Czech Republic Guide
West Bohemia
Horšovský Tyn
A lazy afternoon could happily be spent at HORŠOVSKÝ TYN (Bischofteinitz), just 10km north of Domažlice. Its main square, náměstí Republiky, is a picturesque grassy, sloping affair centred on the church of sv Petr and Pavel, and lined with Gothic houses sporting brightly coloured Baroque facades. At the top end, surrounded by a goat-inhabited moat, is the quadrilateral sgraffitoed zámek (April & Oct Sat & Sun 9am– noon & 1–4pm; May & Sept Tues– Sun 9am– noon & 1–4pm; June– Aug closes 5pm; 
379 423 111, 
www.horsovsky-tyn.cz ), one of the most popular in West Bohemia and transformed by the Lobkowicz family into a rich Renaissance pile. There's a rather complicated choice of guided tours: the hrad tour (trasa 1; 1hr; 50Kč) takes you through the renovated bishop's palace, including the reconstructed interior of the early Gothic bishop's chapel. The zámek tour (trasa 2; 1hr; 60Kč) covers living quarters from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, plus a gallery lined with portraits of Czech rulers; the kuchyně tour (trasa 3; 40min; 30Kč) features a trawl round the kitchens, tacky china chandeliers equipped with their original Edison bulbs and other delights; the purkrabství tour (trasa 4; 50min; 30Kč) leads visitors around the reconstructed riding school; the erbovní sál tour (trasa 5; 30min; 20Kč) takes you through the rooms with sixteenth-century heraldry paintings; and the Mitsuko tour (trasa 6; 40min; 30Kč) presents the legacy of Mitsuko Aoyama, descendant of a Japanese samurai family, who married Count Coudenhove-Kalergi in 1892. Behind the chateau, the vast Zámecký park stretches northwards, complete with hidden chapels, a large lake and hosts of peacocks. It's a ten-minute walk to the centre from the train station: head east up Nádražní to the main crossroads, then north over the river, and the main square will appear on your right. If you want to stay, try one of two good hotels on the square: the simple Hotel Šumava ( 379 422 800, www.hotel.htyn.cz ; Price: 501-1000Kč), or the more sophisticated Hotel Gurman ( 379 410 020; Price: 1501-2000Kč), right by the castle.