Telč | The unique Italian Renaissance in Moravia

With a big square and lovely buildings, the city of Telč definitely fits the list of small but impressive towns in Czechia. If you check top destinations in the country you will find many other places but probably not Telč. What a big mistake.

The town has an amazing history, a great square, a castle and a tower with a view for perfect pictures of the city and the surroundings.

Here is what to do in a day in Telč:

Town Square (Náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce)

The city town square will be the highlight of your day trip. No exaggeration, the square has a unique charm as it is surrounded by extraordinary houses. Exactly the Zacharias of Hradec Square puts the city on the map. One after the other, the houses, painted in vivid colors create a beautiful picture making Telč one of the most beautiful cities in Czechia.

To be honest, Zacharias of Hradec is more of a triangle rather than a square, or even a long street, and it is definitely one of the longest squares we have ever seen. All the houses around are built in Renaissance style, however, some of them stand out with Baroque elements. On the square, you will find many places for dining or a coffee.

Telč castle (Zámek Telč)

Another major landmark is the castle, situated at one of the ends of the main square. Unfortunately, during our visit, the castle was under construction, so we were able to explore it only from the outside. Originally built in the 14th century, the castle didn’t look like it does now. For the style of the reconstruction, Zacharias of Hradec got inspired during one of his many visits to Italy, and with the help of a couple of Italian artists in the 16th century, he rebuilt it in the Renaissance style.

After the fire that destroyed the city, Zaharias decided to rebuild all the houses and make them similar to the style of the castle.

The castle park

Around the castle, you will find a well-maintained green park perfect for a nice walk. As the park goes around the bank of the Telč river, it makes it a perfect place to enjoy the view of the castle from the other side of the river. From that point, you can easily take a picture of the castle or the next by church st. Jakuba. The green fields and easy paths make the park a perfect place for a picnic or deserved break after a day of city tourism.

Church Saint Jakuba and the tower

While visiting Telč I guess we forgot our luck somewhere on the road. After we got to know we could not enter the castle, on our way to the next tourist stop- the church, we realized it was too late and the church was already closed.

Oh well... On the bright side, we reached the top of the bell tower, so we enjoyed the stunning views of the city from up. To reach the top, we had to climb around 250 stairs, but somehow we did not feel the effort of them.

One town three lakes

The town is surrounded by three beautiful lakes. Ulicky pond and Stepnicky ponds are the more central ones, squeezing Telč in the middle of them. I am a huge fan of water around cities as they create the perfect reflections, which makes them great for good shots.