Royal cities represent both a historical and power phenomenon.

In their “royal“ mark they carry with them a sense of superior quality to the subject towns, which were subservient to the administration of the upper nobility or the church. They include those towns which, having been founded by Bohemian kings, enjoyed certain privileges and internal self-government. They were the economic, political and security backbone of the central monarchy – they paid taxes but also provided the kings with their conscription money. And of course it flourished – by mining, trade, crafts or brewing beer.

Special branches of these free towns consisted of royal downry towns, which had the task of economically securing the livelihood of Czech queens, and royal mining towns, where the monarch had the right to a part of the proceeds of precious metals. However, the importance of the royal towns had waned over the centuries, gradually bringing them into line with their subject counterparts. The era of the decline of the royal cities lasted until the effective end of the last feudal ties and the subsequent collapse of the monarchy in 1918.

Thus, the surname “royal“ has retained its touristic potential, referring to the historical legacy of the former free existence of these members of the third (lower) class. In fact, it is in these very cities that many interesting monuments have been preserved for their economic and political influence and prosperity, from the medieval ones to the most modern fads of the new, yet so little royal era.

You are now cordially invited to take a stroll through these extraordinary locations in our edition full of beauties worth visiting!