Plzeň

Home of Pilsner beer, with brewery cellars, St. Bartholomew's Cathedral and Europe's second-largest synagogue, plus Santini's Baroque monasteries and castles nearby.

Plzeň (Pilsen in German) is the Czech Republic's fourth-largest city and capital of the Plzeň Region, in western Bohemia about 90 km from Prague. In 1842 the world's first golden lager, Pilsner, was brewed here, making the city famous worldwide; it is also the birthplace of the Škoda works and was a European Capital of Culture in 2015. The highlight is the compact old town: a medieval grid of streets surrounds the vast Republic Square, at whose centre stands St. Bartholomew's Cathedral with the tallest church tower in the Czech Republic, surrounded by the Renaissance town hall, the Puppet Museum and the Franciscan monastery. Northeast of the square, the Brewery Museum and the Historical Underground can be visited together, while on the edge of the ring park to the southwest are Europe's second-largest synagogue and the West Bohemian Museum. About 15 minutes east across the river is the Pilsner Urquell Brewery, where tours end with a tasting of unfiltered beer straight from oak barrels in the underground cellars. The Patton Memorial, tours of Adolf Loos interiors, the Techmania Science Center and the zoo are worth an extra day. Road trips nearby: Plasy Monastery to the north and Kladruby Monastery to the west (both masterpieces of Santini's Baroque Gothic), Kozel hunting château and the ruins of Radyně Castle to the southeast, and Švihov water castle to the south. The best season is April–October; the Liberation Festival in early May and Pilsner Fest in early October are the liveliest times, and many castles outside the city close in winter. Getting there: about 1–1.5 hours by train from Prague; within the city, walking and trams are all you need. Plan on 1–2 days, easily combined with Prague and Karlovy Vary.

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