Czech Republic Guide
North Bohemia
Kadaň
Unlike many of the bearby towns, KADAň (Kaaden), is a picturesque halt on the Ohře. From the train station, you enter the old town through the round, whitewashed barbican of the Žatecká brána. The most striking sights on the partially arcaded town square are the prickly white conical octagonal spire of the radnice (tours summer Sat & Sun 10am, noon & 3pm), which looks like a minaret of a West African mosque, and the twin red onion domes of the imposing Děkanský kostel, which contains some good Baroque furnishings. Roughly opposite the radnice, you'll find Katová ulička (Hangman's Lane), Bohemia's narrowest street, which is barely more than a passage, the light straining to make its way past the maze of buttresses. The hangman himself used to live in the small white house below the gate at the end of the lane, which has since been converted into a cute little tea and spice shop. From the end of Katová ulička, you gain access to the best-preserved part of the town walls or hradby (April– Oct 6am–8pm; Nov– March 8am–2pm), which lead round to the southern tip of town, where Kadaň's hrad, a modest provincial seat, sits overlooking the Ohře. Out of the centre, along the road to Klášterec nad Ohří, a former Franciscan monastery houses the Městské muzeum (May, June & Sept Sat & Sun 10am–4pm; July & Aug daily 10am–4pm; 50Kč), with an exhibition devoted to the town's history, though more interesting are the sixteenth-century tombs of the Lobkowicz family (including Václav Lobkowicz featured in his panoply) in the monastery church and the fifteenth-century chapterhouse – one of the oldest in Bohemia and with fine vaulting.
Accommodation isn't a problem, with the lovely pension Horoskop ( 
474 342 684, 
www.pension-kadan.cz ; Price: 1001-1500Kč), across from the hrad, the best of several good central places to stay. A nice alternative is the small Hotel Tercier ( & 
474 345 234; Price: 501-1000Kč), Žatecká 566, standing on top of the town walls; its restaurant is a bizarre cave-like place, with kitsch prehistoric monsters sticking out of the walls. There are several campsites; the Hradec (mid-April to Sept; 605 497 169, www.atchradec.com ), 3km southeast of town off route 224, enjoys the nicest position, on the banks of the Ohře, not far from Hradec train station.