The royal town of Čáslav, known as the gateway to the Iron Mountains, was founded in the middle of the 13th century. century Přemysl Otakar II. It is thus one of the oldest Czech towns, which thanks to the preserved belt of town fortifications with 15 bastions and the Gothic Otakar Tower, tells a medieval story to every visitor. The dominant feature of Čáslav is the Church of St. Peter and Paul with its 88.5 metre high tower and unique Romanesque presbytery. Believe me, you can see the church tower from afar and you can see it from afar.
Come with us to the city with its well-preserved city fortifications, the remains of the city walls, of which Otakar’s Bastion or Žižkov Gate have been preserved. This town is closely connected with Jan Žižka of Trocnov. The 20,000 m² square bears his name and is one of the largest in the Czech Republic. There is a monument to Jan Žižka by Josef Václav Myslbek in the park near the square. Čáslav switched to the Hussite side in 1421 and even the famous Čáslav Diet was held there. The remains of Jan Žižka were found in a walled niche of the church and his skull can now be seen in the Žižka Hall of the Čáslav Town Hall.
The oldest monument is the Church of St. Michael, which was probably built as early as 1130, before Čáslav was declared a royal town. Today the little church is part of the Gothic church of St. Peter and Paul. In our conditions it is a unique merger of a Romanesque presbytery and a Gothic church. You should not miss a visit to the synagogue in Masaryk Street no. 111, which is an important cultural monument not only of Čáslav but of the whole Czech Republic. It is one of the only two preserved synagogues of the architect Wilhelm Stiassny in our territory.
An important architectural building and a place full of culture is the Dusík Theatre. It is one of the oldest theatre buildings in Bohemia, having been opened as early as 1869, making it even older than the National Theatre in Prague. Today, the theatre is an attraction not only for lovers of theatre and fine arts, but also for admirers of beautiful architecture. The unique historical building is complemented by a modern extension, which won the architectural competition of the Club for Old Prague Award in 2015. The Dusík Theatre has been a national cultural monument since 1993.
If you haven’t tired of exploring the architecture and sights yet. So don’t forget that you can take a walk to the First Republic spa, which offers great swimming in summer, or go to the birthplace of director Miloš Forman, which has been decorated since 2021 with a bust of the filmmaker by artist Jan Padyšák.
In addition to historical monuments, however, Čáslav is a frequent destination for lovers of agricultural machinery thanks to the Museum of Agricultural Technology, which can be found 2 kilometres from the town centre.