The Czech Republic is a country of castles. Almost every town (even the smallest and most distant from the capital) has its own medieval fortress, a romantic Gothic castle with tall turrets, or a whole beautiful baroque or renaissance palace (in extreme cases, picturesque ruins reminiscent of the rich history of these places).
Once the Czech Republic was in the center of European events. Many of its kings were simultaneously emperors of the Holy Roman Empire (for example, Charles IV, so beloved by the Czechs).
In those days, there were a lot of wars for power and territories, in which, of course, the Czech nobility took an active part. And so the first castles were built, first of all, as fortified fortresses of noble families, able to withstand enemy attacks and a long siege.
Well, later, when the most troubled and dangerous times passed, the Czech aristocracy began to build chic manor castles for life, not for war, constantly rebuilding them and decorating them (and therefore very few of these architectural masterpieces "survived" to us in their original form).
Many ancient castles of the Czech Republic and now look great, attracting a huge number of tourists. The most famous of them, of course, is the Prague Castle.
And now we will try to take on a very difficult task - to choose only 10 of the most beautiful Czech castles from many beautiful ones. Of course, someone may strongly disagree with our choice, but the taste and color ...
10. Orlik (Orlik nad Vltavou)
The beautiful white Orlik castle, which now stands almost on the banks of the Vltava River, once towered above it on a high cliff and had a much more severe appearance. The first wooden fortress was built on this site back in the 13th century to protect the ford through which enemy troops could cross (as well as to levy a tax for crossing the merchants traveling here with goods). According to legend, it was founded by the leader of the local robbers, who found on this very rock, in a huge eagle's nest, its lost son.
In the XIV century, the fortress turned into a stone rectangular fortified castle in the Gothic style. Since then, it was rebuilt several times, at the beginning of the 16th century it burned down almost to the ground, but was rebuilt again, etc. Since 1719, Orlik belongs to the Schwarzenberg family, who once owned almost the entire southern Czech Republic. Now this is their only "property" in the country. It was the Schwarzenbergs who gave the castle its current neo-Gothic appearance. Today, the owner of the castle - Charles VII Schwarzenberg - willingly lets tourists into the castle. (Indeed! After all, it needs to be maintained for something).
There is something to see in the castle: very colorful, but interesting collections are collected here - from a huge library of ancient and rare books and a whole gallery of portraits of representatives of the Schwarzenberg clan (and other objects of art) to a huge collection of cold steel and firearms and military awards.
9. Konopiště
50 kilometers southeast of Prague (in a forest near the city of Benesov) there is another beautiful white castle - romantic Konopiste. In the 13th century, it was founded as a powerful Gothic fortress in the French style (with thick walls, seven towers, five gates and two drawbridges across the deep moat surrounding the fortress).
Konopiste has long been considered one of the most impregnable castles in the Czech Republic. Nevertheless, he was captured and plundered at least twice: in 1468, after a 17-month siege, he was captured by King Jiří’s troops from Podebrad, and in 1648 (during the Thirty Years War) the Swedes.
Since then Konopiste, of course, has been rebuilt more than once by the next owners. And now we can discern in it elements of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance.
One of the most important events in the history of the castle was 1887, when it was bought by the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand D’Este, who made Konopiste his residence. The romantic history of the castle is connected with Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia Hotek.
Having wished to marry Sophia, a Czech countess, not well-born to become the wife of the heir to the emperor of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand abdicated the throne for himself and his future children, deciding not to part with his beloved. Having happily lived together in Konopiste for 14 years, they both died at the hands of Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914 (which, as we remember, was the reason for the outbreak of the First World War).
The Archduke was a great lover of art: he left in his castle valuable collections of ancient tapestries, porcelain, paintings, and other beautiful objects. In addition, as an avid hunter, Franz Ferdinand collected a huge collection of medieval weapons and hunting trophies (about 4400 stuffed animals, horns, fangs, skins, etc.). All this can be admired in Konopiste and now.
8. Karlštejn
Karlstejn is the second most visited Czech castle after Prague Castle. This is partly due to the fact that it is located only 30 km from Prague. But in fact, this castle, located on a high cliff above the Berounka River, is worth a visit, and by itself, it is really beautiful. (In addition, its high walls offer magnificent views of the surroundings).
Karlstejn was founded in 1348 by order of King Charles IV as his future residence, as well as a place of storage of royal regalia and holy relics. The construction of the castle was carried out according to the project of Mathieu from Arassa (the first architect of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle). Charles IV personally controlled the entire process, which lasted 17 years.
