Kouřim

The Town Ramparts

The first trace of the town of Kouřim is connected with the town ramparts, which were admired by the other towns and cities already in mid-13th century. By that time they were far from being finished. Later on double ramparts were created. They comprised bastions, a ditch, mounds and four town gates – Prague, Kolín, Oleška and Malotice. Only one town gate has been preserved till today – the Prague Town Gate. It was among the most important town gates and nowadays it is one of the best preserved buildings of its kind in Central Europe . You can easily learn about the town history by following the educational trail “the Medieval fortification in the town of Kouřim”. It goes along the town ramparts and is equipped with modern information boards. After an exhausting walk you can take a rest in the „Na Hradbách“ park, which boasts many rare tree species.

Saint Stephen Church

Another interesting feature of Kouřim are the bells in the Saint Stephen Church. They are called Stephen and Mary and they are famous for being hung upside down. The Kouřim chime when pedals are operated. Stephen and Mary are the last two out of five original bells. The Saint Stefan Church also shelters one unique European object – a Gothic painting representing the Martyrdom of Saint Catherine painted on a unique octagonal vault, which probably dates back to the 13th century. The Kouřim church is open only once per week – on Saturday.

Other Places of Interest

For more information about the town of Kouřim, go and see the Kouřim Region Museum, which contains many archaelogical findings. The museum is located in the historical building of the town hall from the 14th century. Kouřim is also special because it is the geographical center of Europe, which was measured there in 1995 and is going to be declared a boundary mark in the future.

The Museum of Rustic Constructions

Another tourist destination in Kouřim is the local open-air folk museum – The Museum of Rustic Constructions. The origins of the Kouřim Museum of Rustic Constructions is connected with the construction of the Želivka river dam. Many historic houses were to be buried under the water so some of them were chosen to be transported to a meadow close to Kouřim. The open-air folk museum was made accessible to public for the first time in 1976. It owned the first five constructions back then. The museum was so popular that it was growing bigger and bigger and today it comprises rustic architecture from almost all of the Czech Republic. The oldest buildings come from the first half of the 18th century and the newest from mid-20th century.

GPS: 50.0025535049, 14.9763393402  Edit

Altitude: 273 m  Edit

Foundation (year): 700  Edit

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