Recently I found myself in the Czech Republic, in one of the truly great cities I have ever visited–Cesky Krumlov.
What an amazingly beautiful city, like something straight out of a movie. And in fact, that’s exactly why we came here, even if the movie that Cesky Krumlov is famous for is not one that most people would expect. It was here, in this idyllic village, that Eli Roth set his controversial torture horror movies, Hostel and Hostel 2. For those of you who are fans of the movie (and for those of you who aren’t), here’s a gallery of photos so that you can experience this amazing village too.
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- We arrived at Cesky Krumlov at night. Even without its horror movie history, it would be a spooky place.
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- The great citadel that watches over the town was originally built to defend against the Ottoman Turks.
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- It dominates the town, and you see it everywhere.
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- Cesky Krumlov is never crowded, but at night it is completely deserted.
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- That’s the Museum Tortury across the way. Yes, the Torture Museum does exist.
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- Some rare fellow travelers.
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- Yeah, I can see how Roth could have been inspired by this place.
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- The next day we awoke to a beautiful, yet still mostly deserted, village.
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- The best way to see the city is to climb up into the citadel itself, which offers breathtaking views of the village below.
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- Talk about a place out of a postcard.
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- Time to brag.
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- It was still late winter, and the tourists were nowhere to be seen in Cesky Krumlov.
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- This old grain silo has been converted into a hotel.
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- Many of the buildings seemed to be abandoned, adding to the place’s haunted charm.
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- Look familiar? It’s not actually a hostel, but rather an old monastery.
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- Don’t climb the fence, or you might get impaled. Effective.
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- So I had to visit the Museum Tortury.
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- And it was cool.
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- And disturbing.
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- Most of the restaurants are actually underground. This one is in the old city catacombs.
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- It’s dark, and lit mostly with candles. Great steak though.
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- Yet another underground restaurant. Some of the best meat I have ever had.
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- This wax model restaurant patron was perhaps the most disturbing thing we saw.
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- Or maybe this replica of the letter sent to the Polish Foreign Ministry at the beginning of the Second World War. They are as obsessed about that conflict as we are in Eastern Europe.
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- Maybe if the folks in Hostel had seen this sign, they’d still be alive today . . . I have no idea what it says.
Honestly, I would recommend anyone visit Cesky Krumlov. It is a beautiful city, one that is not overrun with tourists. The people are incredibly nice and helpful, the food is fantastic and cheap, and the setting relaxing and inspiring all at once. I will be going back.
Beware The Shadows 
Cool post! Looks like an awesome trip off the beaten path. And what do ya know you made it out alive! Touché!
Is the monastery the building that was used for the hostel itself?
My understanding from the locals is that it was used for some of the exterior shots. Here’s a link from a Hostel fanatic who really went full-bore into locating a lot of the site locations and comparing production photos. Interesting stuff.
http://iprefertousemyhands.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/hostel-is-best-thing-to-ever-have-been.html
wonderful photos.especially as im a fan of the films….bet it was fantastic to visit.stunning.
6 years later… Things have changed. Bahahahaha.
Oh yeah? Is it covered up with people now?