It was the fatal year of 1914 when Franz Ferdinand d'Este left his summer house in Chlum u Třeboně, and headed with his wife Sophie, to Sarajevo. It also was here, a few days later, their three children learnt they had become orphans. Chlum u Třeboně can offer not just a rich trip into history, located in South Bohemia, near the Austrian border with a flat landscape filled with ponds, it offers a beautiful summer vacation.
Castle Chlum u Trebone with the hunting statue
Franz Ferdinand was also a passionate hunter. There are thousands of trophies in his castle Konopiště
Castle park
The origin of Chlum is dates back to the 13th century. Among the owners of the manor Chlum were the families of Rosenbergs, Lobkowicz and Slavata. The town went through several ups and downs during its existence. Historically is Chlum is connected with mining of iron ore until the depletion of the resources between 19th – 20th century. Closing the industry also brought a sudden decrease in the population. At the beginning of the 20th century started the production of lead crystal glass but even that ended at the beginning of the millennium.
Franz Ferdinand was an enthusiastic lover of nature. In his manor in Konopiště, he employed an English gardener and together they worked on bringing different flowers and unusual trees. He also made several changes to his summer house in Chlum. One of the rare trees to be seen here is Liriodendron tulipifera also known as the Tulip tree.
Liriodendron tulipifera
The castle is currently not available to the public, nevertheless, if you would want to visit other historical sights, there are two good ones in the neighborhood. These are the castle in Třeboň (18km) or the castle in Jindřichův Hradec (30km).
The beginning of tourism probably began after WWI, when the elite of those days began visiting the area and staying there for vacations.
Tourism remains the current revenue earner of the place. Chlum is well located in South Bohemia, not far from the town of Třeboň and is even closer to the nearest Austrian town of Litschau.
The town offers several forms of accommodation from camps, cottages to private accommodations or pensions and hotels in the towns close by.
In case you don´t wish to bring your own bicycle, there is always the possibility to borrow one for at an affordable EUR 10 for the entire day or even an electro bicycle at approximately EUR 20 with range of 100km. There also is the possibility to borrow one for a shorter duration
Local forests offer a quiet escape from busy life and while you wander through you can also collect mushrooms or unusually large quantities of blueberries. The woods are flush with them.
Chlum u Třeboně offers a comfortable connections by bus and train from Prague with a stopover in Třeboň or Jindřichův Hradec.
The pond Hejtman
The entire area is filled with deep forests and ponds. All within a short distance. One of the larger pond is in the center of Chlum named Hejtman and offers great conditions not just for fishing, but also recreational holidays in one of the camps. The place also offers great facilities for bicycling – flat roads right upto the horizon have paths for cycling.
In case you are still wondering where to go for holiday this summer, you can consider Chlum u Třeboně with is sure to enchant you.
The entire place is adapted for comfortable bicycle rides
Photos: Martina Advaney, Shutterstock
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