Voyage Prague Travel agency (Prague, Czech Republic)

In South Bohemia, at a serpentine bend in the Vltava River, lies the quaint town of Cesky Krumlov. Its original medieval owners, the powerful Rozmberk called it the "City of the Red Rose" after their family crest. Later the city became the property of the Schwarzenberg aristocracy. The huge castle dominates the town’s center, looming over red-tile roofs and the labyrinthine, cobble-stoned streets. The castle offers a wealth of architectural details and 15th century treasures. Picture-postcard houses crowd the hills and the banks of the river that snakes through the heart of the city. Through a courtyard, we find the museum dedicated to Cesky Krumlov’s most famous homeboy, the early 20th century painter, Egon Schiele. In a medieval cellar tavern the servers dress in period costumes. The Germans called the town “Krumme Aue” or “the crooked meadow” – following the twists and turns of its little streets and stone bridges, we understand why. The undulating curves of the Vltava only serve to enhance the city’s appeal. And the curves don’t stop at the river. If it appears to your eye that many of the houses have distinctly odd outlines, well, they do! Medieval builders, who were blissfully unaware of the existence of right angles, constructed many of them.