According to the plan, the Gothic castle "climbed" up the mountain slope in steps: on the lower tier there was built a burggraph palace, a well tower and a large courtyard, above - the king’s chambers and his entourage, even higher - the Marian tower with the church of the Virgin Mary, and at the very top - A large tower with the chapel of the Holy Cross (royal treasury).
The richest (and most beautiful) room of the castle, of course, is a treasury. Venetian glass, precious stones, gilding and medieval painting were generously used in its design.
Here were stored not only Czech royal regalia (including the crown of St. Wenceslas), but also the values of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as, for example, fragments of the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ and a piece of a wooden cross on which he was crucified. All this remained in the castle until 1619 (and only once - during the Hussite Wars - treasures were exported to Prague). Today, some of those relics are in Vienna, and the other part is in Prague.
7. Sychrov
About 100 km from Prague, near the town of Liberec, there is a beautiful pink and beige Sikhrov castle. Once upon a time (in the XV-XVI centuries), this place was a severe Gothic fort, almost completely destroyed during the Thirty Years War.
At the end of the 17th century, the knight Lamott d'Frintropp built a baroque stone manor on these ruins. In the XVIII century, the estate was used for a long time actually as an agricultural farm, and seasonal workers lived in it.
But finally, in 1820 it was acquired by Karl Alain Gabriel Rogan - a representative of the French noble family of the Rogan-Rocheforts who left France due to revolutionary events and the Napoleonic wars that followed. The Rogans rebuilt Sikhrov in a neo-Gothic style and gave it its current aristocratic appearance.
The main "highlight" of the interiors of the castle is the abundance of objects and details from carved wood. Refined wooden ceilings, carved wall panels and most of the furniture were made by the famous Czech carver Peter Bushek. In addition, in Sikhrov there is a huge collection of rare books and works of art (including a large collection of French painting, 16th century miniatures, etc.).
Sikhrov is also famous for its chic English park, which has an openwork greenhouse (it is also a summer house and a venue for various events), romantic artificial ruins - Arthur Castle, a Chinese pond with a bridge, stone fountains decorated with graceful statues, etc. d.
6. Krumlov Castle (Zámek Český Krumlov)
Český Krumlov Castle is a real “city in the city”: it includes 40 buildings, five courtyards, a unique three-story Cloak Bridge and a huge park. All this was built over 6 centuries - from XIII to XIX.
Each new owner of the castle (and Krumlov had a lot of them for his long history!) Considered it his duty to make his own changes in the architecture of his property. And so today we can discern in Krumlov elements of different styles - from early Gothic to Renaissance and Rococo. In size, it is second only to Prague Castle and, of course, is the architectural dominant of the town of Cesky Krumlov. The highest pink tower of the castle has a height of 30 meters, it can be seen from afar.
The road to the castle goes through an old stone bridge, under which a fragment of the defensive moat has been preserved (and two real, fully fattened, brown bears still live in it). Inside Krumlov you can admire the old interiors, as well as collections of Baroque and Renaissance art. The castle’s special pride is the splendidly preserved Baroque theater (one of the first in Europe), with decorations, props, costumes and technical equipment.
By the way, the Krumlovsky castle is still lit only by candles and torches - it is impossible to conduct electricity there without harming the old building.
And yet, they say, it is full of ghosts. One of them is Belaya Pani, a girl who was forced to marry one of the owners of the castle. This marriage brought her only grief and pain. She cursed her husband and did not forgive even when he was lying on his deathbed. Since then, she herself has no peace.
5. Pernštejn
There are very few such places in Europe. Founded at the end of the XIII century as a family nest of the Pernshtein nobles, this castle was renovated mainly only inside - interiors changed from Gothic to Renaissance.
Outwardly, it remained almost the same as at the beginning of its long history (although, since then, Pernshtein had several new towers and bastions, and the deep moat that once surrounded the castle, on the contrary, was filled up).
This gothic architectural “pearl” is located about 40 km from Brno, on a rocky hill above the river Svratka. Such a very good location provided Pernshtein with real impregnability. During the Thirty Years War, the Swedes tried to take the castle several times, but did not succeed.
The castle’s special “zest” is the wooden gallery-passage leading from its third floor to the Barbork tower (Varvarushka, it is also the Horned Tower), notable for its balconies and hanging mashikuli loopholes (there is no other way!), And the tower “ smooth sea ”, in which they held especially important prisoners.
In Pernshtein, in addition to samples of medieval furniture, a rich library, a kitchen with a set of dishes, etc. were preserved. All this, coupled with the general brutality of the castle, made it very popular with directors. Films such as Nosferatu - the Phantom of the Night, Van Helsing, Luther and others were shot here.
