Konopiště

Konopiště was founded around 1294 by the Prague bishop Tobiáš of Benešov. Inspired by French fortresses, he built a castle with cylindrical towers, 4 gates and a drawbridge. In 1327, it became the property of the Šternberk family for 275 years. In the 17th - 19th century, many aristocratic families took over his possession. In the 18th century it underwent reconstruction in the Baroque style. Subsequently, the chateau was bought in 1887 by František Ferdinand d´Este, who rebuilt Konopiště in a historicist style. He had electricity and water installed on the lock, and a hydraulic lift installed. He placed his extensive collections of hunting trophies and weapons here. He created a park with the Rose Garden around the chateau. In 1921, the descendants of František Ferdinand were handed over to the state and partially opened to the public. During World War II, the main staff of SS units was stationed here.

When visiting the castle, you will look into the representative and guest rooms, where a lot of period furniture, historical paintings and porcelain are installed. Not only in the hunting hall, you will see game trophies caught by Archduke František Ferdinand. In the large festive dining room you can see the ceiling fresco from the early 18th century. In the north wing you will visit the oldest spaces of the castle with Gothic and Renaissance vaults in the chapel of St. Huberta. You will have the opportunity to see one of the most valuable and important collections of weapons. The Estonian Armory includes cold and firearms, mostly of Italian and German provenance from the 15th - 19th centuries.

A very non-traditional exhibition awaits you on the site of a large stables in the courtyard of the castle. In 1900, a curious shooting range was ceremoniously opened here, which consists of several movable automatic targets, which are combined with an acoustic announcement of an attack. There is also a part for sharp shooting from a small shotgun and a bowling alley. The shooting range was a purely private manor shooting range, intended for the entertainment of František Ferdinand and his friends. It is a completely unique monument, which has no analogues in any other building in the Czech Republic.

Konopiště Castle is almost a place of pilgrimage for all hunters, but not only they will learn a lot of interesting things here.

Author: Marie Bukovinská