Historical buildings and monuments of various periods are usually well preserved in the vast majority of the Czech towns. Let's have a closer look at two of them: Pilsen, the 'beer town', and Olomouc, the ecclesiastical metropolis located in the Moravian part of the country.
Pilsen
Pilsen (Plzeň) is the fourth biggest city of Czech Republic, situated in western Bohemia. The old town was declared a historical landmark and it is under the government protection. You can see there the Gothic St Bartholomew Cathedral from 13th century, a Renaissance Town Hall, the Baroque Archdeacon's house, and a Franciscan Monastery.
Pilsen is also the town of the biggest synagogue in Czech Republic, the Great Synagogue. It is the third biggest synagogue in the world. The synagogue's parts were built in different styles, to name some of them, the Russian, Islamic and Indian were used. There are still Jewish gatherings but only in the part called winter prayer room. Today, concerts and temporary exhibitions are held there.
Pilsen is a town of a lot of national and international festivals. Smetana Days take place there as well as the Theatre Festival, International Drawing Biennial, Skupa's Plzeň Puppet Festival and International Big-Band Festival.
The brewery tradition is based on the local brand of the beer Pilsner Urquell, founded in 1842. Of course, you may also want to try Prazdroj and Gambrinus, which are other brands that are also widely known. If interested, go and visit the town's Brewery Museum .
Contrary to the Brewery Museum, Pilsen's Meditation Garden is an unconventional tip to visit. The author of this garden was a former political prisoner. It was originaly his orchard when he decided to redo it and erect there a Memorial to the Victims of Evil. His friends helped him to built there a Way of Sorrows which consists from twelve sandstone life-size sculptures and a chapel. It is meant to be a commemoration to the sufferings of people who confronted the totalitarian regimes. This place holds theatre plays and other social and cultural activities, such as weddings or anniversary celebrations.
Olomouc
The town of Olomouc is full of fountains and columns. The fountains are named after the names of Roman and Greek gods. There is the fountain of Arion, Jupiter, Mercury, Neptun, Triton and other. The most famous column is the Holy Trinity Column. It is the largest sculptural group of Baroque statues in Central Europe, 35 metres high. It has 18 saints, 12 torch bearers, 6 apostles and a group of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was registered onto the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage.
One of the many churches, chapels and basilics which you can admire in Olomouc is the St Wenceslas Cathedral. Its southern tower is the second highest spire in Czech Republic. There is also an astronomical clock on the town hall, though smaller than in Prague, designed in a socialist realism style. The figures represent different working classes and the labour which should be done for every specific month of the year.
Near Olomouc is a pilgrimage site called Holy Hill (Svatý Kopeček), listed in the UNESCO heritage. You can visit the Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary there.