Telc's Hidden Corners: Exploring the Fairytale Town Beyond the Main Square

The Renaissance houses that form Telč's famous square are more than mere facades – they're portals to another world. Most visitors admire their ornate sgraffito decorations and colorful gables from the outside, never realizing what lies behind them. Nearly every building contains a průchod (passage) leading to hidden courtyards and gardens that have remained virtually unchanged for centuries.

My partner and I discovered this network of passages quite by accident during our spring visit. While sheltering from a brief shower, we ducked into an unmarked archway near house No. 15 and found ourselves in a courtyard where time seemed suspended. Stone stairs led to wooden galleries overlooking a garden where early spring herbs were just beginning to emerge. An elderly woman tending to potted plants nodded at us – not as tourists but as temporary participants in this private world.

The most rewarding of these passages connect multiple courtyards, creating a parallel Telč that exists alongside the tourist-filled square. My favorite runs behind houses 22 through 26, where you'll find workshops of local artisans who still practice traditional crafts. Here, I purchased a handmade leather journal from a third-generation bookbinder – a perfect place to record our discoveries.

During our exploration, I was grateful for my comfortable walking shoes, as the cobblestones and uneven surfaces of these hidden pathways require proper footwear. The passages often involve stairs and narrow walkways that aren't always well-marked.

While most visitors concentrate on the main square and castle, few venture to what locals call the 'Upper Town' (Horní město). This elevated neighborhood northwest of the center offers a glimpse into everyday Czech life that feels refreshingly authentic.

Reaching the Upper Town requires a short uphill walk along Masarykova Street. The effort is immediately rewarded with sweeping views back toward the town center and castle. Here, pastel-colored houses give way to more modest but equally charming homes with small, well-tended gardens. The neighborhood feels suspended between centuries – satellite dishes mounted on buildings that have stood since the 1700s, modern cars parked beside ancient stone walls.

The heart of this area is the often-overlooked Church of the Holy Spirit (Kostel sv. Ducha), a Gothic structure dating to the 15th century. Unlike the more famous St. James Church on the main square, this humble sanctuary rarely sees tourists. When we visited on a Sunday morning, we were welcomed into a service attended entirely by locals. Though we understood little of the Czech liturgy, the experience offered a cultural immersion no guidebook could provide.

Nearby, we discovered Café Telč, a tiny establishment where locals gather for morning coffee. The owner, Pavel, served us buchty (sweet filled buns) still warm from the oven and engaged us in conversation about the town's history – a perfect example of the hospitality you'll find beyond the tourist center.

During our walks around the Upper Town, I was grateful I'd brought my compact binoculars. They allowed us to appreciate architectural details on distant buildings and spot birds nesting in the church tower – small discoveries that enriched our understanding of this overlooked neighborhood.

Telč owes much of its fairytale quality to water. The town center sits on a peninsula surrounded by man-made medieval fishponds – Štěpnický, Ulický, and Staroměstský – created as both defensive structures and practical sources of fish. While most visitors glimpse these ponds only from the castle gardens, walking their entire perimeter reveals Telč from entirely new perspectives.

We devoted an entire morning to the 5km pathway that encircles all three ponds, starting from the small wooden bridge near the bus station. This gentle walk took us through quiet neighborhoods, past community gardens, and along reedy shorelines where herons stood in silent meditation. The path alternates between well-maintained gravel sections and narrower dirt trails, all easily navigable in spring when we visited.

The true magic happens at dawn and dusk when the town's spires and facades reflect perfectly in the still waters. I'd recommend bringing a lightweight tripod if you're interested in photography – the low light conditions and reflections create stunning photo opportunities that require steady support. During our spring visit, mist often rose from the ponds in the early morning, adding an ethereal quality to the already dreamlike setting.

My personal favorite spot lies along the northern shore of Štěpnický pond, where a small wooden pier extends into the water. Local legend says wishes made here at sunset will come true – something my partner and I couldn't resist testing. Whether by magic or coincidence, our wish for finding an authentic local meal was granted when we discovered a family-run restaurant on our walk back to town.

