Štramberk is a cosy little village in the eastern Czech Republic, with an old castle and small colourful houses climbing up a hill. We went here the day before yesterday (40 min by bus from Ostrava) and got to visit a cave where they found traces of Neanderthals. We also had the opportunity to try Štramberk's speciality: cakes made to resemble severed ears ...
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Šipka Cave in Štramberk
The Šipka Cave is located in a lush environment on a hilltop with a nice view of the village of Štramberk. The cave is best known for the discovery of a Neanderthal child's jaw in 1880. Now you can wander around the green environment and think about how Neanderthals once lived... Did they run around here hunting with spears?
Štramberk's ears
When a tourist comes to visit Štramberk, there are two things to do: drink beer from a local brewery and buy gingerbread cookies with severed ears. Why this now? Well, in 1240 this part of the Czech Republic was attacked by Tatars, and to show their leaders how many they killed, they cut off and saved the ears of each dead person.
Fort Kotouc in Štramberk
The population fled and hid in the impregnable fortress of Kotouč. The Tatars were waiting outside to attack, but thanks to a fierce storm and the release of water from a dam, the population managed to flood the Tatar camp and survived. Thus, to commemorate their escape from a terrible fate, today people bake and eat cakes that resemble 'ears'...
Camping in Štramberk
Update: A few years after our first visit to Štramberk, we ended up in this cosy village again. This time, we travelled by camper van and stayed at the Camp u Kateriny campsite, which is located right next to the village. There are now nice pitches for motorhomes and they are also modernising with new fresh cabins.
Next to the reception there is an area with more cabins, and when we were here it seemed that there were camp activities in that part of the campsite. Next to the campsite there is also a nice little church.
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This trip was a press trip. The images, thoughts and opinions are, as usual, our own.
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Lennart says:
I would also choose the beer!
18 July 2016 - 7:01
Jenn - forever abroad says:
It's good that they are at least just ears.... But still a bit creepy.
18 July 2016 - 8:25
Elisabeth says:
You always learn something new!
18 July 2016 - 8:38
Ama de casa says:
How nice it looked to be there! And castles... You rarely get away from them... 😉.
Cowardly not to take ears to the beer! 😀
18 July 2016 - 9:44
Mr Steve says:
The first picture really does justice to a really cosy village.
It's hard to enjoy the cakes and think about their origins at the same time.
18 July 2016 - 10:06
Goatfish says:
Thank you 😀 I feel welcome 😉 .
And I like both castles and churches, great!
Of course you had to taste Czech beer, and the ears, they were actually made of ginger, VERY healthy, so one of those would have gone down with me, who doesn't usually eat sweets, haha 😉.
PS.Today I am showing camping pictures in my house 😀.
18 July 2016 - 10:06
Ditte says:
It's interesting and fun to visit something off the beaten track of tourism and fun to come here.
I would have definitely tried the beer and even taken a piece of the cake...
18 July 2016 - 10:32
Mrs Eriksson says:
Oh, soooo beautiful!
/Have a good time
18 July 2016 - 10:47
Anja says:
...and thanks for letting us see the colours of Helena....! 🙂
18 July 2016 - 12:53
Cattis says:
Haha sounded very appetising with cut off ears...had also chosen the beer!:) The village looks very cosy.
18 July 2016 - 14:40
BP says:
What a great photo of Štramberk. Looks like a lego building or a village built by a model railway. Incredibly delicious!
The ears are a somewhat macabre story, so I probably would have skipped them and tried the local beer instead.
18 July 2016 - 15:33
Ikas USA says:
Fy how unpleasant. But I had still eaten the "ears" 🙂 And drank the beer of course! Lovely pictures and interesting post!
18 July 2016 - 17:37
towe says:
Exciting cakes 🙂
18 July 2016 - 19:26
Veiken says:
I had taken both cake and beer. You can't miss anything! 🙂 It looks really cosy!
18 July 2016 - 20:14
Matts Torebring says:
When I checked your post this morning, I both smiled and laughed. It was the funniest card I have ever seen. All those colours of the houses were some of the strangest views one can see.
18 July 2016 - 20:43
steel city anna says:
Absolutely wonderful pictures from this beautiful country 🙂
19 July 2016 - 0:01
admin says:
Lennart, 😉
Jenn, haha yes... (and they were not overly similar either ;))
Elisabeth, right? 😉
Ama de casa, and there are always a lot of stairs... 😉.
Steve, a bit different to say the least... but maybe an educational way to give a history lesson 😉 .
Geddfish, I will of course check in with you as soon as I have a bit more time (busy schedule here...).
Ditte, we also find it interesting and fun to go to places you haven't heard much about before!
Mrs Eriksson, it was a nice and cosy little village!
Anja, 😉
Kattis, the beer was good!!!
BP, didn't the village look a bit like a toy village from the other side?
Ikas USA, the beer was good! 🙂
Veiken, haha, good attitude! 🙂
Matts, it almost looked a bit like a toy village 😉.
Steel city Anna, glad you like the pictures!
19 July 2016 - 4:43
Maria's Memoirs says:
What a cosy place! 🙂
19 July 2016 - 12:49
Anna, Travel on a Cloud says:
So beautiful! But scary story with the ears. I understand that they were not so appetising. I would have had a valid reason to refrain: They were hardly "bez lepku", hehe... 😉 Glad you liked the beer!
20 July 2016 - 15:35
admin says:
Maria, a cosy little town!
Anna, the "ears" were not unappetising in any way (not very similar to ears haha) but perhaps looked a bit dull. And they were definitely not bez lepku 😉.
20 July 2016 - 18:11