Many Czech brands have a long tradition, while many have earned recognition all over the world and are still well known. They are the family silver and the most common souvenirs from the Czech Republic.
Moser Glass Factory and Famous Czech Glass
The glass-making tradition can be found in many places, such as the Sklářské muzeum Nový Bor (Glass Museum in Nový Bor), Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou or Pavilon skla (The Glass Pavilion) in Klatovy. If you find the raw beauty of glass workshops more interesting than polished and shiny museum displays, you can visit the Ajeto Glassworks in Lindava or the Glass Factory Novosad in Harrachov. However, the tour would not be complete without cut glass manufactured by the Moser Glassworks in Karlovy Vary. The famous engraving workshop was founded by Ludwig Moser in 1857, and the company still makes luxurious glass and decorative sets. The Moser museum and the glass factory as well as the company shop, café and a visitor centre are open daily, all year round.
Becherovka
We will stay in Karlovy Vary for a bit longer, because it would be a shame not to visit the place from where Becherovka has been flowing into the world for more than two hundred years. The herbal liquor, also known as the thirteenth curative spring in Karlovy Vary, is made by Jan Becher according to a traditional secret recipe from a mix of herbs and spices. The Jan Becher Museum is open daily, all year round, in the historical building with a typical scent. You can learn all about the history and production of Becherovka there. You will see historical objects and a short film, and you can buy some Becherovka and other products for bargain prices at the shop.
Thun Porcelain
Europe discovered “white gold” in the form of beautiful fragile porcelain in the 13th century when the first pieces appeared on the tables of kings and knights. The first purely Czech porcelain was manufactured two hundred years ago. Many of the former manufactures no longer exist but some, including porcelain factories under the Thun 1794 brand, still do. You can learn about the secret that took several centuries to uncover in the new visitor centre of the Thun 1794 porcelain factory in Nová Role; it is open daily, throughout the round. The name of the company comes from the oldest porcelain factory in Klášterec nad Ohří. The Thun family owned the local estate with a castle for more than three hundred years. The castle halls are used for the display of rare porcelain exhibits from the collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, which include both ancient Chinese porcelain and the oldest European products from Meissen and Vienna, as well as Czech porcelain from the very beginning to the present. It is open all year round, from October to March, except for Mondays and Tuesdays.Czech Beer
Czech beer is enjoyed all over the world, and there are many options for beer lovers to taste beer as well as learn about the production process. Plzeň is the city of beer and a tour of the Plzeňský Prazdroj brewery and the Brewery Museum will teach you about the secret and history of the unique brewing process of Pilsner Urquell. There are a lot of breweries that have their own restaurants and offer tours of their production areas, such as the Visitor Centre of the Budějovický Budvar in České Budějovice and the brewery with a beer spa in Chodová Planá.
Škoda Auto in Mladá Boleslav
Škoda Auto, which was founded in Mladá Boleslav in 1895 by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, is one of the world’s few car factories with a tradition of more than a hundred years. The company experienced a great boom in 1925 thanks to a merger with Škoda Plzeň and, after 1991, when Škoda Auto became the fourth brand of the Volkswagen concern. The Škoda Auto Museum maps the story of the make. The museum is open daily all year round, and you can also visit the production halls by appointment.
