About six years ago, I visited the city with my sons and I remember that we were impressed by its picturesqueness, the historical center and especially the tapestry museum. When I was choosing the next city to visit with the gallery children, Jindřichův Hradec was on the list of favorites. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised that it is now possible to visit an art workshop in the Tapestry House. So I immediately contacted the lecturer so that we can arrange the date of our visit together. I started looking for what other places in the city we can visit with children and found out that the offer is unexpectedly varied.
The train journey to Jindřichův Hradec has the advantage that it is a direct one from Jihlava. There is a toilet at the local station and you can walk to the center in a short time. In addition, all important institutions for us are nearby. First we went to see the House of Tapestry and the Castle, which we were also tempted to visit, but it is already closed by the time we will be in town with children. We explored at least its surroundings and headed towards the Museum of Photography, which we wanted to visit with the children as well. We walked through the entire former Jesuit college in which the museum is located, viewed the exhibitions, the courtyard and the garden. Subsequently, we discovered the 15th meridian, went around the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and actually happened to come across the building of the Jindřichův Hradec Museum, which is located in a Jesuit seminary. This cultural institution was also on our list. Or rather, the famous Krýza Nativity Scene is located in the museum. We learned from the cashier that the entrance fee is valid for the entire museum building and the Nativity Scene starts every half hour, so we decided to walk through the whole museum. We were interested in both Ema Destinová's exposition, South Bohemian Nativity Scene, Pharmacy, but also the exhibition of the artist Vladimír Holub. In the end, we had to watch our time so as not to miss the movement of the famous Krýza Nativity Scene. After visiting the museum, Jana and I agreed that it is impossible to cover three institutions in one visit to the city, so we will save the Museum of Photography for next time.
From the Jindřichův Hradec Museum, we went to the fountain of St. Florian, which is a visual attraction for visitors to the city. We found that it always runs on the full hour and we arrived a little after twelve so we didn't get to see the show. But that didn't bother us, maybe we'll be able to see it with the kids. The last point of our journey was to have a good coffee somewhere along the way. We managed to do that too! Our mission ended at the train station, from where we took the express train back to Jihlava.
I believe the trip with the kids will be as successful as our exploration trip!
Pavlína Pitrová, November 1, 2024
