A Day in Mělník
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| No town can be that quaint--can it? |
The town of Mělník (pronounced Myelneek) has been on my list of nearby places to visit for several months. Situated on a crest overlooking the confluence of the Vlatava and Labe (what Czechs call the Elbe) rivers, it boasts of a charming medieval historical center, a beautiful church and chateau, and stunning views. It's in the heart of Bohemia's wine growing country, so wine cellars and tastings abound. Also, with only 30,000 residents and a lot less buzz than other common day trip destinations, I hoped it would feel quiet and "undiscovered." (Spoiler: all were accurate.) So, after my flatmate proposed on Friday night that we finally make the trip, Saturday morning found us hopping a train for the 35 km northward journey. Unsurprisingly given its proximity to Prague, the trip to Mělník can be made in a variety of ways. There are numerous buses and trains which go there frequently, but the easiest for us was to hop the tram a few stops to Praha-Vršovice station and catch a train straight there. This was the train that awaited us:
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| Not exactly the Orient Express. |
However dinky (those two cars you see were the only cars), our train made the 75 minute journey to Mělník with no problems, passing through some beautiful countryside on the way.
The yellow fields are rapeseed farms. What's rapeseed, aside from a really, really horrible name? It's the plant that gives us canola oil. Thank God somebody on the marketing team changed that name before putting it on the shelves. And now you know...the rest of the story. Anyway, the Bohemian countryside is beautiful in spring, and a small train with the windows open and only a few other passengers seemed a pretty ideal way to see it.
After arriving at Mělník, we followed the signs to the historic town center, passing a rather lovely little duck and coypu pond on the way. (Follow me on Instagram to see a duckling video and other things that don't make it to the blog.) The walk is about 20 minutes, mainly uphill. It's never too steep, but it is at a steady grade, so if you're concerned, you should opt for a bus that drop folks off near the town center.
Appropriately enough, the sight that welcomed us to the historic center was Prague Gate.
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| This picture would be perfect for Faces in Things. |
Prague Gate was, for hundreds of years, one of two gates in and out of Mělník. The other gate has long since been destroyed, but Prague Gate still stands. Probably originally erected in the 1300s in a Gothic style, the gate got a major overhaul in 1536, when everything above the clock face was added and the whole place got a redesign in Renaissance style. Partially damaged by fires and general disuse over the years before a series of restorations, the gate tower now serves as a teashop/art gallery/observation tower. You can also check out the clock workings and the clock face from inside...
The very top floor has some chairs and cushions, all placed directly in front of the windows, so you can easily get views like this:
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| I mean, if that's your thing... |
Just a few meters inside the Prague Gate, you'll come to Náměstí Míru, which is the spacious town square, featuring a lovely fountain and a beautifully decorated Baroque town hall.
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| Not pictured: loads of tourists. A+ |
Just off the town square, perched right along the crest of the hill overlooking the river, are Mělník Chateau and The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. First, though, the river.
The picture above shows the Labe River flowing north into Germany towards the North Sea. In the lower one, on the left, you can see a canal joining in with the newly merged Vlatava and Labe. There is still a shipping port in Mělník, and it's easy to see why this exact spot would have been chosen for a settlement hundreds of years ago. It was rather lovely, in additional to being highly practical.
Standing just behind and to my left from where I took those pictures is Mělník Chateau. Originally, the site was used as the residence for the mothers and wives of kings of Bohemia, starting with St. Ludmilla, grandmother of St. Wenceslaus. It served this purpose from her time all the way until it was home to the wife of Jiří z Poděbrad, some 500 years later. It was abandoned for a while during the Thirty Years' War (which I'll get to eventually, once I understand it). In the 1500s, it, too, got a Renaissance makeover, and it's that look which dominates today. A massive fire destroyed much of the town in the late 1600s, so the chateau and the church are the two structures which predate that time period.
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| Chateau courtyard, with the church tower just behind. |
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| Notice the sgraffito on the plasterwork, creating the illusion of bricks. Very Czech Renaissance. |
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| More sgraffito, plus some lovely arches. |
The chateau itself is owned privately by the Lobkowicz noble family (who seem to be doing pretty well for themselves) and offers tours of some of the rooms, in addition to tours of the wine cellars and wine tastings, or, as the Czechs tend to call them, degustations. We skipped the tour in the interest of time, economy, and generally being sort of meh on the idea, but I think I may have to go back to see their apparently excellent collection of old maps. Plus, they have a (terribly overpriced) restaurant overlooking the river and a gift shop where you can buy the local wine.
