Near the Austrian border, the town of Český Krumlov grew up around a medieval fortress built on a strategic crossing of the Vltava river. Indeed, Český Krumlov Castle is the second largest in the Czech Republic, second only to Prague castle. We’ll explore the baroque fortress, perched on the cliff side above the Vltava, before descending to the Medieval town. Nestled in a bend in the river, the town center has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1992. We’ll see several Churches, houses and monuments in a unique blend of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, or check out the museum devoted to local expressionist painter Egon Shiele. We might even find out why they named it “Český” (Bohemian) Krumlov – were they worried you might think it’s in Germany?