Those who built the castles of the Czech Republic many centuries ago probably could not even imagine that hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world would someday walk along them.
In the Czech Republic, castles were built for practical reasons - to protect against the troops of various enemy states who dreamed of seizing the we alth and lands of this country.
Medieval fortresses were repeatedly rebuilt in subsequent centuries. Castles of the Czech Republic gradually turned from military fortresses into luxurious residences of noble families (Lichensteins, Schwarzenbergs and others), as well as monarchs. However, the powerful towers and their walls, growing out of the rocks, still demonstrated inaccessibility and grandeur.
Castles of the Czech Republic are a source of artistic impressions for modern tourists. At the same time, it is an opportunity to look at the life of their inhabitants through the ages. Almost all the castles of the Czech Republic mentioned in this article are located near Prague.
Prague Castle
Going to the Czech capital, you should definitely visit this most famous castle in the country. This is the central attraction of the city. Prague Castle was the main residence of Czech kings (today - presidents). It grew out of a fortress built in 880 on this site. Prague Castle has since gone through periods of neglect and several devastating raids. However, time passed, and he was reborn again, personifying the inviolability of the power of the monarch.
Prague Castle today is an architectural museum that has collected particles from different eras of history behind its walls. The most ancient "exhibits" are parts of the wall of the Church of the Virgin Mary erected here (they belong to the 9th century), as well as the rotunda of St. Vita (dated to the 10th century), which is "hidden" in the basement of the Cathedral of St. Vita (14th century), her majestic Gothic descendant.
Karlstein
Karlštejn is the second most visited castle in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle. Its square tower and grey-green roofs look like tourists from almost all guidebooks. Many people are attracted here by the spirit of the legendary era, which glorified the Czech kingdom throughout Europe. If you decide to see the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic, don't forget to visit Karlštejn.
The castle was built by Charles IV - the first king of the Czech Republic, who could become the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. This building was a reliable military fortification for Charles, his majestic country residence and at the same time a treasury, since works of art, jewelry, royal regalia were kept here.
Deep over the Vltava
Almost 300thousands of tourists who come every year to look at the Hluboká nad Vltava castle (Czech Republic) will agree that it is one of the most romantic and beautiful in this country. Therefore, if you want your beloved to feel like a princess from a fairy tale, be sure to visit this place together (you can even arrange a wedding ceremony here). The Czech Republic, whose castles and fortresses amaze with their grandeur, is an ideal place for a romantic trip.
Deep was built in the 13th century, but acquired its neo-Gothic splendor later, in the second half of the 19th century. This style at that time, in the romantic era, was extremely popular. Hluboka Castle (Czech Republic) is interesting both outside and inside. Inside you will find collections of various works of art, as well as luxurious historical interiors.
Chesky Krumlov
Chesky Krumlov is a unique historical monument. It is no coincidence that UNESCO included it in the list of World Heritage Sites. Cesky Krumlov is a whole old town. The castle itself rises on a rocky ledge in its center. The medieval layout of the streets has survived to this day. You can see in this place buildings belonging to a variety of architectural eras (from the 14th to the 19th century). About 300,000 tourists come here every year to smell the past.
Konopiste
The most famous of all the inhabitants of this castle is Archduke Ferdinand. It was with the murder of this man that the First World War began. However, tourists are attracted here not only by this fact. Konopiste, a Gothic castle, is located in a very picturesque place. It is located on the wooded shore of the lake.
In addition, here you can find the largest collection of historical weapons in Europe, as well as hunting trophies and armor, not counting fine art and majolica collections.
Sychrov
Sychrov was never a military facility. It was created at the end of the 17th century, when chivalrous times had long been forgotten. Sychrov became a castle-estate, made in the French spirit, which was brought here by Rogan-Rochefort, its owners. They collected a very interesting collection of paintings here, but the main treasures of the castle were miniatures of the 16th century, a collection of antique furniture, a luxurious library, the Dvorak Museum, carved wood interiors, and the ghost of the "black lady".
Locket
Loket Castle (Czech Republic) is visited by those who want to look at real antiquity. It is one of the best in the country, which has almost completely preserved its medieval appearance: powerful towers, small windows, stone walls. Loket especially stands out among the rest of the castle-palaces, luxuriously decorated, with its serious and gloomy look. But this is to be expected from a building that is a border fortress, built not at all for entertainment, on an impregnable bend in the Ohri River.
Romanesque rotunda, dating back to the 12th century, is considered the oldest of the other buildings that make up Loket Castle (Czech Republic). The Museum of Czech Porcelain awaits you inside. Products from itfamous Karlovy Vary region. You will also find a bookbinding museum and an ancient prison in the basement with instruments of torture on display.
Orlik over the Vltava
Describing the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic, it is impossible not to mention Orlik over the Vltava. The name "Orlik" is an echo of the memory of the eagles that once lived in the vicinity of this place. The building itself is located on a high rocky promontory that cuts into the river. Orlik Castle (Czech Republic) itself resembles the nest of a majestic mountain bird. Now, when the waters of the Vltava River, the Orlitsky Reservoir, have crept close to the walls, hiding the peaks that surrounded it, we still do not cease to admire the charm of the white carved towers of this castle shining against the sky.
