Castles & Chateaux's Ceremonies
KARLSTEJN CASTLE (Civil and church ceremonies)
High Gothic castle founded in 1348, which has a unique position among Czech castles. It was built by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV as a place for safekeeping of the royal treasures, especially Charles's collection of holy relics and the coronation jewels of the Roman Empire. The first stay of Charles IV in the castle is documented in 1355 when he came to supervise the building works as well as the decoration of interiors, especially the castle chapels. The construction of the castle was finished in 1365 when the Chapel of the Holy Cross situated in the Great tower was consecrated.
At the outbreak of the Hussite wars the castle became the place for safekeeping of the Czech coronation jewels, which were kept here, with the exception of several short-time breaks, for nearly 200 years. The castle was reconstructed in late Gothic style after 1480 and in Renaissance style in the last quarter of the 16th century. The present appearance of the castle comes from the last reconstruction, which was carried out in the purist neo-Gothic style by architect Josef Mocker at the end of the 19th century.
Very impressive is the original step-like order of buildings. From the Well tower and Burgrave's palace located as the lowest you walk up to the majestic five-storied Imperial palace and further up towards the Marian tower. And finally at the top of the headland stands the monumental 60m high and separately fortified Great tower.
Points of interest:
Entirely unique is the original decoration of wall paintings dating back to the 14th century, collection
of 129 panel paintings by Master Theodoric in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (the world largest if its kind),
the largest portrait gallery of Czech rulers in the country, exhibited replica of St. Wenceslas crown -
the coronation crown of the Czech Kings as well as the unique castle well.
KŘIVOKLÁT CASTLE (Civil and church ceremonies)
Křivoklát Castle is one of the oldest and most important castles of the princes and kings of Bohemia. Its beginnings date back to the 12th century. Duringe the rule of Přemysl Otakar II. and Vencel (Václav) II. a large, magnificent royal castle originated which was considerably rebuilt by Vencel IV. and later added to on a grand scale by Vladislav Jagello.
Křivoklát was heavily damaged by fire on several occasions. It became a greatly feared prison and its importance rapidly declined. The period of romantism of the 19th century and particularly the Fürstenberks, who owned the castle until 1929, saved the building from falling into decay and secured its restoration. The magnificent castle chapel, the Royal Hall and the Hall of Knights with exhibitions of Gothic paintings and sculptures, the library containing 53 000 volumes, the rich Fürstenberk museum and picture gallery, the notorious prison and torture chamber with instruments of torture, the monumental great tower with hunting collections and a splendid view of the environs, a pleasant walk along the fortification galleries, the renowned tower called Huderka with the so-called black kitchen and an observation terrace, functional replicas of Gothic tiled stoves, the gallery where exhibitions of old and contempoary creative art take place from time to time - all these and many other features from Křivoklát Castle, which is a national cultural monument.
KONOPIŠTĚ CASTLE (Civil and church ceremonies)
The Konopiště castle was founded as a gothic fortres after model of french castles in the end of the 13th century, probably by the Prague's bishop Tobiáš of Benešov. The first intervention to the medieval stricture was made in the end of the 15th century by Jiří of Šternberk than in the beginning of 17th century by the Hodějovští of Hodějovice. The Vrbovští of Vrtba changed Konopiště to a barogue residence in the 18th century. The archduke Franz Ferdinadn who bought the chateau in 1887 from the Lobkovičtí, reconstructed Konopiště to a maginificent seat of the intending emporor. The chambres of the chateau were eguiped with the museum collections whose basis come from an inheritance after the Modena´s duke. At the area of the barogue garden The Rose garden with hot house was built.
DOBŘÍŠ CHATEAU (Civil and church ceremonies)
The rococo chateau with its expressive plastery descends from 1745-1765, when its reconstruction realized Jindřich Pavel Mansfeld. His daughter Marie Isabella got married with František Gundakar Colloredo. This was the foundation of the noble stock Colloredo-Mansfeld, which was staying untill the second world war. In 1942 was the chateau expropriated by the nacis and in 1945 it revolved to the state and was used for about 50 years as the home of writers. In 1998 it was returned together with the French and English Park into private property. The nowadays owner is Dipl. Ing. Jerome Colloredo-Mansfeld.
