Loket, a small town with a little over 3,000 inhabitants is a place to recharge. In fact, when you cross the bridge across River Ohre into Loket, you will also understand what it means to be cut off from the mainland. For all practical reasons, Loket is well connected to the rest of Czech Republic, but let’s take a romantic view here and go back to the 13th century when it must have felt like that.
Ohre River surrounds Loket on three sides and of course some dense vegetation beyond, so you get the drift. (In English, Loket translates to Elbow)
There is no right time to visit Loket because it is charming at any given time of the year but in reality, the castle dominating Loket is the chief attraction for visitors on the hunt for Czech Republic’s most impregnable castle.
That and beer.
No matter what season you visit, the first time you set your eyes on the forbidding castle, you get the feeling that time has stood still. Loket is Czech Republic’s best-kept secret for here you will rarely see busloads of tourists with selfie-sticks crawling the cobble-stoned town centre which, as a whole is a National Monument.
Where time stands still…
With only a bridge and a small bit of land to connect it to the mainland, Loket has been preserved from most modern development, which in my opinion makes it even more attractive. The quiet, narrow, winding cobbled streets, and small squares gives the feeling of being in another world and the place is utterly charming no matter the season. And with little to no traffic, walking around is truly a breath of fresh air.
However, a word of warning – the town centre looks like a giant car park and you might find yourself weaving in and of narrow spaces between parked cars or walking through the centre.
Loket Castle
Famous as the Impregnable Castle of Bohemia, thanks to its thick stone walls that the enemies couldn’t push through, this 12th century Gothic castle is interesting in a peculiar way. It is also one of the oldest and most historical stone castles in the country. Nowadays it is divided into nine different sections which have many medieval artifacts on display. The castle and dungeons, including prison cells and the torture chamber are open for public exploration and the castle museum provides a lovely view of the town square and its surroundings.
What to watch out for at the Loket Castle
I made my way up the cobblestones to the entrance, which involved a grueling 60-second uphill walk, more if you stop by to admire the views but it is totally worth the strain. As I walked through the entrance, I had mixed feelings about what I was going to find inside it. It did look spooky alright, spooky and cold. And was I right!
Locked up in LoketWhen Charles IV was 3 years old, his own father, King Jan of Luxembourg, locked him up in Loket Castle and kept him in the basement prison for months. |
Attractions: Pardon my macabre fascination for the torture chamber in the dungeon for I am going to mention it first (before the 15th century frescoes, Romanesque toilet and the tower), because that is where I went first. I can sum up the dungeon visit as a multi-media experience complete with every medieval torture device you cannot think of, moaning, groaning and tortured sound effects, figures with agonized expressions and plaques with gruesome descriptions. After I point, I wished for sunlight. I also wished the sounds would stop. But in all honesty, if you paid close attention to the torture-sounds they it is repetitive and soon enough you learn to dissociate it from your thoughts.
I continued the exploration of the castle diligently. As if that the torture chamber was not enough, I chanced upon a meteorite. The locals call it the Cursed Meteorite of Loket and no, I did not make that up. In fact, this is the oldest meteorite is the oldest documented meteorite in the world and was discovered in the 14th century. Many legends are attached to the meteorite too. Apparently in the past several strong men tried to budge the 100kg mass and failed while a weaker man could easily pick it up. There is another one that claims that alchemists tried to melt it so they could study it closely, but could not. The Loket Meteorite has vanished on at least two occasions, but always returned to the castle grounds. The Swedes wanted to steal it during the Thirty Years War, but the locals threw it down the well to hide it. Now it’s on display behind glass.
The original meteorite is said to have been shaped like the head of a horse but over the years, parts of it were chipped and sent to difference universities and labs around the world for analysis. No good came of it, but it agitated the German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe so much that he said chipping the meteorite was like cutting a child in half. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, let it be known, spent considerable time in this small town.
I march undeterred from one interesting side of the castle to another, looking at a wedding hall, a Romanesque Rotunda, an exhibition of porcelain, a hall full of firearms before going up the tower for the crowning moment, but not before paying my respects to the Loket Dragon! Well, what do you know – this castle is the real thing, just as the story book says, dragons and torture chambers.
TG Masaryka Square (Town Centre)
So, here is the chance to become James Bond for a while. Just for your information, Loket stood in for Montenegro during the filming of Casino Royale. If you walked around the town, you will come upon the fountain where Daniel Craig parked his Aston Martin. Loket is too cute and scenic that is hard not to fall for its charm.
In this square is one of the oldest hotels in Europe known as the Bily Kun (White Horse Hotel), built in the 16th century. From here, you get romantic views of the castle, St. Wenceslas, the river and mountains in the distance. The place has so much history that it is hard to figure out where to start. In the Middle Ages, royal patrons stayed at the hotel. Charles IV, the last Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany who ruled in the 14th Century is said to have served as a prisoner in Loket Castle as a child, apparently loved to visit Loket despite that horrific memory. It is also where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the famous German poet, celebrated his 74th birthday.
We adjourned for lunch at Cisar Ferdinand Restaurant and Florian Family Brewery. Outside, on a yellow wall is the famous Richard Gere quote – ‘This is the best beer I’ve ever had.”
What is good for Richard Gere is good for the rest of the world, right?
We trooped into the restaurant suited the general appearance of Loket perfectly. It is a great place to wind own after the castle visit. Nothing like beer to get over the torture sounds ringing in your ears, right? Thanks to the in-house brewery that doesn’t mind experimenting with beer, we ended up sampling so many different varieties that it was hard to tell which we liked better. In addition to Grog Punsch and Horka Medovina (essentially, hot mead), they poured Svetly Lezak Helles Lager, Tmavy Lezak Dunkles Dark, Tmavy Uzeny Special Rauchbier (Smoked Beer) and their Rubinovy Special Rubin-Spezial Ruby Special.
While you are here…
Check out the Museum of Spa cups – it also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of spa cups.
Just so you know…Karlovy Vary is around the corner
If you want to skip the crowds that converge on Karlovy Vary for the film festival, head to its famous spas and thermal springs, a quick trip away, after the festivities. You can even walk the 17km trail to Karlovy Vary if the mood strikes you.
As the town is surrounded by water the river walks are long and lovely and the waterfront parks perfect for picnicking, playing, enjoying the sun, or for just chilling out and doing nothing.
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What a wonderful read! Sounds like a fairytale town alright 🙂