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Easter holidays are associated with a number of typical dishes, on Spy (Holy) Wednesday Czechs would traditionally eat a special fluffy shredded pancake (“Trhanec”) because the food was meant to look ugly, on Maundy Thursday (in Czech called Green Thursday) they would include something green (generally cooked with parsley, spinach or young stingy nettles) and on Good Friday, a fasting day, fish and thick broth. Holy Saturday was reserved for the Easter stuffing and sweet Easter bread. The Sunday feast on the Resurrection Sunday then apart from sweet filled rolls, Easter bread and plaited sweet rolls also included meat-based stock and various roast. As many families could not afford a roasted lamb, this was gradually replaced by a lamb-shaped sponge cake.

Czech Easter would not be Easter without the round sweet Easter bread (Mazanec). This bread was traditionally baked on Holy Saturday and then taken to a church to be blessed by a priest. This recipe is based on an old Easter dessert where slices of bread were soaked in wine and covered with honey or honey and almonds. Ingredients and recipes varied not only between regions but also according to each baker’s resources. Some Easter breads use only the yeast dough while others include a lot of almonds and raisins or even nuts and dried fruit. The dough was sometimes kept moist by adding cream or quark. After shaping the dough, the baker made two cross-cuts on the top with a sharp knife. This was not only about Christians symbols; it also has practical reasons as the cuts allow the dough to rise, they also allow steam to escape during baking and prevent the surface of the bread from tearing.

Why include a lamb-shaped cake (sponge, quark or yeast-based) on the festive Easter table? The lamb has long been a symbol of purity, spring and new life. While Christian iconography uses the lamb as a symbol of Christ and the crucifixion, the lamb was a frequent sacrificial offering long before Christianity. As times went, lamb meat became for many unaffordable and was gradually replaced, initially by a lamb made from sheep cheese and finally by a sweet lamb-shaped Easter dessert. A word of warning - to execute this recipe you will need a special baking mould but also a certain amount of dexterity. However, the result is definitely worth it!

These buns, mostly shaped to look like a noose or a rolled rope, to remind us of the fate of Judas who hanged himself after betraying Jesus, are traditionally baked in the evening of Spy (Holy) Wednesday. The legend goes that if you eat one of these buns during the sunrise on Maundy Thursday, you will be protected from human betrayal, snake bites and even bee stings for the following year. If you cannot face getting up before the sunrise, you should be still quite safe having these buns for the Maundy Thursday breakfast.

The museum is located in a magnificent building designed by the famous architect Jan Kotěra and built in 1909-1912. Here you can see scientific, archaeological, ethnographic and historical collections as well as art and coin collections from prehistoric times to the present day.

Breakfast, weekly menus, dinners and weekend brunches are available.

After a long winter we all welcome in the spring and, as is customary in Czech cuisine, whatever grows in the garden during springtime immediately travels to the kitchen and ultimately, of course, to the plate. In early spring, when we also celebrate Easter, this mainly includes herbs. Young nettles, for example, are chopped into Easter stuffing that comprises old bread, smoked meat and eggs. This traditional stuffing is a must at any Czech Easter table. Each family has their own recipe, but steamed and chopped nettles simply must be included!

Two opposites meet at Easter – the strictness of Lent and rich abundance. Lent is observed until the beginning of Easter, but then the exact opposite happens! The Easter period is traditionally celebrated with dozens of different meals. An interesting thing is that each region has its own traditional meals, which are often quite distinctive. However, some meals are common in almost all areas of the Czech Republic.

Enjoy the true Czech Easter! The traditional markets in cities, at castles and châteaux will take you back a few centuries and the festive Easter dishes will expand your gastronomical horizons. In short, the programme for this year’s Easter festivities is quite rich again.

Whether you are looking for a place for a romantic dinner, a family lunch or a business meeting, the ambience and cuisine of our restaurant will appeal to you with its unique atmosphere of chateau style, which combines with timeless elegance.