Trebon, Telc,and Trebic - Prague and the Czech Republic - page 205

double nave (and obtrusive col-
umns down the middle) is worth
a look if open during your visit. A
highlight is its delicately cur ved
statue of the Madonna and Child
(c. 1390, painted limestone). Its
Ivory Soap sweetness and a slinky
S-shaped body are typical of late
“beautiful style” Gothic. The artist,
while anonymous, is known as the
“Master of the Třeboň Madonna.”
The church once showcased more
marvelous Gothic sculptures and altars, but these were deemed
too valuable, so they were zipped of to the Museum of Medieval
Art in Prague's St. Agnes Convent (see page 60). Frescoes in the
adjoining cloister, badly neglected until after 1989, show scenes
from the life of St. Augustine. While the monastery library is long
gone, Augustinians were some of the most ardent medieval copy-
ists in the time before Gutenberg's moveable type revolutionized
printing. Through the efforts of monks in this monastery, Třeboň
became a center of medieval learning for Czechs and Austrians
alike (30 Kč, July-Aug daily 9:00-11:30 & 13:30-17:00, or pop in
just before the nearly nightly 18:30 Mass, if closed ring the parish
home next door, Husova 142, rectory tel. [phone]).
aCtiVitieS
Boating and Swimming —A motorboat sets out from the small
wharf behind the brewery once an hour for a 30-minute (60 Kč) or
45-minute (90 Kč) cruise over the second-largest of Třeboň's lakes,
Svět (daily 10:00-19:00). The nearest sandy beach is a 10-minute
walk, to the right from the wharf along the dike.
Biking —he area is flat, so biking is a fun and convenient way to
get around. A bike trip along the dirt trails on the ancient dikes is a
fine way to experience the land and water. Buy a cycling map from
the TI, then follow the marked trails that snake along channels
and through traditional villages.
Hiking —The best hiking is in the area of Nová Řeka (New
River), directly east of town. Or catch a bus (or drive) to Chlum
u Třeboně, and hike in the blueberry-filled pine woods along the
Austrian border.
Peat Spa (Bertiny Lázně) —Třeboň is an important peat spa.
Patients from all over the world come here for weeklong stays to
get buried in the black, smelly sludge that's thought to cure aching
joints and spines. Well...I guess it doesn't hurt to try. The complete
peat bath (slatinná koupel celková) is combined with a full-body