DAY 5 (AM): Stribro and Kladruby

Wednesday AM, 3 SEPTEMBER 2014 
[Tours to outside Praha: Stříbro and Kladruby in Czech Republic]

No proper guided tour on the fifth day - just driver David and myself with a moderately long drive from Praha to various Czech towns along the way and then across the German-Czech border to Nuremberg. Starting off at 8am we headed West (slightly South west to be precise) in the direction of Plzeň which is famous for brewing of the Pilsner beer. But I wasn't heading there, instead would bypass Plzeň and land in a couple of towns in the Plzeň region.

Stříbro

About 1 hour 45 mins later, we reached this ex silver mining town of 8,000 people with a town hall that really caught my eye, so just had to come here to see it. The air in this town was quite bad i.e. smoke-filled, pity the residents especially if it's a persistent situation. 

Town hall with Sgraffito facade.. Beauty!

I'm sure there were other places of interest there but satisfied with viewing the building, headed next to Kladruby, just 15 minutes away.

Skies were overcast....

Kladruby

This town (village rather) has even fewer people than my previous destination of the day ... with all of 1,500 residents! And the rationale for making this detour ... the Benediktinský klášter Kladruby (Kladruby Benedictine Monastery), with a fabulous church as I would find out later. 

The monastery was founded in 1144-45 and reached its peak in the 14th century, owning over 100 villages at the time! However, it was pillaged during the Hussite (war between Bohemia 'Protestants' and Catholics) and Thirty Years wars as well as falling on hard times financially. The monastery grounds houses the third largest church (Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary) in the Czech Republic. This church was rebuilt starting in 1653 and completed in the first third of the 18th century. It owes its current appearance to architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel, renown for his combining baroque and gothic elements in architecture - which makes the church unique indeed. Reconstruction of the entire monastery was fully completed in 1770 but 15 years later the monastic order was shut down and the premises used for secular purposes.

The monastery is also linked to a very respected/popular Czech saint, Saint John of Nepomuk. In the year 1393, there was a tussle between the then Archbishop of Praha and the king of Bohemia (Wenceslas IV) as to the choice of a new abbot for the Monastery at Kladruby. Saint John Nepomuk sided with the Archbishop. This angered the king and Saint John was tortured and ordered thrown off the Charles Bridge in Praha. Being a patron saint of bridges, you can find statues of Saint John on bridges throughout the country (including on Charles Bridge in Praha) and also on bridges in other central European countries. He is often depicted with a halo of five stars.

Now to pictures of the monastery and church, mostly the church. 

View of the church at Kladruby from a distance - note the high cupola on the central dome capped by a crown(?) or lantern(?) at the top

While walking on the monastery grounds, rainclouds again covered the sky, giving a gloomy feel, depending on your state of mind

Monastery is run down in many parts

I almost wanted to leave as soon as I saw the rather dilapidated state of some of the buildings. Fortunately, I decided to stay for the guided tour of the interiors. There were just 4 of us including the guide who spoke mostly in Czech (notes in English are provided).

 

Centuries old wooden carvings depicting biblical scenes

These carvings were soaked in bull's blood for long-term preservation

Beautiful rib vaulting, but you can see cracks

Combined Baroque-Gothic architectural styles

The main altar

Paintings are part of the walls (cracks can be seen everywhere)

Elaborate & ornate pulpit - reminder of the immense wealth the monastery once possessed

Beneath the dome. Gloomy day, else the sunshine would create an even more magical effect

One of the baroque type altars

Dining hall of the clergy

There is a tribute to St John Nepomuk in the monastery, but the guided tour did not include that section.

It was a rather overcast day. If the sun was out in full glory, the lighting effect in the church and especially on the beautiful ceilings would have been incredible. 

The monastery/church at Kladruby is still functional but they also have concerts and festivals here. Hopefully, more visitors discover the monastery and this gets noticed by government officials who may then prioritise funding for repairs. From my observations, urgent repairs are needed to some of the beautiful ceilings which showed cracks and visible watermarks (from leaky roofs). 

NEXT: To Nuremberg