Lanškroun/Landskron, Czech Republic
Helpful Information
Sabine and Ed’s European Cell Phone Number
011 151 657 64273
Language
The residents speak Czech which is a Slavic language, not closely related to English. Many younger people are taking English in school.
Lanškroun Tourist Center
Address: B. Němcové 124. (Off of town hall square)
Hours: weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm; weekends from 8 am to 12 pm.
Services: free maps and flyers; maps, postcards, tourist cards and other souvenirs, for sale. Also, 2017 Lanškroun calendars; coloring books with city motifs and playing game cards (Černý Petr) with the historical personalities of Lanškroun.
There is generally someone who speaks some English.
https://www.lanskroun.eu/infocentrum/os-1476/p1=2982
Currency
The currency is the Koruna or Czech crown. Depending on the exchange rate, each crown is worth between 4 and 5 cents. Although some tourist joints in Prague take dollars or Euros, you cannot use them in Lanškroun. Here is a currency converter
http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=USD&to=CZK&amount=1
Credit and debit card use
Credit card and debit card use is not as extensive in Lanškroun as it is in America. Be sure to have cash available.
ATMs
There are at least three on the town hall square of Lanŝkroun and they are accessible 24 hours.
Hotels
We are staying in two privately-owned small hotels in downtown Lanškroun.
Penzion Martina
http://martina.lanskrounsko.cz/english/index.html
Penzion Jakub
http://www.penzionjakub.cz/penzion/
Sabine and I have stayed at both of them and found them clean and well-run. The breakfasts, which come with the room rental, are excellent and filling.
The Kopa Festival
We are staying in Lanškroun the weekend of the Kopa which is a town exercise and music festival. The performance stage is in the town hall square and there are performances all day Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, there are organized hikes and bike trips around the area. Food, beer and trinkets are all for sale in booths and tents in the town hall square.
http://www.kctlanskroun.cz/lanskrounska-kopa/
Dining tips and Restaurants
Please be aware that the restaurants in Lanškroun are family-run, with limited staff. They expect you to order promptly and not request substitutions. The Czech Republic is not a “Have it your way” country. Separate checks can be an issue. Do not expect water to be automatically served nor to have ice in your beverages.
Here is a helpful restaurant list: https://www.lanskroun.eu/restaurace%2Da%2Dhospody/os-1065/p1=2975
We recommend:
Papaguy
U Pastyre
Other choices:
Gourmet Lounge (open Sunday)
https://www.facebook.com/Gourmet-Lounge-192008934304158/?fref=ts
Koupák Restaurace Koupaliště (open Sunday)
https://www.facebook.com/obsluha.restauracekoupaliste
Zájezdní Hostinec Krčma
This historic place is a must-visit for beer, but multiple dining experiences have been problematic.
Country Steak
Located in the nearby village of Albrechtice (formerly Olbersdorf), is also good. It has an English language website and is open Sunday.
https://www.countrysteak.cz/en/
Penzion Jakub Cafe
Located in one of our hotels and has a fine café (open Sunday)
http://www.penzionjakub.cz/kavarna/
Menus
A few places had English menus, but otherwise you will need to check your guidebook or a website.
Shopping
Choices are very limited. Buy your fine Czech glass in Prague
If you are looking for Lanškroun trinkets, you can buy prints, photobooks, commemorative plates, beer mugs or a “I love Lanškroun” tote bag and T-shirt.
Store hours
Store hours vary widely. Be aware that smaller businesses close over the lunch hour.
City of Lanškroun website
https://www.lanskroun.eu/en/vismo/dokumenty2.asp?id_org=101446&id=1001&n=history-of-the-town&p1=68
Many pages are in English. Of note is the history of the town and area.
Electricity
The Czechs use 220 volts so you will need a convertor to use an American device. Additionally, the electric sockets are different so you will need an adapter. If you plan on taking American electronic device along, you should purchase a convertor/adapter
Tipping
Round up the bill 5 to 10 %.
Telephones
Czech telephones use a different technology than American telephone. (Think VHS vs Beta). So your telephone may not work to make calls. It all depends on the Sim card. Check with you own provider.
Telling time
The Czechs use a 24 hour clock. So 2:00 pm in the afternoon is 14.00 hours for them.
Taxis
There is taxi service available. The phone numbers are 602 187 137 and 720 554 143. The house numbers are not sequential and so the cab driver may need to ask for directions if searching for a particular house number.
Bicycle rental
Bike rental is available at ACTIVE Bike, T. G. Masaryka 17.
The metric system is used in the Czech Republic
So you will see meters, kilograms and kilometers.
Be sensitive to the complicated history and politics of the area.
In the last one hundred years, Lanškroun was a city in the Austrian Empire, democratic Czechoslovakia, Germany (annexed as part of the Sudetenland), a smaller democratic Czechoslovakia, Communist Czechoslovakia, democratic Czechoslovakia and democratic Czech Republic.
The district of Landskron was a predominantly German district until the end of World War II. The following statement is from the Lanškroun website and summarizes the Czech version of what happened at the end of World War II:
“The period of separation of Lanškroun from Czechoslovakia ended on May 9, 1945, when the town was occupied by the Red Army troops. At the same time also partisan troops operating in its neighborhood entered the town. On May 17, 1945, the Czechoslovak army took the full control over the town. The bloodiest people’s trials over Nazi offenders – next to Prague - were held in Lanškroun in August 1945. Those who were sentenced were executed. The condemned people were shot to death by a firing squad at the west doorway of the town hall. Shooting was usual in the streets. After the evacuation of the Germans was completed on October 31, 1946, Lanškroun became an exclusively Czech town.”
The German version of events is different.
Because of this complicated history, some Czechs in the area will automatically assume that strangers are Germans who used to live in the town and villages. If you enter into discussions with any Czechs, you should emphasize that we are Americans and that we also lost relatives in the fight against Fascism in World War II. Based on our Ancestry.com DNA test, our father Francis Langer was one quarter Czech. It would be helpful to mention that as well.