BohemianKrumlov.

The most complete surviving Baroque theatre in the world — built 1680–1682 and preserved essentially unaltered because the Schwarzenberg family stopped using it after 1766, locking it up with all its contents intact. Original 17th-century stage machinery (cloud machines, thunder drums, wave rollers, trapdoors), 13 original painted stage sets, 600 original Baroque costumes, and the original prompter's box and orchestra pit. Everything that was removed from other Baroque theatres in the name of modernisation is still here. Operational for rare special performances.

A dedicated museum for Egon Schiele — the Austrian Expressionist who was born in nearby Tulln and chose Český Krumlov as his retreat in 1911, painting the town obsessively from the hills above. He was arrested and imprisoned here for 24 days on charges of seducing a minor (almost certainly false) and producing pornographic art. The Centrum has a permanent collection of his work, his drawings of the town, and temporary exhibitions. The house also contains a printmaking workshop open to visitors.

The Vltava through Český Krumlov is Grade I–II (gentle, suitable for beginners) — a flat-water river with one small weir requiring a short portage. Rent a raft or canoe from the rental points on the Old Town waterfront and float the horseshoe bend, looking UP at the castle from the river. The perspective from the water — the castle directly above, the medieval town clinging to the riverbank, the forest closing in on both sides — is the most romantic view available and accessible for anyone. Return downstream takes 1–2 hours.

The castle gardens close at 19:00 but the Cloak Bridge (Plášťový most) — the dramatic three-storey arcade viaduct connecting the 4th and 5th castle courtyards above the valley — is accessible at dusk from the path below. The view from beneath the bridge: the stone arches stacked three levels high, the castle complex above, the forest valley below. In the evening, the tourist day-trippers have left and the town recovers a medieval quietness. Walk the lower town alleys after dark.

The Gothic Church of St. Vitus (1407–1439) rises above the eastern edge of the Old Town — a single nave Gothic hall church with 15th-century frescoes, the Rosenberg family tombs, and an 18th-century organ that is still used for concerts. Beside it, the Minorite Monastery (13th century) has a cloister garden that is almost always empty and open. The combination of the Gothic church, the cloister garden and the view back over the rooftops toward the castle is one of the quietest moments available in summer Český Krumlov.