9 WEEKS OF BAROQUE FESTIVAL

Week 6 | Domažlice region (3.8. - 9.8. 2015)

3.8. 2015 Church od St. Anne in Tanaberk
4.8. 2015 Pivoň Monastery
5.8. 2015 Museum of Domažlice
6.8. 2015 Church Horšovský Týn  
7.8. 2015 The Town of Domažlice  
8.8. 2015 Church on the Vavřineček Hill by Domažlice
9.8. 2015 Kozina´s Farm in Újezd

Domažlice and Chodsko are among the few ethnographic regions of Bohemia where the roots of the surviving folklore can be traced back as far as the Baroque period. Domažlice – the town with a signature arcade, a leaning tower and the Lower Gate – was built by Ottokar II of Bohemia. Whilst the roots of the town's architecture lie in the Gothic era, its picturesque and atmospheric character stems from the Baroque-style changes to the historical centre.

The dominant structures representing the local Baroque architecture include the Dean Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, richly decorated with paintings by František Julius Lux; another building reconstructed in Baroque style is the Chodský Castle, converted in the 1720s into a Baroque salt store house. Participation in the project is ascribed to K. I. Dientzenhofer. The pilgrimage site of St Lawrence above Domažlice is in active use; every year, the local Chodsko Folk Festival transforms the whole town into a metropolis of folklore.
The surrounding landscape bears the character of a foothills area, its far-stretching hills rising up into the massif of the Upper Palatine Forest. Many a church and castle lie hidden in the valleys, such as the one in Trhanov where the local castle stands as if protruding up from the bulk of the village development. Baroque is present also in Klenčí pod Čerchovem and, surprisingly, in the Upper Palatine Forest, right by the border in Nemanice. The famous church of the pilgrimage site on Tanaberk is also Baroque in style, situated in a pass through which many a disaster has found its way into our country, but which has also witnessed valiant acts of defence.