7 Places to See in Telč, Czech Republic (with Map)

The rose of the lake, a poem made of stone, the Renaissance pearl of the Bohemian and Moravian Highlands, the Moravian Venice –there they came up–… These are some of the nicknames of Telc. And the truth is that it is difficult to see so much beauty concentrated in so little space. The historic center of this small town of Czech Republicmore like a town –it has about 6,000 inhabitants–, was declared Heritage of humanity by unesco more than twenty years ago and nothing surprises us. A tiny historic center, but full of heritage and with an environment that qualify as picturesque is an understatement. Its Renaissance castle-palace, its bourgeois houses and the towers of its churches reflecting in the ponds that surround the old town seem to be taken from a fairy tale.

And then, What do you have to see in Telč? Well, basically, all of its historic center. Distances will not be a problem. But we are going to direct you a little more, let it not be said.

Here are the 7 places you have to visit in Telc. The essentials in your short, long distance, but intense walk through one of the most beautiful villages in the Czech Republic.

1. Telc Castle

if you ask us what to see in Telc, the first thing that comes to mind – well, to us and to anyone who has been – is his castle. The building that dominates its historic center is the jewel in the crown. We talk about a gothic castle Transformed into Renaissance palatial residence in the 16th century by Duke Zacharias of Hradec. The duke had traveled to the Italian peninsula, was in love with the Italian Renaissance, and brought a few transalpine architects to Telč. His idea was to have, in the one he chose as the seat of his duchy, a palace that had nothing to envy to those of the great European cities.

The interior has been very well preserved and is as luxurious as you could hope for, with its rooms decorated with Renaissance coffered ceilings, sgraffito, inlaid doors, working fireplaces and original furniture from the last owners. The most impressive room is the Golden Room, its 300 square meters of coffered ceilings decorated with mythological scenes leave no one indifferent. But you will not stop hallucinating room after room. In its Web do you have information about prices, schedules and all tours available –the visits are always guided– which, as always in Czech palaces, are many.

2. The church of Santiago

Next to the castle is the church of santiago, the parish church of medieval origin, founded at the same time as the city. In fact, it preserves some Gothic fresco. Of course, its current appearance is from the 15th century and the organ is Baroque, from the 18th century, like the cloister. You can climb its 60-meter-high tower, but we already climbed the one in the Church of the Holy Spirit and our legs begged for mercy.

3. The Market Square, its old houses and the plague column

In addition to the castle, the other place you have to visit in Telc is necessarily the marketplace, the heart of the historic center. There is another church here, that of the Holy Name of Jesus, baroque, next to the Jesuit school and the parish house, but in this case it is the civil buildings that caught our attention the most.

The bourgeois houses of medieval origin “retouched” in Renaissance and Baroque times, with their colors and decoration, made us want to stop over and over again to look at their details. Many have Romanesque underground cellars, Gothic elements on the ground floor and Renaissance decoration on the second floor. A most curious mix of styles.

Among the buildings in the square you cannot miss:

• the town hall –at number 10–, one of the largest, from the union of two Gothic buildings in the Renaissance period;
• number 15, green, with its bay window and decorated with sgraffito from the 16th century on biblical themes;
• number 47, yellow, is not one of the prettiest, but it is curious: it was a brewery and a school and a floor was added at the end of the 19th century – the windows are false;
• number 61, with its white and gray façade also decorated with Renaissance sgraffito with biblical scenes.

In the center there is, as in any self-respecting Czech market square, a plague column baroque style. there are also two sources: a Renaissance, dedicated to Santa Marketa, and another baroque, dedicated to the Greek god Silenus.

4. The underground tunnels

We have said that many of the houses in the Market Square have Romanesque cellars. And how do we know if they can't be seen from the street? Because we go down to visit them... Yes, under the bourgeois houses in the square there are cellars and pantries, used at some point in history also as a refuge and escape route. And it is that they are connected with tunnels about 500 meters long. Of course, you have to book the visit, call Telc underground, the day before at the tourist office, in the same square. It costs 30 CZK – less than one and a half euros.

5. The view of the old town from the walkway over the pond

We have already said that, monuments aside, what Telč has is a sea of ​​picturesque surroundings, with its historic center surrounded by ponds. The most beautiful views of Telč They are taken right from the walkway that crosses the pond. Also, do not miss the panorama from Na Hrázi street next to the statue of Saint John Nepomuk.

6. The climb to the tower of the church of the Holy Spirit and its views

We return to the old town and to another church, that of the Holy Spirit. One that was originally Romanesque and was remodeled in the Gothic style in the 15th century. Later it served as a chapel for the municipal hospital, a warehouse and even a theater. It is now an evangelical church.

The most striking thing about the church is its tower, a Romanesque tower that is the oldest surviving construction in Telč. The best? That you can go up and the views of the historic center are also very beautiful – although the network does not help for photos. Of course, it opens only in summer and, in case of bad weather, it closes. Although if it's bad it's not worth going up, of course...

7. The remains of the wall and the two access gates

Where ponds and moats did not reach, it was necessary to build ramparts. And if there are walls, there are doors. The walls were built in the 14th century and reinforced in the 17th century, when they were about ten and a half meters high. A canvas with that height is still preserved in the southern part of the old town, on Hradební street. There also resists a small access that opens onto the water of the pond, the only opening in the wall next to the two access doors.

The two doors, from the same century as the remodeling of the castle, the 17th century, are the dolni brana –lower door– and the horni brana -upper door- The upper one, with its sgraffito and its five-petaled rose, bears the date of 1629, probably the year in which the wall was repaired. Near the upper door we find the only Romanesque bastion that remains from the wall.

Map with places to see in Telc

Here you have our map with all the places to see in Telc. There is no loss, they are all very close.

Despite how small it is, you are going to have to dedicate some time to Telč if you want to enjoy all its corners, don't you think?