Siam Society is holding a study trip to explore magnificent heritage sites in the Czech Republic and the capital of Slovakia, from Aug 29 to Sept 8.
The Czech Republic, preferably known as Czechia by its government since 2006, is a landlocked country in Central Europe.
Archaeological finds suggest the existence of humans living there since the Paleolithic period with traces of Celtic ancestral evidence. In the 9th century, the area was known as the Duchy of Bohemia under Great Moravia, which was formally recognised as an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire before becoming a kingdom in 1198.
It was later gradually integrated into the Habsburg monarchy in 1526. With the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the lands became part of the Austrian Empire.
Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary after World War I, the Czech lands became a part of the First Czechoslovak Republic. The lands went through many transitional periods, under Nazi Germany and the Communist Bloc State under the influence of the Soviet Union, before Czechoslovakia was peacefully dissolved on Dec 31, 1992, and the two constituent states became the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Through cultural influences received from each transitional period, the Czech Republic has many treasures in architecture, art and the ethnic heritage of the Bohemians, Moravians, Slovaks, Russians and the Czechs themselves.
Led by Somlak Charoenpot, the trip will visit monuments, sites and objects that became World Heritage Sites. The itinerary will include stops in Prague, the Czech capital; Karlovy Vary, a famous spa town; Kutna Hora, a historic town; Cesky Krumlov, Telc and Brno, the second-largest city after Prague. The trip will conclude with a stop in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
The fee is 139,000 baht (135,000 baht for members) exclusive of airfares and visa fees.
Email studytrips@thesiamsociety.org or call 02-661-6470--3 ext 205.
