A Bohemian Rhapsody

The region in Czech Republic has long captivated painters, writers, artists and dreamers with its surrealism

- CHANDREYI BANDYOPADHYAY

As the setting sun glimmers on the baroque cathedral at the Old Town square at Jicin, a local guide dressed as a Medieval Duke comes forward with a flourish. He regales the tourists with the heroic tales of the Duke Albrecht of Wallenstein and how the Duke had rebuilt Jicin after taking over the 12th-century town in 1623. First mentioned in the founding charter of the Strahov Monastery, the town on the border of North and East Bohemia in the Czech Republic, is as old as 8,000 years, and is a protected monument reserve today, preserving its many architectural wonders.