Literally just across an alley from the chateau is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
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| I never got a get photo of the whole church, so please accept this stock photo. |
As with several of the old churches I've visited, this one was originally built in the Romanesque style (one tower still exists in that style), was given a Gothic makeover, and has a Baroque interior.
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| On the right, the simpler, older Romanesque tower. |
While the church is arguably best known for its massive bell tower, which dominates the city skyline (and which you can climb for a small fee--we skipped this part, too), it offers two other distinct experiences. Below the presbytery, there is an ossuary, smaller and less grand than the more famous Sedlec Ossuary; however, it's still quite a macabre sight. Photography is prohibited, so I didn't take any photos, but I'm sure you can Google some. All four walls are piled high with the bones of some 10-15,000 people, surrounding you as soon as you enter the chamber. Used for several centuries, and then blocked up for several more centuries, it was reopened and put in its current state in the early 1900s by a rather eccentric anthropologist and academic. On one bone wall, he used skulls to spell out the Latin inscription "Ecce mors" -- "behold death." The other three have similar patterns or sculptures of a cross, an anchor, and a heart, for the three Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love. The entrance fee is minimal (30 Kc), and while we were in the crypt, only two other people were with us. The loudspeaker message describing the interior and history of the ossuary alternates among several languages, including occasionally incorrect English. While Sedlec gets all the attention and has all the crazy sculptures, I think people who want to have a few minutes of quiet contemplation will find Mělník ossuary well worth a visit.
Moreover, the church above is much more impressive than the similar chapel at Sedlec.
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| If perhaps a bit over-accessorized. |
Generally, I'm all about Baroque and don't find it ostentatious at all. However, and maybe this was just a mood I was in, the interior of the church as a whole didn't really come together for me. Like Coco Chanel, I wanted to tell it to take at least one thing off. That said, the individual elements were each quite wonderful.
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| An altarpiece depicting the Jesus' body being taken down from the cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. |
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| The incredibly ornate pulpit. |
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| Pulpit detail: the Holy Spirit on the sounding board above. |
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| Pulpit detail: a plaque showing Jesus handing St. Peter the keys to Heaven. |
Mělník also has any number of small cafes, restaurants, and wine bars where you can sit and enjoy that alchemy that nice weather, beautiful surroundings, good company, and tasty food and drink can create. Though, if I'm honest, the wine was merely passable. The strudel, however, was delicious.
What I can't really show you, though it can be inferred from the pictures, is how calm and peaceful Mělník felt. We were not the only visitors, but it often felt as if there were only a dozen or so of us, though I know there were more. I kept noticing the same couples and groups as we went from place to place, and everyone seemed to be just relaxing and enjoying the day. We didn't see several of the main attractions in the town--including the local museum, wine cellars, and the tour of the catacombs beneath the town square (!), so I think I may just have to go back. Drat.
Okay, travel tips time!
Obviously, if you're just visiting Prague for a few days or so, there are better options for your one trip out of the city. However, if you're in Prague for a while and want a day trip somewhere full of history and natural beauty but that's quiet and away from the crowds--or if you want a wine country trip that's closer than Moravia--Mělník may be a good choice. Some things to consider:
- As I mentioned, the main train and bus stations are both down the hill from the town center. If you're concerned about mobility, however, the 369 bus goes from Ladvi Metro station in Prague to Mělník's Prague Gate in about 40 minutes.
- Since we live quite close to Praha-Vršovice, we took the train from there. Many trains leaving Prague stop at multiple Praha stations, not just the big ones downtown. Always check to see if there's a local train station that might be cheaper/faster/more efficient.
- Back to the topic of mobility: since it's not as well known and developed as some other places, there are parts of Mělník that just aren't that accessible. For example, you get into the ossuary by means of a small, fairly steep wooden staircase, and the various levels of the Prague Gate tower are connected by even smaller, steeper ones. Most websites will make it clear if a place is wheelchair accessible or not, but one person's accessible is another person's inaccessible, so a Google or a phone call may be in order.
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