Nizbor glassworks - Terezin Concentration Camp - Melnik

Route: Prague - Nizbor glassworks - Terezin Concentration Camp - Melnik - Prague
Duration: 8 h
Firstly we will visit to Nizbor's glassworks which was established in 1846. The factory Rückl proudly moves traditional Czech glassmaking craft to a new level. Rückl combines the noble beauty of mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal with unique designs and perfect details. During guided tour of the Rückl glassworks,  you may witness all the individual steps and traditional techniques of the glass-manufacturing process. Each stage of crystal production is explained and shown, including the art of mouth-blowing, delicate processes of the quality control, incredible craftsmanship of glass cutting and the painter‘s studio. Next we will visit to Terezin Fortress which was constructed  in 1790. The fortress and later the attached town was named Theresienstadt after mother of the Habsburg emperor Joseph II, Empress Maria Theresa. The fortress was  intended to protect Bohemia against Prussian troops during Austria-Prussia war, but it was never attacked and remained untouched. Later the fortress served as a prison and during WWI as a political prison camp. In 1940 came with an idea to transform Terezin to a ghetto and concentration camp. Although Terezin was not an extermination camp (it served as a way-station for other concentration camps) such as those in Poland, the camp was so overcrowded, and conditions for living were so poor that thousands of people died here anyway because of diseases, infections, hard work in combination with starving and overall because of terrible hygiene situation. Next we will visit to Melnik which is the place where 23 Czech queens and princesses have lived. The Renaissance chateau in Mělník, together with the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, rises above the confluence of the rivers Labe (Elbe) and Vltava. The original royal chateau named Pšov was built on a vineyard  and it is one of the most important historical symbols of Bohemia for more than ten centuries. From the chateau’s terrace and restaurant you will enjoy magnificentviews of the confluence of the Labe and Vltava rivers, the majestic Rip Mountain, the volcanic peaks of the Central Bohemian Uplands and the St. Ludmila Vineyard. Also in the Melnik castle are extensive historical cellars of more than 1,500 m2 are situated on three floors beneath the Mělník Chateau, the foundations of which were built by Charles IV. The largest and most modern of them was built in the 1930s under the chateau courtyard. The chateau cellars have always been associated with the production of wine. It was a tradition that the baby got a new wooden barrel when a new Lobkowicz was born, and the barrel was filled with wine a year before their 18th birthday to have plenty of good drink when celebrating their birthday. The best known wine from Mělník, Ludmila in its distinctive bottle, is named for St. Ludmila. A tour of the chateau presents the rich collections of paintings and furniture of the Lobkowicz family, which owns the chateau today. In the Great Hall of the chateau you can admire part of an outstanding collection of vedutas and maps of European countries and cities from the 17th century, which are a testament to the excellent skill of cartographers, graphic artists and printers of that period. A comparable group of maps can be found only in the collection of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Near the chateau, in the crypt of the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, you can visit to Melník Chapel of Bones which is related to the cemetery that had once surrounded the Church of St. Peter and Paul, and bones were being put there since the 1530s. The crypt contains the remains of about 15,000 people. It is under the chancel of the church. After we return to Prague.
Price: per person