Travelers, in addition, are attracted here by a colorful, but very interesting exposition, which combines the historical relics of the Schwarzenbergs, a famous family. Also very interesting is the collection of firearms dating back to the 17th-20th centuries, the library, hunting trophies and the archaeological collection, which presents exhibits from the times of Troy.
Melnik
This castle is loved by tourists not only for the picturesque area, but also for Mount Rzhip, a national shrine. The architecture of the Renaissance, the Lobkowitz family collections and historical interiors are very interesting here. Melnik is also the center of winemaking in the Czech Republic. Charles IV, the emperor himself, brought the grapevine here from Burgundy, and set up the production of the famous drink with the help of the French. In the cellars of the castle today you canappreciate Czech wine we alth.
Lednice
Lednice Castle in the Czech Republic, belonging to the possession of the Liechtensteins, is a magnificent example of the so-called "new Gothic". It was created on the site of a medieval castle that used to be here. Lednice is part of a 200 km complex2, which includes a huge park and the baroque V altice Palace.
The park, which is called the "Garden of Europe", is a true masterpiece of landscape architecture, made in the landscape style of England. Interesting finds await those who decide to walk along it: pavilions, temples, gazebos, ponds, a cave and artificial "ruins", a minaret, an aqueduct and others.
Cesky-Sternberk
This impregnable Gothic structure rises menacingly over the Sazava River. Sternberg Castle in the Czech Republic is one of the most visited and ancient in this country. It was founded on the site of an ancient fortification in the 13th century. The castle is the family nest of the Sternbergs, the richest and most famous noble family in the Czech Republic.
The halls are richly decorated. Impressive is the Knights' Hall, the largest of the ceremonial halls, decorated with unique crystal chandeliers dating back to the 18th century. Each of them weighs 300 kg. There is furniture in this room, which has served the owners since the 16th century. Carl Brentan, an Italian artist, painted the ceiling here.
Sternberg Castle in the Czech Republic was nationalized after the war, and only in1992 returned to Zdenek von Sternberg, the last owner who lives here permanently and sometimes conducts tours.
These are the main castles of the Czech Republic. I would like to tell you about another interesting place that can be found in this country. We are talking about the city of Kutna Hora.
Church of Bones
In the Czech Republic there is an unremarkable small town of Kutna Hora. Here, as in other small settlements, there is a church, a town hall and some kind of square.
He probably would have remained unknown if not for the plague epidemic that occurred in the 14th century, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, and if some woodcarver after 5 centuries had not decided to "put in order" the remains of these dead.
The church was decorated with bones and skulls. Kutna Hora has since become a favorite destination for tourists from all over the world, who are attracted by everything mysterious and gloomy.
History of the Ossuary
Otakar II, king of Bohemia, sent an abbot to Palestine around the second half of the 13th century. The abbot brought some land from a business trip abroad. He scattered it around the cemetery. The land, it must be said, was unusual. The priest took her to Golgotha - the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, according to the New Testament.
Since then, the land in the city of Kutna Hora has been considered sacred. It was rumored that the body began to decompose here only on the third day after the person was buried. Soon the fame of the Holy Land located in the center of Europe spread to other countries. Many famous people from variousstates wanted to be buried in the city of Kutna Hora at the local cemetery.
The plague spread in Bohemia in the 14th century. Thousands of relatives from all over the world were carrying the dead to the place where there was a piece of the Holy Land.
Epidemics and medieval wars also contributed to the fact that the cemetery grew more and more. A Gothic cathedral was erected on it in 1400. His tomb was a pantry for the bones that were taken from the graves.
The name of the person who first came up with the idea of ordering all these bone heaps, unfortunately, is unknown. It is believed that he was one half-blind monk. It was he who dismantled the rubble of skulls and bones and built 6 pyramids from them.
After 400 years, the emperor ordered this cathedral to be closed. Then the Schwarzenberg family decided to buy the church along with the lands around. Since there was nowhere to sell the rest of the land, the Schwarzenbergs decided to hire an "interior designer" to somehow transform this area. Frantisek Rinta, woodworker, approached the task quite creatively. Now we can see a unique piece of art.
Church Interior
Nothing special church, located in this city, the outside is no different. We see a somewhat gloomy building, surrounded by slabs and stone monuments. However, as you know, looks can often be deceiving. Everything changes once you get inside.
There are small pyramids of bones in each corner of this building. A huge beautiful chandelier hangs in the middle. It consists of human bones of all kinds. A separate element of decor is the chandelier in the cathedral. Hundreds of tourists are eager to get inside this temple because of it. If you look closely, you can see that it is attached to the ceiling with its jaws. It is hard to imagine, but in this church there are bones of people whose number exceeds 40 thousand.
The castle of bones in the Czech Republic is the main attraction of Kutná Hora. In addition, you can visit the national museum located here, the mint, as well as the Cathedral of St. Barnabas, and just walk along the beautiful and atmospheric streets of the city.
