Jon Searles' photos with the keyword: hradec kralove

I took this one in Hradec Kralove, a city in the far east of Bohemia, just on the border with Moravia. These are all Class 130 electrics from the 1970s, built by Skoda, and they're not particularly fast or impressive, although it should be noted that they still are important in Kralovsky Kraj, the region in question, working locals and freights, out of line with the norm of EMUs handling local services. Notice the water spout between the units on the right!!!! Ceskoslovenske Drahy (the old pre-1993 operator) didn't get rid of steam until 1982, and many of their steamers are still in mainline excursion service, so a lot of the steam infrastructure is still in place, up to and including roundhouses and steam shops!!!

This is one of the most spectacular art deco railway stations in the Czech Republic, even if it's not in mint condition (it is, actually, in fairly decent condition). This stained glass window (whether real or painted), depicting the old CSD logo, is my favorite part.

I look at Hradec Kralove Hlavni Nadrazi (the main train station, as Hlavni Nadrazi means main station in Czech), and I think of it as a great art deco building. Nevertheless, I'm no expert, so if it's really cubist or something please let me know. :-) In addition to being an important mainline station for the whole region, and for that matter for the Czech Republic, it's also a local landmark of sorts. The cantenary you see above, by the way, is not for trains or trams, but for trolleybuses, or unibuses as I've sometimes heard them called. In Czech, a trolleybus called a trolejbus.

The Vychodoceska Muzeum (Museum of East Bohemia) in Hradec Kralove is as much known for its own architecture as for its collections. Designed by Jan Kotera (1871-1923, often confused with his student Josef Gocar, 1880-1945) in 1909, it was completed in 1912, and is now considered one of 's masterpieces, as well as one of the best surviving examples of cubist architecture in the world.

I took this from the main bell tower (I think it's the one called the White Tower) overlooking Staromestske Namesti in Hradec Kralove, although here I'm looking to the right of the square to get a shot of the spires on The Church of the Holy Spirit. I just liked how the shot looked. :-)

Here's one of the Hradec Kralove transit authority's trolejbuses (trolleybuses, etc. in English). They're quiet, clean, and pretty reliable, although the routes tend to circle the city centre rather than going straight in, and they're about as rough-riding and uncomfortable as any other buses. Cool idea, though, and practical.

This train was an express, or Ryklik, which was running nonstop through Hradec Kralove. It wasn't going very fast, but I still figured this would be a good motion shot, although I didn't pan this one.