| VALACHIA |
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The
Northeast part of the Czech Republic is formed from the picturesque Moravskyslezsky Beskydy mountains and
the Vsetin peaks. The region of Valachia gets its name from the shepherds - Valachs - who
settled in the 12th century. |
| With the joining of the mountain shepherds and the
farmers,
who settled in the valleys and mountains of this region, came some exceptionally charming
national traditions, and started the establishment of the impressive traditional
architecture in the form of wooden buildings, which even now are a part of the strong
folklore tradition. |
| NATURE |
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There are many large
forests here which are predominantly made up of spruces, and there are also many rare
flowers to be found. It was announced in 1973 that this area would become a national park
under the care of the Czech equivalent of the National Trust. This area is 1166m
squared,
and is the largest national park in the Czech Republik. |
The most popular mountain peak is that of the symbolic Radhost (1129m a.s.l.) and the most
visited peak is Pustevny (1018m a.s.l.). The Beskydy mountain range is dominated by Lysa
Hora (1324m a.s.l.).
The picturesque views from Solan (861m a.s.l.) are outstanding. From
the mountain ridges you can experience the beautiful views of the region, and when the
weather is nice it is possible to see as far as the Mala Fatra mountains in
Slovakia.
The climatic conditions here give rise to an average yearly temperature of 9 degrees
centigrade, with hot sunny summers, long autumns and winters full of snow, especially on
top of the mountains. |
| SIGHTS |
 |
In Valachia there
are many interesting cultural sights, which have to be visited and should never be
disregarded.
In Roznov pod Radhostem is the Skanzen museum which is full of wooden buildings from ages
past. This natural cultural sight is visited by the same number of people who visit
Prague’s famous castle each year. The museum was established under the concept of a
”Living Museum” and it is possible to see the traditional ways of life along with the
technical working tools, trades and know how of our past. |
Some of the other important
sights that can be seen are the historic city house in Valasske Mezirici, the castle in
Vsetin and the remains of the castle in the city of Stamberk, which houses the jaw bone of
the world famous Neanderthal caveman who they call Sipka. In the province of the castle
ruins at Hukvaldy is a village where the author Leos Janacek was born. In Hodslavice is a
wooden church that was built in 1551 and is the oldest wooden building in the Czech
Republic. The writer Frantisek Palacky was born here.
|
| CULTURE |
 |
The beauty of the Beskydys and
Valachia has inspired many poets, writers, artists and composers. In the local galleries
you can see many old works of art as well as many new works of art by our present day
painters, sculptors and photographers. In the many churches and concert venues it is
possible to see many concerts by artists who are performing traditional classical music
and modern popular music. |
|
Something that cannot be thought of without thinking of Valachia is folklore. All year
round you can see and hear traditional dancing and music in the open air museum in
Roznov,
which has a very eventful yearly programme. |
| SPORT |
 |
There are a wide
range of winter and summer sports that take place in Valachia. If you like to walk there
are 800km of mapped tourist walks throughout the slopes and cliffs of the
mountains. In
the cities, valleys and surrounding areas it is possible to participate in every kind of
summer sport, including swimming, tennis, cycling, horse riding, hand gliding and para
gliding. |
| In the region you can expect to find 22
winter sport centres with many facilities. There are 2 chair lifts and 126 tow
lifts, 91
downhill slopes (total distance 47km) and 55 cross country runs (total distance 653km). In
the winter stadium it is possible to ice skate or play ice hockey. |
| ACCOMMODATION |
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In the region of Valachia there
are over 350 forms of accommodation (with over 13000 beds in total) of every standard to
suit everyone’s needs. In the summertime visitors can expect to find 10 campsites and
caravan parks, some of which are of European standard. Besides this other people may prefer to find private houses or village farms
and farmsteads. You could even stay at the popular tourist farms. |
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