Nestled on a bend of the Vltava River, the beautiful town of Český Krumlov is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. It's also the site of a horrific true crime! (Oo, let's get those true crime junkies in on this!) Rudolf II had troubles, and the mental illness of his son Julius only adds to the load.
But the decline and fall of Rudolf II and the murder of Markéta Pichlerová is only part of the story. We're also going to talk about the Defenestration of Prague, one of the defining moments in European history and the event that kicked off the first Great War of the early modern era.
Melissa Joulwan of the Strong Sense of Place podcast - a podcast dedicated to literary travel and books with vivid settings - returns to talk about visiting Český Krumlov and eating so many delicious Czech foods, including wild bluebery dumplings!
Photograph by Jorge Valenzuela CC: 4.0