4. Bouzov (Bouzov)
This Gothic castle appeared at the turn of the XIII and XIV centuries, and then it was called Buzov (by the name of its founder - Buz from Buzov). It rises on a wooded hill above the town of the same name 30 km from Olomouc.
Until the end of the 17th century, the castle passed from one Moravian family to another, until during the Thirty Years War it turned into a prison for Swedish captives. In 1696, it (along with the surrounding area) was bought by the Teutonic Order, to which Bowzov belonged until 1939. It was the Teutonic people who reconstructed the castle at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, giving it the present luxurious Romanesque appearance. And of course, now in the interiors of the castle you can see a lot of evidence of its “knightly” history.
The most spectacular sights of the Bowes Castle are its two long bridges (with active movable parts), a 58-meter “sound” tower, a neo-Gothic chapel with tombstones of the Teutonic knights resting here, luxurious Knights, Hunters and Gothic halls with antique furniture.
By the way, during the Second World War, Bouzov served as the administrative building of the SS, here the Nazis kept the values stolen in museums in the Czech Republic.
3. Vranov nad Dyj (Vranov-nad-Dyj)
The beautiful Vranov Castle stands on a high cliff above the town of the same name and the Dyya River, 16 km from Znojmo. The first mention of it is found in Czech chronicles in 1100.
Then it was a harsh Romanesque royal fortress, guarding the border of Moravia with Austria. In the XIV century, Vranov passed into private hands, changed owners many times and, of course, was constantly being rebuilt. And in 1655, it burned almost to ashes in a terrible fire.
The famous Viennese architect Jan Fischer, invited by the then owners of the castle, the noble Altan family, not only restored Vranov, but also made it the very Baroque masterpiece that we can now admire.
The 25 halls of the castle feature baroque and empire interiors, paintings and vibrant frescoes, as well as a rich collection of the once famous Vranov porcelain. Vranov’s most luxurious room is the Ancestral Hall, which tells the story of the Altan clan through “heroic” frescoes and monumental sculptures.
2. Lednice
The fabulous castle-palace Lednice is located in a place where the borders of three countries at once converge - the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia, 50 km from Brno, on the banks of the Dyja River. It is part of the Lednice-Valtitsa cultural complex, spread over 200 km² and called the “Garden of Europe”.
Lednice and the neighboring castle of Valtice (which from the 14th century until 1945 were constantly owned by the Liechtenstein family) are connected by a 7-kilometer linden alley along which a huge English park stretches with artificial ruins, a pond and the Minaret, visible from afar. The baroque castle of Valtice is slightly inferior in beauty to the neo-Gothic Lednice, but is also worth a special visit.
Originally, Lednice was a Gothic fortress and was called Aysgrub in German. Later it was rebuilt in the Baroque style and the Renaissance, was destroyed by the Swedes during the Thirty Years War, and acquired its present neo-Gothic look in the middle of the 19th century. The luxurious interiors of the castle amaze even the most sophisticated tourist. What are carved wooden spiral staircases and the same openwork coffered ceilings, chic front rooms and huge fireplaces!
And try to be sure to visit the greenhouse, in which the real exotic plants grow. Here, a special humid climate was created for them, and even the soil was brought specially from tropical countries.
1. Hluboká nad Vltavou (Hluboká nad Vltavou)
According to most Czechs (as well as tourists), the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic is snow-white and as if woven from openwork lace Hluboka nad Vltavou. This fairy tale, embodied in stone, is located on a high hill above the town of the same name (near the city of Ceske Budejovice, 140 km from Prague).
The architectural masterpiece contains 140 rooms with luxurious interiors, 11 towers with battlements and spiers, two courtyards, etc. And all this surrounds a huge English park with ponds and fountains.
Gluboka Castle was founded in the XIII century as a Gothic military fortress by King Przemysl II Otakar. During the first four centuries of its existence, Gluboka changed 26 (!) Owners, naturally, having experienced several reconstructions (from Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque). Finally, in 1660, the castle became the property of the Schwarzenberg clan (and remained so until 1945).
It was the Schwarzenbergs who gave Gluboka a new life and a new beautiful appearance: in the middle of the 19th century, Duke Jan Adolf II Schwarzenberg and his wife Eleanor visited Britain, and Eleanor, admiring the beauty of the Windsor Palace, wished to live in a castle similar to it in the Czech Republic.
And now, over the course of several decades, Gluboka gradually turned into a snow-white neo-Gothic “mini-Windsor”, attracting a lot of tourists, artists, as well as the directors willingly filming it.