Český Krumlov - Town Sightseeing - Inner Town II.

The historical core is comprised of two parts. The older section, Latrán, formed spontaneously beneath the castle on the left bank of the Vltava River. The inner town is slightly younger and was intentionally established within the meanders of the river. When viewed from above, the old town gives the impression of an island. The “loop” of the Vltava is so tight that at its narrowest point the two streams mutually converge to less than a hundred meters.

Square Na Louži, church of St. Vitus

On the site where Široká Streets ends in a small square, called Na Louži, stands the corner Krčín House (No. 54). This two-story building formed as a result of a Renaissance reconstruction of the former house in 1580. The Renaissance decorations of its facade are particularly valuable, rich in figural and ornamental motifs.

At the other end of this small square, we can ascend Kostelní Street to the church of St. Vitus. Its high neo-Gothic tower, creating a visual counterbalance to the Renaissance castle tower, was built in the late 19th century. The church itself, however, is originally late Gothic, having been founded in 1309. The walls of its three naves have been standing from roughly the mid-14th century. The main construction of the church took place from 1407–1439, when the netted ribbed vaulting was built, terminating the triple nave. The vaulting is supported by eight slender pillars.

The church was expanded and modified several times in subsequent centuries. In the past there was a cemetery adjacent to the church (several tombstones have still survived in the vicinity of the church), while the interior of the church itself has often served as the burial place for the members of the ruling families of Český Krumlov. The most significant personage buried here is Vilém of Rožmberk (1535–1592). In addition, the hearts of certain Schwarzenbergs were deposited here in special boxes.

Part of the church is the chapel of the Resurrection and the chapel of St. John of Nepomuk. The St. Vitus Church is freely accessible all year round.

The chapel of St. John of Nepomuk was built between 1726–1729 during the reign of the Schwarzenbergs? The chapel‘s dedication to this Czech martyr has a true historical basis. The spouses Adam Franz of Schwarzenberg and Princess Eleonore Amalia were childless, and the family was threatened with extinction. What‘s more, the spouses had not spoken to each other for twenty long years because of some distant quarrel and did not maintain contact. In 1721 they met by accident in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, reconciled, and their reunification produced their sought- after male descendant in less than a year (December 22, 1722) – Prince Joseph Adam. And because their fateful meeting in Prague happened to be at the tomb of St. John of Nepomuk, this saint became the new Schwarzenberg patron.

From the terrace behind the church there is a nice view of the river with a weir and the southern part of the town behind it.