Czech Republic Vysocina

The town was founded in the 13C as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. Besides the monumental 17C Renaissance chateau with an English-style park, the most significant sight is the town square, a unique complex of long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance and Baroque houses with high gables and arcades. The Gothic castle was built in the second half of the 14C. At the end of the 15C, the castle fortifications were strengthened and a new gate-tower built. In the middle of the 16C, the medieval castle no longer satisfied Renaissance nobleman Zacharias of Hradec, who had the castle altered in the Renaissance style.

Pardubice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the river Elbe, 96 kilometres east of Prague. The city is well known for its sport events (Great Pardubice Steeplechase, Golden Helmet of Pardubice, Czech Open), ginger bread, rail and air transport. Pardubice is dominated by the Green Gate with remains of the town’s fortifications. The Chateau, which has been reconstructed, is located nearby. The town itself has many historical buildings including Kamenna vila (Stone Villa), Crematorium, Dum U Bileho konicka (House at the White Horse) and many others.

Jihlava is a city in the Czech Republic and a centre of the Vysočina Region, situated on the Jihlava river. Local landmarks are the early Gothic churches of St. Jacob, Friars Minor church of Our Lady and Dominican church of Holy Cross, the Baroque church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Municipal Hall and a number of municipal houses containing Gothic and Renaissance details. There is also a Jewish cemetery, containing some remarkable monuments including the tombstone of the parents of Gustav Mahler.