HLUBOKÁ CHATEAU (Civil and church ceremonies)
The oldest predecessor to the present-day chateau was an early Gothic castle built around 1250. In the Middle Ages the castle was alternately an aristocratic property and a site of royal administration. In 1562 King Ferdinand I sold Hluboká together with inheritance rights to the Lords of Hradec who changed the castle into a Renaissance stately home. A century later the Hluboká estate was bought off by Jan Adolf I of Schwarzenberg, a noted European diplomat and the founder of the family branch which had stayed in South Bohemia for almost three hundred years. At the beginning of the 18th century Prince Adam František, Jan Adolf's grandson, had the chateau rebuilt in Baroque style by P. I. Bayer and his successor E. Martinelli.
In the latter half of the 19th century Prince Jan Adolf II and his wife Eleonora ordered another reconstruction, this time in the Romantic style. After their return, they invited a Viennese architect Franz Beer to take charge of the rebuilding project. In 1840 the demolition of the castle proceeded from the back wing towards the entrance gate and, in the course of time, its Baroque style gradually changed into the picturesque style of Tudor Gothic. It should be noted that Hluboká castle used to be surrounded by a large settlement which had been removed before the reconstruction began. Another architect, Ferdinand Deworetsky, also played a prominent role in the castle's reconstruction when he took control of the work after Beer's death. The reconstruction was completed in 1871. Although the Schwarzenbergs never lived in Hluboká permanently, they maintained it with great care.
In 1939 the last owner of Hluboká, Prince Adolf Schwarzenberg, left for Italy to escape the Nazis and subsequently moved to the United States. Since he did not return after the war, the possessions of the Schwarzenberg's inheritance by birthright were placed under then the Czechoslovak state administration and later, under the law introduced by the state in 1947, became the property of the then Czechoslovak Republic.
Hluboká is without a doubt one of the most beautiful castles in Bohemia. The walls and ceilings of the stately halls on the first story of the castle are paneled with precious wood with unusually rich workmanship and carving decoration. The bedroom and dressing room of princess Eleonor, the Hamilton's closet and the reading room are all decorated with paintings by European masters of the 16th - 18th centuries, beautiful chandeliers, late Renaissance window panes, and Delft china. The most precious pieces of furniture are situated in the Morning Drawing Room and complemented with painted Chinese vases from the 18th century.
ČERVENÁ LHOTA CHATEAU (Civil and church ceremonies)
Červená Lhota Castle is located in Southern Bohemia, approximately 20 kilometers from Jindrichuv Hradec. It stands at the middle of a lake on a rocky island. It is connected to the land by a stone bridge. Červená Lhota Castle is one of the most frequented castles in the Czech Republic. It has been visited by approx. 120 000 people, and another 80 000 visitors have come to see the area around the castle.
First mention of Cervena Lhota is from the year 1465. Between the years 1542 – 1555, original Gothic fortress was rebuilt to a Renaissance mansion, it was called Nova Lhota. Between the years 1658 – 1678, there were some early baroque modifications done and at the same time, Italian artists decorated the interiors. Jindřich Eduard Schönburg - Hartenstein owned the castle from the year 1835 until 1945, and before that, the castle was owned by many other families. 1841 – 1863 the castle was rebuilt into Neo-Gothic style, together with interiors and later on into Neo-Renaissance style. In the year 1945 the castle was seized on account of Beneš decrees. The year after that was in the castle located the children's convalescence hospital. In May 1947 Červená Lhota was granted to a National Culture Commission and in the year 1949 was opened to the public.
There is also a Castle park, which is appreciated by botanists and conservationists. Castle’s Chapel is located in the park and belongs to the castle. At the present time, Červená Lhota Castle is a National Monument and is hold by National Monument Institute at České Budějovice.
ŠTIŘÍN CHATEAU (Civil and church ceremonies)
The first mentions about settlement of the region around the Štiřín Chateau date back to a period before Christ. The abundance of water that was found here was a prerequisite for life in the settlements of those times. The most ancient nation known to us, which settled in this picturesque landscape, were the mysterious Celts. From those ancient times, only circular bulwarks remain, which protected the tribes of those times from attacks of beasts of prey and uninvited guests. However, Celts did not live in this territory only because of water and an abundance of food; they found gold in this area. In spite of that, they left the region for unknown reasons.
