Czech Princess on the English Throne
Our first love story began in
Prague as early as in the 14
th century. King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV married off his daughter
Anne to English King
Richard II. By the way, this year will mark
700 years from Charles IV’s birth. But back to
Anne and
Richard - although they were joined together in an arranged marriage, meeting the political interests of the prudent Charles IV, and had been engaged since their childhood, they grew to love each other very much. Anne became
Queen of England and was a good influence on her husband. Up to this day she is referred to in Great Britain as
“Good Queen Anne”. Her death was mourned not only by the King, but also English nobility and peasants. Anne was buried in
Westminster, London and her
tomb once showing her and her husband clasping hands, became
a place of pilgrimage. Interestingly, Anne left an
indelible mark on the culture of Great Britain because it was she who spread the
carol about the Czech Good King
Wenceslas in the kingdom and it has been sung ever since.
Last Muse of Goethe
The second tale of love, which we want to bring to your attention, unfolded a few centuries later. The main characters were the young and beautiful Baroness
Ulrike von Levetzow and one of the most noted poets of all times
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They first met in
Teplice and later again in
Mariánské Lázně. Goethe used to visit
West Bohemia on a regular basis, he took a special liking to
Karlovy Vary, and when he was
72 years of age, he fell in love with the
seventeen year old Ulrike. True, she did reject his declaration of love, but quite surprisingly she never married and lived a remarkable
95 years of her life on her own. She devoted her time to philanthropy and was engaged in the foundation of the
National Museum. Goethe expressed his sorrow of rejection in the
Marienbad Elegy and
never returned to West Bohemia again.
Every Czech lady is a beauty
Thirdly and finally, we will share with you love stories from the present time. The Czech Republic is proud to be known as a country which is home to
some of the most beautiful women in the world. To name just a few – there is Miss World 2006
Taťána Kuchařová from East Bohemia, and model
Hana Soukupová from
Karlovy Vary, who used to rank among the top ten most sought after models in the world. A real beauty from
Vinohrady, Prague, Alena Šeredová enchanted the famous
Italian footballer Gianluigi Buffon, who she has two sons with. Another femme fatale is Czech model
Petra Němcová, who at one point captured the heart of
Bruce Willis,
Sean Penn and singer
James Blunt.
