Perhaps it's the holiday season or perhaps it's an after effect of the gloom cast by the dark economic tidings in Europe, but whatever the case, the Czech tourist industry around Prague has noticed a marked increase in visits to sacred sites including churches, chapels and cloisters. The added travel is a welcome boon for the nation's economy, and the sites have done all they can to further attract visitors.

It’s a new phenomenon in the Czech tourist industry: a list of pilgrimage sites, cloisters, churches and chapels that are visitor-friendly and offer more than the chance to attend mass or admire the church’s interior. Many of these places offer traditional guided tours by the priests themselves or by young tour guides.

The tour of the Milevsko monastery lasts as long as visitors want it to take and none of their questions goes unanswered. Originally it was conducted by the priests themselves but the interest was so great that soon they had to employ professional tour guides to help out. Jakub Karel Berka is one of the premonstratensians who gives tours of the place.

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