Many years later, around 500 A. D., Slavs made use of their well-situated fortified settlements, and continued to lead life in the same way. At the beginning of the second millennium, they became more cultivated and spread to the surrounding areas. At the beginning of the 15th century, a fort was built near the then settlements, a few kilometres to the northwest. The king, Maximilian, spent the night in this fort during his first journey to Prague as the king in 1562. After the Thirty Years War, the fort was reconstructed to become a chateau with a garden and, in 1750, during the period of the countship of Salm-Reifferscheid, the building was rebuilt to become a lofty three-wing single-storey late-Baroque residence, whose middle wing leads, with its massive stairway bay with a balcony to a court of honour formed by lateral wings and there is a rectangular chapel raised to the height of the building and annexed to the northwest lateral wing. The front of the chateau facing the garden has open double-flight French stairs decorated with stone vases. Three vaulted rooms on the ground floor have remained from the original fort.
1822, the demesne of Štiřín with the chateau was gained by Prince Rohan and, nine years later, by Count Nostic-Rheinek, during whose ownership, further constructional alterations were made. In 1870, the demesne of Štiřín along with the village of Popovice were bought by František Ringhoffer from Kamenice, a copper-forger and a kettle-smith, whose dynasty owned the chateau until 1945. During this era, the last reconstruction of the chateau took place, specifically reconstruction of the north wing and the entrance part, and electric lighting was installed.
The historically most valuable and best-preserved rooms in the interior of the chateau are found on the first floor. Today, they are used as conference halls and parlours for guests. In 1985 – 1993, the monument was rehabilitated in a completely extraordinary way and the works were carried out in an exceptionally sensitive manner with the aim of using the building as a hotel.
Today, it is possible to rank these premises, including the park around the chateau, among the best-maintained historical buildings in the Czech Republic.
ČESKÝ KRUMLOV CHATEAU (Civil and church ceremonies)
The tall rock cliffs jutting out over the Vltava river was populated long before the oldest parts of today's castle and church were founded. The first settlement of the castle promontory dates back to the Bronze Age. The original Gothic castle was founded by the Lords of Krumlov some time before 1250. They represented a branch of the powerful family of the Witigonen with the five-petalled rose in their coat-of-arms. When the Lords of Krumlov died out in 1302, their relatives the Rosenbergs inherited the castle. The Rosenbergs family had their seat there up till 1602. Their name as well as the three centuries of their rule is connected with the greatest era of flourish of the town and castle. In the second half of the 16th century the castle acquired the form of a mighty and splendid Renaissance residence. At that time the rulers of the Rosenberg dominion represented eminent personalities among Bohemian aristocracy, educated humanists, patrons of the culture and arts, and prominent politicians all filling the highest posts within Bohemian Kingdom.
In 1602, the Emperor Rudolf II. von Habsbursg bought the Krumlov dominion. Afterwards, the Emperor Ferdinand II. von Habsbursg donated the royal demesne to the Prince Johann Ulrich von Eggenberg who was the representative of an Austrian princely dynasty. It was not until their third generation that, in the 1680's, thanks to Johann Christian I. von Eggenberg, more intensive development of farming, building activities and arts was evident and the Český Krumlov Castle surmounted the period of provincial backwardness and stagnation in economy and arts resulting from the Thirty Years' War. Johann Christian I. von Eggenberg converted Český Krumlov into an impressive Baroque seat.
As the Eggenbergs died out without successors in 1719, the new dynasty - the princely lineage of the Schwarzenbergs - inherited Krumlov. As early as in their second generation Joseph Adam zu Schwarzenberg showed his creative personality. A deft and enterprising businessman as well as a passionate art lover, he played an important role in the far-reaching reconstructions of the castle. Inclination towards the culture of the imperial residence in Vienna contributed to the enrichment of building innovations as well as of social life at the castle with the cultural impetus of European importance. Towards the end of the 18th century, and especially in the 19th century, the protracted stagnation of art and economy became evident, and after the middle19th century the Český Krumlov Castle lost its role as the main residence of the Krumlov-Hluboká Schwarzenberg branch and was not regularly inhabited even in the 20th century. In 1947, the Schwarzenberg property, including Český Krumlov, was transferred to the Czech provincial properties and after the abolition of the provincial system it became the property of the Czechoslovak State in 1950.
