Can an extensive Baroque complex stand on marshland? Yes it can. You will find one in the picturesque landscape of West Bohemia in the small town of Plasy. The Cistercian monastery founded in the 12th century does after all stand on marshland, built on more than five thousand oak piles. You can convince yourself of this inside the building in the section with an uncovered Baroque log pond, which must never be allowed to dry out so as to stop the building collapsing. That is to say that oak and water are stronger than concrete foundations. You can admire the technical parameters of the building here and at the same time, the high quality architecture of J. B. Mathey and J. B. Santini-Aichel or the extensive pharmacy exhibition. However, the icing on the cake here is Santini’s Baroque cantilevered staircase, the view from which will make your jaw drop. It is not only beautiful, but also photogenic.