The picturesque town of Český Krumlov lies in the deep, meandering walley of the Vltava river, approximately 180 km south of Prague. In Latin documents it was called Crumlovia or Crumlovium. Construction of the town and castle began in the late 13th century at a ford in the Vltava River, which was important in trade routes in Bohemia. 
Between 1938 and 1945 it was annexed by Nazi Germany as part of the so-called Sudetenland. The town’s German-speaking population was expelled after liberation by the American Army during World War II and it was restored to Czechoslovakia. During the Communist era of Czechoslovakia, Krumlov fell into disrepair, but since the Velvet Revolution of 1989 much of the town’s former beauty has been restored, and it is now a major holiday destination popular with tourists from Germany, Austria, and beyond.
The importance of this unique town is underlined by the fact that it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1992. However, Český Krumlov is more than an exceptional complex of 300 historical buildings. The town also presents itself to visitors as a centre of culture, conventions and tourism.
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