ghost of nature.

libuše house - the main spa building in karlova studánka. karlova studánka  is a total insider tip. initially we had wanted to finally climb on top of the praděd, and asked a former czech co-worker of my dad where would be the best place to start if you wanted to visit the peak. he mentioned a small place called karlova studánka. as it turned out, the village is basically a spa resort, full of historic buildings to accommodate, entertain and most important of all, cure people.  the weather was quite awful when we arrived, it rained and was cold. i had my doubts whether we would be able to visit the highest mountain of the high ash mountain range, especially after i had read that we probably had to drive up there with a shuttle, but also because rain and bad weather means poor sights and maybe even snow storms ( and no shuttle service ). we looked after the parking spot from where the shuttle should start, and found one, but after asking a very grumpy guy in bad czec...

larischova villa - our hotel. krnov mainly grew economically through one trade: the textile industry. all over the city you can find proof of that past, big factory buildings still dominate the city and the owner's stately villas are also highly visible ( albeit crumbling away a bit, unfortunately ). krnov was very rich once upon a time, very evident when you look at the architecture throughout the city, where abundant decor adorns many townhouses and churches seem to be equipped with lots of treasures. the heyday of krnov's textile industry took place at the end of the 19th century ( though the existence of the trade dates back to medieval times ) and lasted until 1930 when many companies had to declare bankruptcy because of the great depression worldwide. through the second world war the city's landscape got changed irreparably as well, not only because of bombings but also because of the subsequent occupation by the soviet troups. many germans and austrians ( who ...