s eye view of this charming place! 

Also, don’t miss the scenic walk on the outer perimeter of town along  Stare Mesto pond to the Church of the Mother of God. Follow the path lined with statues of saints, including Saint John of Nepomuk with his halo of stars mentioned earlier!