Our last day in Dačice began with us packing our bags and checking out of the little penzion we’d stayed in for a week.
I’d kept my dirty clothes in the gun safe. What do you keep in your gun safe? Surely not guns. I’m guessing the penzion often has guests who are interesting in hunting in the area. I’d never had a room with a gun safe before, but guess what, owning a gun comes with a requirement to own and store it in a gun safe. Um, in the Czech Republic that is. Your mileage may vary.
We finally got around to visiting the town’s museum. Much more information than I’ve presented here can be found on the museum’s official website (at least partially in English)
Sugar loaves, their molds and absurdly constructed clippers for chipping off bits of sugar suitable for dunking in your cup of tea.
In 1840, Jakub Kryštof Rad began managing the local sugar refinery. A year later, after witnessing the struggles and injuries his wife suffered while dealing with the ridiculous torture devices used to pinch off hunks of the rock-hard sugar loaves his factory was producing, Rad invented the first press for making sugar cubes. Yes, the sugar cube was invented in Dačice.
Rad’s press for sugar cube manufacturing
A closer look at “Are you kidding me?!”
Plan of the old factory from 1832
Sugar packaging around the world— a fraction of the packets on display.
The museum has many exhibits that chronicle the town’s history.
A corner of the room dedicated to local composer and big band man, Vladimír Fuka
Honorary resident, Max Švabinský has a huge collection of his work on display here.
He was arguably the most notable Czech graphic artist of the 20th century. He designed banknotes, stamps— his work was with you every day.
Of course, the chateau that houses the museum is itself a work of art.
I hadn’t walked over a mosaic floor this fancy in — I don’t know how long. I was kinda flabbergasted.
We also finally got around to visiting the bell tower that dominates the town’s skyline from any angle.
The tower as seen from the front steps of the chateau. From my First Day in Dačice diary
Little side rooms offered exhibits about the tower, ornaments from the tower and even the slab that marked the builder’s tomb, he was actually interred in the tower walls after his death.
The largest and oldest bell in the tower is Vavřinec, from 1483
View of the chateau from the tower
Back at street level, a reminder of what made the town of Dačice famous. There are a few statues dedicated to the cube dotted around town.
Thanks for stopping by.
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