Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as part of Ludmila's dowry when she married Prince Bořivoj. From that time until the fif-
teenth century it became the seat of the widowed queens, and it was here that Ludmila intro-
duced her heathen grandson Václav, later to become
St Wenceslas
to the joys of Christianity.
Viticulture became the town's economic mainstay when the Emperor Charles IV, aching for
alittle oftheFrenchwineofhisyouth,introduced grapesfromBurgundy(wherehewasalso
king). Thanks to its position on the Elbe (Labe in Czech) Mělník's
port
now competes with
the vineyards for economic significance.
The zámek
Svatováclavská19•Daily:Sept-May9.30am-5pm;June-Aug10am-6pm•110Kč;winecellars40Kč• 315
622 121,
Wlobkowicz-melnik.cz
Mělník's greatest monument is its Renaissance chateau, or
zámek
, perched high above the
plains and visible for miles around. Apart from during World War II and under the Commun-
ists, the building has been owned by the Lobkowicz family since 1753. Visitors get to see
the family's magnificently proportioned former living quarters, packed with porcelain, old
maps and Old Masters, and affording spectacular views out over the Bohemian landscape.
TheGreatHallishometoseveralpaintingsbyŠkréta,whileanotherhighlightistheBaroque
altarintheChapelofStLudmila.Youcanalsovisitthecastle
winecellars
,finishingupwith
samples of local plonk (extra charge); the
Ludmila white
is Mělník's most popular wine,
found on shop shelves across the country in its unusually squat bottles.
Sv Petr and Pavel
Na Vyhlídce 18 • Tues-Fri 9.30am-12.30pm & 1.15-4pm, Sat & Sun 10am-12.30pm & 1.15-4pm • 30Kč •
315 622 337
Below the
zámek
vines cling to south-facing terraces as the land plunges down towards the
river below. From Mělník's onion-domed
church of sv Petr and Pavel
, next to the chateau,
there's an even better view of the rivers' confluence (to the left) and the subsidiary canal
(straightahead),oncesocongestedwithvesselsthattrafficlightshadtobeintroducedtopre-
vent collisions. You can climb the
tower
for an even better view and visit the compellingly
macabre
ossuary
, or
kostnice
, filled with the bones of an estimated ten to fifteen thousand
medieval plague victims, fashioned into weird and wonderful skeletal shapes in the early
nineteenth century.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: MĚLNÍK
By train
There are very few direct services to Mělník from Prague; take a train from Praha
hlavní nádraží and change in Všetaty (8 daily; 1hr).
Bybus
AregularbusserviceleavesfrommetroNádražíHolešovice(manydaily;35-45min).
Tourist office
Legionářů 51 (daily 9.30am-1pm & 1.30-5pm; 315 627 503,
