The southwestern part of Masaryk Square is dominated by an extensive castle complex. From the square, through the northern gate, you enter the area of the magnificent Renaissance castle with sgraffito squarework and a tower. In the castle, for example, you can see the Renaissance castle rooms from the time of the last Rožmberks, Vilém and Petr Vok.
Few of our cities can boast of two castles. Dačice is one such city. In the city you will find the New Castle and the Old Castle. On Havlíčková náměstí stands the New Castle, originally a Renaissance building from the 16th century, which in the 19th century acquired an Empire form. The new castle is a four-wing empire building with a baroque prismatic tower at the rear facade.
The original Gothic castle Český Krumlov was founded in the middle of the 13th century by the lords of Krumlov, one of the branches of the powerful Vítkov family with the coat of arms of a five-leaf rose. In the 14th century, the castle was owned by the lords from Rožmberk, who also moved here. In the 17th century, the castle was owned by the noble Eggenberg family, who had it rebuilt into a baroque castle and established castle gardens. Then from the beginning of the 18
From the port of Předmostí, follow the red-marked tourist path to the castle, which is approximately 7 km away. In particular, some families with smaller children will welcome the fact that they can drive all the way to the settlement of Svatý Tomáš, and from there it is only 0,5 km to the castle. This settlement of Svatý Tomáš got its name from the Gothic church of St. Thomas from the 14th century.
Nové Hrady, the monumental Gothic castle of the Rožmberks from the 13th century, stands on the northern edge of the Novohradské mountains. The castle protected the so-called Czech path leading from Bohemia to Austria. In 1620 Emperor Ferdinand II. ceded the castle to the noble Buquoy family, who held it until the middle of the 20th century.
The small town of Hluboká nad Vltavou is inextricably linked with the Neo-Gothic castle. However, you can comfortably spend the whole day in this town and its surroundings and visit other very attractive places for tourists. However, let's stick to tradition and visit the local castle first. The originally Gothic royal castle was rebuilt in the following centuries into a Renaissance and Baroque castle. During the reign of Prince Jan Adolf II.
On the promontory above the confluence of the Nežárka and the Hamerského potok, a fortified, Slavic, princely citadel stood as early as the 10th century. At the beginning of the 13th century, a castle was founded here, the holder of which was as early as 1220 Jindřich, the eldest son of the founder of the Vítkov family, Vítek from Prčice. The castle and chateau of Jindřichův Hradec stands above the Malý Vajgar pond, which is adjacent to the Velký Vajgar pond with a charming island.
Every lover of nature and art should go on a day trip to Prague's Troja and visit the Troja Castle, or in other words the Troja Castle. Here, there are three major tourist attractions in close proximity: the Baroque Castle, the Zoo and the Botanical Garden. The baroque castle Trója is located on the northern outskirts of Prague on the right bank of the Vltava in the Troj basin. It was built in the 17th century.
The entrance to the Vyšehrad area in the direction of Pankrác leads through two Baroque gates, Táborská and Leopoldová. Near the Táborská gate stands the remains of a medieval gate called Špička from the 14th century, which houses an information center. In the direction of Nuselské údolí, the area is entered through the empire-style Nova, or Cihelní gate.
Prague Castle is a symbol of more than a thousand years of development of the Czech state, which has been continuously developing for eleven hundred years since its creation at the end of the 9th century. It is a monumental complex of palace, official, church, fortification and residential buildings of all styles. Prague Castle is spread around three courtyards on an area of 45 hectares.
The originally Gothic Žleby Castle was built by Henry of Lichtenburg at the end of the 13th century. The castle was later rebuilt into a Renaissance and Baroque castle. In the middle of the 19th century, the then owner, Prince Karel Vincenc Auersperg, had it rebuilt in neo-Gothic style according to English designs.
Originally a Gothic castle of the French castle type, it was later modified in the Renaissance style and rebuilt into a Baroque castle. At the end of the 19th century, the new owner, heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke František Ferdinand ď Este, had the Konopiště castle rebuilt in the spirit of historicizing romanticism and placed his valuable collections here.
Průhonický Castle, which was originally a Romanesque fortified fortress, was rebuilt into a Gothic castle and later into a Renaissance and Classicist castle, just a short distance outside Prague. At the end of the 19th century, Count Arnošt Emanuel Silva-Tarouca, who came from an old Portuguese noble family, had the castle romantically rebuilt in the style of the Czech Neo-Renaissance.
Karlštejn is our most famous and most important castle, it is simply the king of Czech castles. The castle was built in the middle of the 14th century, on the terraces of limestone rocks near the Berounka river, by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the King of Bohemia, Charles IV. The castle served as a place to store the imperial crown jewels, the remains of saints and for the monarch to rest and meditate.
Kokořín Castle was built in the first half of the 14th century by the Berk family from Dubé. The castle in the region of sandstone rocks and forests was conquered and destroyed by the Hussites in 1426. However, the castle was repaired and inhabited until the beginning of the 16th century. Then the owners abandoned it and the dilapidated buildings of Kokořín were taken over by gangs of robbers. It is said that the famous Petrovšti robbers also had their headquarters here.
Křivoklát Castle stands in the protected landscape area of Křivoklátsko, which was registered among the UNESCO biosphere reserves. The original Přemysl castle, in the middle of deep forests by the Rakovnické stream, was rebuilt and newly fortified at the beginning of the 12th century. In the 13th century, a Gothic castle was built here, which served as a hunting castle. King Wenceslas I of Bohemia was known for his passion for hunting.
Krakovec Castle, near Rakovník, was built between 1381 and 1383 by Jíro z Roztok, a favorite courtier of the Czech king Wenceslas IV. Krakovec was a magnificent building with living comfort comparable to royal castles. During its construction, defense was not emphasized, the castle had wide staircases, large windows, and there were also few shots fired in the defense tower.
We will go on one more trip from Drábské světniček, this time to the castle in Mnichov Hradiště. It is located approximately 6 km east of the rock castle and can be reached by following the red and blue marked tourist path. Directly below the Drábské světničky rock castle is the village of Dneboh, where you can see a natural attraction.
From the rock castle of Drábská světničky, follow the red-marked tourist path to the next rock castle of Valečov. It is only about 3 km and the path leads between the rocks below the top of Mužský mountain. Before long you will come to the charming village of the same name. There are beautiful wooden cottages in the village of Mužský, and the village has been declared a village heritage zone.
On the western edge of the Bohemian Paradise, near the town of Mnichova Hradiště, stands the interesting rock castle Drábská světničky. You can get to it from the village of Březiny by following a 3 km yellow marked tourist path. Drábské světničky Castle is one of the most sought-after attractions of the Bohemian Paradise.