The pond system also reveals Telč's deep connection to sustainable living. These waters have provided fish for the town for over 600 years, and local fishermen still practice traditional harvesting methods in autumn. If you're lucky enough to visit during the annual fish harvest (výlov rybníka), you'll witness a cultural tradition that connects modern Czech life to its medieval roots.

The culinary landscape in Telč exists in two parallel worlds: tourist-oriented restaurants on the main square serving international fare, and hidden establishments where locals gather for authentic Moravian cuisine. As someone who approaches travel through the lens of food culture, finding these authentic spots became our delicious mission.

Our most memorable discovery was U Marušky, a small family-run restaurant tucked away on Seminářská Street. From the outside, it appears to be someone's home – and in many ways, it is. Maruška, the grandmother who runs the kitchen, prepares dishes that have been passed down through generations. Her svíčková na smetaně (beef sirloin in cream sauce) served with bread dumplings represents Czech comfort food at its finest. What makes this place special isn't just the food, but the atmosphere – you'll likely share a table with local families and be drawn into conversations despite language barriers.

For those interested in Czech fermentation traditions (a personal passion that connects to my work documenting fermentation practices across Asia), Telč offers surprising depth. At the Saturday morning farmers' market near the castle gates, we discovered an elderly vendor selling homemade kysané zelí (fermented cabbage similar to sauerkraut) and nakládané okurky (fermented cucumbers). The subtle differences in fermentation techniques between Czech traditions and the Korean kimchi practices I've documented were fascinating – a reminder that fermentation connects culinary traditions worldwide.

Telč's relationship with beer deserves special mention. While not as famous as Pilsen or České Budějovice, the local microbrewery Trojan produces exceptional small-batch beers. Their taproom, hidden in a converted cellar down an unmarked alley off Palackého Street, serves unfiltered lagers that pair perfectly with their housemade utopenci (pickled sausages) – another example of Czech fermentation mastery.

For tea enthusiasts like myself, Čajovna Na Cestě offers a tranquil retreat. This traditional Czech tea house serves not only expected varieties but also their house specialty: a blend of local herbs gathered from the Moravian countryside. The owner explained how these herbal traditions have been preserved through centuries, surviving even Soviet-era standardization – a testament to cultural resilience that resonated deeply with my interest in preservation traditions.

Few visitors realize that Telč once had a small but significant Jewish community, traces of which can still be found if you know where to look. Unlike the more famous Jewish quarters in Prague or Třebíč, Telč's Jewish heritage exists as whispers rather than monuments – making its discovery all the more meaningful.

The former Jewish quarter was located in the southeastern part of town along what is now Žižkova Street. Though most structures have been repurposed over centuries, subtle clues remain. Look for doorposts with rectangular depressions where mezuzahs once hung, and buildings with slightly different architectural elements than their neighbors.

The most significant site is the former synagogue, now a private residence at Žižkova 4. Only its eastern orientation and unusually high windows hint at its original purpose. When we visited, we were fortunate to meet the current owner who, upon learning of my interest in cultural preservation, invited us inside to see the one remaining architectural element: a small alcove where the Torah ark once stood.

Perhaps the most moving site is the small Jewish cemetery located about 1km outside the town center. Unlike the ornate Jewish cemeteries in larger Czech cities, Telč's burial ground is remarkably humble – a quiet grove with about fifty weathered tombstones, some dating to the 17th century. Many bear inscriptions in Hebrew that have nearly faded away, their stories slowly returning to the earth.

Visiting these sites requires sensitivity and respect. I found myself drawing parallels between the preservation challenges here and those facing traditional Korean neighborhoods in Seoul – how cultures preserve memory when physical spaces transform or disappear. As someone who documents cultural practices professionally, I was moved by how the people of Telč maintain awareness of this heritage even as its physical traces diminish.

For this exploration, I relied heavily on my travel journal to record inscriptions and architectural details. Taking rubbings of the tombstones (with appropriate permission) created meaningful souvenirs that connected us to the town's multicultural past.