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Karlštejn

Come with us to the castle, which you know well from the film Night at Karlštejn.

Information for visitors

Adress: Karlštejn 172, Karlštejn
GPS: 49.93591390, 14.18463670
Karlštejn map

Interesting facts Karlštejn

One of our most famous castles was founded by Charles IV, the Czech king and Roman emperor, in 1348. It was to serve as a place to store royal treasures, collections of holy relics and imperial coronation jewels. The building was completed in 1365 with the consecration of the Chapel of St. Crosses in the Great Tower. The king has lived here since 1355, supervising the construction and decoration of the interiors, especially the castle chapels. At the beginning of the 15th century, coronation jewels were transported here, probably on the orders of Charles' son Wenceslas IV. From 1541, copies of land plates were also stored here. During the Thirty Years' War, Karlštejn was conquered by the Swedish army and after the end of the war it began to decay. It was not until 1812 that the castle was visited by Emperor Francis I, who donated money to repair it. Karlštejn has been owned by the state since 1918 and in 1962 it was declared a National Cultural Monument.


Karlštejn was built as a Gothic castle. In the 16th century, the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance and it mainly concerned the Great Tower and the burgrave's building. The last reconstruction was started in 1886 by the architect Josef Mocker, this time in the spirit of purism, which wanted to restore the castle to its original Gothic appearance.


The castle consists of several parts, which are arranged in stages according to the importance given to them by Charles IV. he added. The highest is the Great Tower, where the coronation jewels were placed in the chapel. The interior of the Chapel of the Holy Cross is decorated with gilding, precious stones and stars, the sun and the moon made of Venetian glass. The chapel was locked with nine locks and secured by a four door with thick iron plates. The area was guarded by guards. The large chapel is connected to the Marian Tower, inside which is the Church of the Virgin Mary with the sacristy. The tower is connected by a small bridge with the Imperial Palace, which served as the residence of the monarch. The palace is followed by the Burgrave's Office, which currently serves representational purposes and ceremonies. The lowest is the Well Tower, inside is a well where water was fed through a gallery from a stream flowing under the castle. A wheel was used to pull out and lower the shackle, in which people pedaled and set it in motion.


In the vicinity of Karlštejn there are several campsites, tennis courts, volleyball and soccer fields and for golf lovers an eighteen-hole golf course with a magnificent view of the castle.
 

Author: Marie Bukovinská