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Noviny Travel Weekly otiskly článek o Olomouci [EN]
Radniční listy Olomouc, neděle 16.11.2004
Noviny Travel Weekly otiskly článek o Olomouci
Informační server statutárního města Olomouce, Radniční listy 16.11.2004
Aktualizoval: Bc. Djamila Králíková, Tiskové zprávy OVVI
Americké národní noviny zabývající se průmyslem cestovního ruchu Travel Weekly otiskly dne 15.11.2004 článek o Olomouci s názvem "Česká republika: Jsme více než pouze Praha".
Czech Republic: We're more than just Prague (11/15/2004), Kenneth Kiesnoski
OLOMOUC, Czech Republic -- For many U.S. travelers, agents and tour operators, the Czech Republic means capital city Prague and perhaps its environs, but not the scores of towns and sights flung farther afield. Travelers' ongoing love affair with Prague -- now midway through its second decade -- is just fine with Czech tourist officials, but they also want visitors to linger in the country a bit longer before hurrying off to Vienna, Budapest or Berlin, as many typically do. To that end, Katerina Pavlitova, director of the Czech Tourist Authority in New York, along with her colleagues in Prague, identified eight "national products" -- unique destinations, itineraries or seasonal events -- deemed worthy of promotion in the U.S. over the next decade. "While Prague will definitely remain the main attraction for Americans, we're also encouraging people to stay longer and explore other parts of the country," said Pavlitova.
Czech these out
Czech attractions include popular tourist draws Cesky Krumlov in southern Bohemia, and the "Spa Triangle" traced out near Germany by Karlovy Vary, Marianske Lazne and Frantiskovy Lazne.
Less familiar to Americans may be sights along the Prague-to-Munich corridor and events during the Easter and Christmas seasons.
Also less familiar may be two products recently promoted on a Czech Tourist Authority fam trip: Cesky Raj -- or "Bohemian Paradise" -- a wooded, hilly region perfect for active and outdoors types, and the ancient Moravian capital of Olomouc.
According to Pavlitova, each of these national products has "what it takes" to become major destinations.
"Things we look for in these destinations is whether they really have things to do and see; whether they have hotel, dining and other tourism infrastructure to accommodate visitors; and if they have other attractions in the immediate vicinity."
Olomouc qualifies on several counts. A cosmopolitan, university town of 103,300 -- with the dining, shops and nightlife to prove it -- it's also a treasure trove of architecture and monuments, including the massive, early 18th-century Holy Trinity Column, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
History snoops and architecture buffs could spend days exploring the city's winding streets dotted with baroque buildings and working public fountains. Gourmands can avail themselves of not only haute cuisine, but local specialities such as tvaruzky, which are odoriferous cheese cakes often served fried.
The history of tvaruzky, first mentioned in the 15th century, is detailed at the A.W. Museum and shop in outlying Lostice, where samples of the pungent cheese are on sale.
Free entrance or reductions of 5% to 30% at attractions, shops and restaurants (in town and nearby) are available with the Olomouc Card, a discount pass that costs $6 for up to 48 hours
More can be done in the area of accommodations. Olomouc's historic core is home to only two world-class hotels -- the four-star, 33-unit Hotel Gemo (see Room Key, above) and the three-star, 12-room Arigone. There are 10 other two- to three-star properties elsewhere in town.
On the plus side, Moravian hotels seem to pay above-average commissions. For example, the Gemo pays up to 30% on weekend bookings. The Olomouc region does fulfill the third "national product" criteria -- nearby attractions -- in spades.
Three of the country's 12 Unesco World Heritage Sites lie within a few hours' drive, as do a plethora of less familiar attractions and distractions across Moravia, a Czech region that plays second fiddle to better-known Bohemia to the west.
"Olomouc is the key destination in Moravia [and] is definitely the door to the rest of the region," said Pavlitova.
Much ado about Olomouc
For example, 50 miles west of Olomouc, visitors will find Litomysl, a charming Renaissance town whose 16th century castle -- birthplace of Czech composer Bedrich Smetana -- is protected by Unesco, thanks to the unique etchings covering its entire facade.
Magnificent in its own right, the castle is a great excuse to stop in history-rich Litomysl, but agents should be sure to steer clients to other attractions, including the ornate, pastel facades of Smetana Square, the monastery gardens and the Portmoneum, a house covered in frescos painted by local novelist and artist Josef Vachal.
Some 25 miles southeast of Olomouc lies another must-see Unesco site, the Kromeriz bishop's castle and gardens. Another 33 miles farther out, nestled in the White Carpathian mountains, is Luhacovice, a spa town unvisited by most Americans.
Hotel stays with spa treatments in scenic Luhacovice can be had for a pittance. For example, rates at the Jurkovic House -- a four-star, 50-room hotel built in art nouveau style with folkloric details by architect Dusan Jurkovic -- range from $30 to $85 per night, depending on the season.
About a two-hour drive to the east, travelers will find a completely different experience in Roznov pod Radhostem.
The town is the site of the Wallachian Open-Air Museum, a folkpark -- akin to Scandinavian skansens -- that explores local heritage through exhibits of working mills, woodworking demonstrations and guided tours of restored wooden homes, churches and barns.
For the active, hikes or walks can be enjoyed a short drive away, at Pustevny, on Radhost Mountain. Radhost was once sacred to Radegast -- the ancient Slavic god of hospitality and now the namesake of a popular Czech beer -- while Pustevny is a set of three structures by Jurkovic in a style similar to his Luhacovice inn; one, a lodge, houses a particularly good Czech inn.
Packaging Moravia
For all there is to do and see in the Olomouc area, the Czech Tourist Authority is aware that most U.S. travelers like to combine several countries on one trip.
So Pavlitova has taken to promoting the town as an ideal pit stop on the increasingly popular tourist route from Prague to Krakow, in southern Poland.
The tourist board is working to get tour operators and travel agents to Olomouc and its environs on fams, said Pavlitova.
One operator already on the bandwagon is Czech inbound operator E-Tours, which offers a nine-night Prague-to-Krakow walking tour that takes in Olomouc, Litomysl and Roznov. Two departures, June 12 and Sept. 18, are slated for 2005.
The land-only price, with accommodations, most meals, walks of six to nine miles per day, attraction admissions and land transportation, is $2,590 per person.
For more on E-Tours, contact the firm in the Czech Republic at (011) 420-572 555-328 or e-mail info@etours.cz. Or, contact E-Tours USA at (219) 497-0721 or e-mail ales262@cs.com. For more information on Olomouc and the rest of Moravia, contact the Czech Tourist Authority in New York at (212) 288-0830 or online at www.czechtourism.com.
To contact reporter Kenneth Kiesnoski, send e-mail to kkiesnoski@ntmllc.com.
