Beskydy Mountains – Moravian Wallachia

The Beskydy Mountains extend into several regions. This wonderful landscape is formed of high hills carpeted with mixed forest, large areas of alpine meadowland, deep-cut valleys and zigzagging mountain brooks. The way of life in these mountainous parts has had a huge influence on local customs and architecture.

Typical for the Wallach Region are hillsides of timber cottages, a peculiar dialect folk costumes and specialities such as the famous frgály, large tarts made with wheat flour and filled with farmer’s cheese, poppy seeds, jam or plum preserve. Not only do people head for the Beskydy for their exquisite natural beauty, but also for the wide choice of winter and summer outdoor activities available here. Popular resorts include Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, Lysá hora, Soláň and Horní/Dolní Bečva. There are also many interesting places in the foothills such as Kopřivnice and its Tatra Museum, the Hat Museum in Nový Jičín and massive Hukvaldy Castle.

Nový Jičín – The town’s historical core is centred around an arcaded square and represents one of the best examples of medieval town planning in the Czech Republic. At Renaissance Žerotín Chateau you’ll discover the Nový Jičín District Museum with a permanent exhibition on the history and production of hats and other assorted headgear.

Štramberk– The historical town centre with its Wallachian timber cottages dating from the 18th and 19th centuries has often been dubbed the Moravian Bethlehem. The town is dominated by the ruins of Štramberk Castle boasting a 40m-high round tower called the Trúba, now a viewing tower. back in the town the museum dedicated to painter and illustrator Zdeněk Burian, the Aqua Terra mini-zoo, the Museum of Old Prints and Folk Potteryand the Panoptikum, acquainting visitors with well known personalities to have hailed from these parts, are all well worth a visit.

Sigmund Freud Museum in Příbor – Two permanent exhibitions housed within the former Piarist school offer an insight into the town’s history and examine the life of Příbor’s most famous son, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis.

Hukvaldy Castle –The tower at these extensive medieval castle ruins affords views as far as the so-called Moravian Gateway, plains along the River Odra, Ostrava and the main peaks of the Beskydy Mountains. The castle is the venue for the annual Janáček’s Hukvaldy music festival.

Mill in Kozlovice – Following renovation this 16th-century watermill with its 250m-long mill race and working mill wheel has been converted into a restaurant and guesthouse. There’s also a small museum containing mill tools and a period exhibition reminding visitors of their grandmothers’ kitchens.

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