The Czech Republic lies in the very heart of Europe. It encompasses several ‘crown lands’ of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire – Moravia, Silesia, Slovakia, and, most importantly, Bohemia. Bohemia is easy to find on the European map – it looks like a quadrilateral standing on one corner, with mountain ranges clearly marking each side. Along the South-West lies the Boehmerwald, the famous ‘Bohemian Woods’, marking the border with Bavaria.

The Bohemian Woods are primeval and steeped in romantic legend. Apart from one railway and one road, they have never been penetrated by man. They create the backdrop for Schiller’s ‘The Robbers’, a play about disinherited noblemen turned robber (not unlike the Robin Hood legend) and Weber’s supernatural opera ‘Der Freischuetz’. Somewhere between the rocks and the woods in the South-West lies the source of the Vltava. Read the rest of this entry »