Postcards from
Slavonice

 

Slavonice is another one of those UNESCO cultural heritage sites. Situated in Southern Moravia, close to the Austrian border, it was a wealthy town in the sixteenth century, but time then seemed to freeze, for what you see are two staggering beautiful square surrounded on all sides by houses built in the sixteenth century. We had got lost getting here. A road had been closed and there were no apparent diversion signs so we saw half of the Moravian countryside before getting here!! By this time the co-pilot was hungry so before the camera even had a chance to come out of it's case Stephany was firmly ensconced with menu in hand.

Town square :


Food inside her off we went to inspect the town : We are at the other end of the square in this picture

Detailing : Much of the detailing on the houses was exquisite. The use of intricately etched sgrafitto work was a joy to behold.

Another house: The inscriptions on the walls show that the art work was done in 1558


Just off the square: What new work there is has been blended to mix with the old. Here you have a mixture of early nineteenth and sixteenth century.


Back to the square:A riot of architectural flamboyance


 

Completely covered with decoration: With episodes taken from the bible.


Detail:


 

 

Interior of Lutheran prayer room: The prayer room house contained a lovely set of wall to wall frescos from 1559 depicting the last judgment . The frescos are surprisingly bright and clear considering they have never been renovated and somehow managed to survive the iconoclastic destruction meeted out during the religious wars of the 17th century.


By this time we had been traveling some days and needed our clothes cleaning: Here is Stephany trying to use the washing machine.