Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
traditional communities. It left the new Roma generation prone
to sexual, alcohol, and drug abuse, and filled state-run orphan-
ages with deprived Roma toddlers. When the obligation and
right to work disappeared with the communist regimes in 1989,
rampant unemployment and dependence on welfare joined the
list of Roma afflictions.
As people all over Eastern Europe found it difficult to adjust
to the new economic realities, they again turned on the Roma as
scapegoats, fueling the latent racism that is so characteristic of
European history. Many Roma now live in segregated ghettos,
where even the most talented Roma children are forced to attend
schools for the mentally disabled. Those who make it against the
odds and succeed in mainstream society typically do so by turn-
ing their backs on their Roma heritage.
In this context, the Roma in Český Krumlov are a surpris-
ing success story. The well-integrated, proud Roma community
(numbering 1,000 strong, or 5 percent of the town's population)
is considered a curious anomaly even by experts. Their success
could be due to a number of factors: It could be the legacy of
the multicultural Rožmberks, or the fact that almost everyone in
Český Krumlov is a relative newcomer. Or maybe it's that local
youngsters, regardless of skin color, tend to resolve their differ-
ences over a beer in the “Gypsy Pub” (Cikánská Jizba, see page
197), with a trendy Roma band setting the tune.
While provincial politicians throughout the rest of Eastern
Europe become national leaders by moving Roma into ghettos,
Český Krumlov is living proof that Roma and
gadjos
can coexist
happily.
Near Český Krumlov
Zlatá Koruna Abbey
—Directly above the river at the end of a
three-hour float by raft or canoe (see “Activities,” next section),
this abbey was founded in the 13th century by the king to coun-
ter the growing influence of the Vítek family, the ancestors of the
mighty Rožmberks. As you enter the grounds, notice the central
linden tree, with its strange, cape-like leaves; it's said to have been
used by the anti-Catholic Hussites when they hanged the monks.
The short guided abbey tour takes you through the rare two-
storied Gothic Chapel of the Guardian Angel, the main church,
and the cloister. After the order was dissolved in 1785, the abbey
functioned shortly as a village school, before being turned into a
factory during the Industrial Revolution. Damage from this period
is visible on the cloister's crumbling arches. The abbey was restored
in the 1990s and opened to the public only a few years ago (85 Kč,
tours in Czech run every 45 minutes, Tue-Sun 9:00-15:15, until
