Štramberk
The older I get the more often I recall our boys’ expeditions to the
cave of Šipka …
(Zdeněk Burian)
The picturesque little town of Štramberk spreads over the slopes of Castle Hill, White Mountain and Libotín Hills in the foothills of the Beskydy Mountains. All of the cosy and inviting spots and corners of the original timber houses tempt you with the scent of anise, cinnamon and a badian emanated by the local well-known and trade-name gingerbread speciality – the Štramberk Ears. The territory of Štramberk features more than one hundred listed monuments of folk architecture 70 of which are original timber houses. Therefore, it is not very surprising that in 1997 Štramberk was proposed to be incorporated into the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Leoš Janáček considered Štramberk one of “the most beautiful places on Earth” and the painter Bohumír Jaroněk called it the “Wallachian Bethlehem”. Nevertheless, Štramberk is most often referred to as the “Moravian Bethlehem”.
The layout, natural phenomena and arrangement of the original timber houses really resemble the Biblical Bethlehem. The Šipka Cave on fabled Kotouč Hill located in the National Orchard evokes the Nativity Scene and the Holy Family. Zdeněk Burian, the world famous illustrator and painter of all kinds of adventures, born in Kopřivnice, used to explore the cave in Štramberk to draw inspiration for his images of the prehistoric world. He visited places which gave evidence of the life of the Neanderthal man, esp. thanks to an archaeological finding of the so-called “Šipka mandible”. More information on the life and work of Zdeněk Burian is available in the local museum which holds his name. But before you visit the Zdeněk Burian Museum do not forget to call at the open air gallery of famous personalities located in the National Orchard.
You will soon find out that you can spend several days rather than hours under the Trúba tower, the town’s dominant, and that there is always something new to admire. Newly reconstructed burgher and town houses on the sloping square offer real relaxation. They provide anything you need – from stylish accommodation, delicious food and home-made yeast beer to the insight into the town’s living history in the very sensitively built and reconstructed premises of galleries and museums. There is even a small zoo for the smallest visitors.
Tired, thirsty and hungry wanderers can find their shelter in the Town Brewery on the Štramberk Square. Those who are able to climb a little higher up (i.e. 406 stairs up to the very top of Castle Hill and 40 m further up to the lookout tower of Trúba) can experience an exquisite view of Příbor, Kopřivnice, Starý Jičín and even Radhošť.
To return from the Trúba tower back to the square you can use our winding “Golden Lane”, i.e. the Jaroňkova Lane which represents a typical book example of still inhabited and cared for timber houses of castle settlements. You might also be tempted by the fabulous view of Radhošť offered by the Pension U Holubů and if the weather in the summer season is favourable you can also taste specialties prepared on lava grill. Or you might simply end up relishing a cup of excellent coffee in a stylish atmosphere of the stone Jaroňek’s cottage.
You will soon find out, as once the members of the Templar Order did, that Štramberk has a very convenient position. They considered this area called the Moravian Gate located on the divide of the areas of southern Moravian valleys and Silesian flatlands the most ideal region where to build the original castle of Strallenberg. Although this assumption is unfounded it does not affect the fact that Štramberk has a strategic location being situated not only near Kopřivnice but also near Příbor, the birthplace of Sigmund Freud, and Frenštát p. Radhoštěm, the place of many ski-jumps.
