Prague Castle
It is the largest ancient castle in the world! With a footprint of 7.30 hectares, the castle of the Bohemian kings, emperors and Czech presidents is a real city in the city with its courtyards, alleys, chapels. The castle is dominated by the immense Gothic Saint-Guy cathedral, of which Alfons Mucha, spearhead of Art Nouveau, signed part of the stained glass windows. Here are buried the great Czech saints and sovereigns: Saint Wenceslas (patron saint of Bohemia), Saint John Nepomucen, the emperors Charles IV and Rodolphe II… The memory of Franz Kafka still floats on one of the colorful little houses in the narrow street 'or, where he lodged. And the castle? A clever blend of flamboyant Gothic (the Vladislas room), Renaissance (the Rosenberg palace), Romanesque and Baroque (St. George's basilica). And as every castle has its treasure, we have to find it in the Castle's Painting Gallery: before our eyes, works by Titian, Tintoretto, Lucas Cranach and Rubens. Royal!
Prague Castle, Hradčany, 119 08 Prague 1.
Karlštejn Castle
Karlštejn Castle was built on the orders of the Czech king and Germanic Roman emperor Charles IV to conserve royal treasures. CzechTourism / Photo press
Like our Haut-Kœnigsbourg, this fortified castle superbly overlooks the deep forest from the top of its rocky outcrop. Located 37 km from Prague, Karlštejn deserves to be reached on foot after two kilometers of walking. The reward is commensurate with the effort: here we are in Charles IV's safe! The Germanic Roman emperor built this fortress to house the crown jewels in the splendid Sainte-Croix chapel. We admire in particular the replica of the crown of Saint Wenceslas, set with pearls, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Twenty-two Czech kings wore the precious crown, which sits among the paintings of master Theodoric. It is said that Charles VI entered the chapel barefoot as a sign of humility. Women, on the other hand, had no city rights at the castle. Charles IV, married four times, wanted above all to rest in Karlštejn, far from worries and social life…
Karlstein Castle, 267 18 Karlštejn, Czechia. Phone. : +420 311 681 617.
The Lednice-Valtice area
Between the 17th and 20th centuries, the ducal family of Liechtenstein made their estates in southern Moravia an exceptional landscape. CzechTourism / Photo press
Welcome to "the garden of Europe", as it was called in the 19th century this vast group of land located on the Austrian border. Faithful servants of the Habsburg dynasty, the princes of Liechtenstein altered two magnificent castles, Lednice and Valtice, neighbors of 7 km. In Lednice, here we are in the Tudor neo-Gothic style. The visit to the state rooms and the princely apartments is a delight. The Château de Valtice radiates in pure Baroque. But even more than the castles, it is the park that must be surveyed. These 156 hectares are decorated with boating ponds, rare trees, romantic ruins, a belvedere-minaret, a Roman aqueduct, a Moorish-style water tower ... To the point that the "landscape cultural »Lednice-Valtice has been listed since 1996 on the Unesco World Heritage list. To spoil nothing, the village of Valtice is a Mecca for Moravian and Bohemian wine.
The Lednice-Valtice area, Zámek 1, 691 44 Lednice. Phone. : +420 519 340 128.
Litomyšl Castle
Litomyšl Castle is a remarkable example of a country house with Renaissance arcades, a style that originated in Italy and was later developed in Czech lands. CzechTourism / Photo press
It was in Litomyšl that Bedřich Smetana, the famous Czech composer, was born. It is therefore with an air of la Vltava (Moldova, in German) that we visit the castle of Litomyšl. With its facade topped with pediments, adorned with 8000 sgraffito and punctuated by arches of Tuscan and Ionic styles, this residence of the Pernštejn dynasty is a marvel of Renaissance style. Smetana, then a child, played the five-pedal piano in the music room. One of the halls of the castle houses a magnificent 300 kg chandelier, used for the filming of the film Amadeus , by Milos Forman. As for the vaulted undergrounds, they house works by Olbram Zoubek, one of the greatest Czech sculptors of the 20th century.
Litomyšl Castle, Jiráskova 93, 570 01 Litomyšl. Phone. : +420 461 615 067.
Vranov nad Dyjí Castle
Vranov Castle: a Baroque gem on the banks of the Dyje. CzechTourism / Photo press
In South Moravia, this beautiful Baroque castle which unfolds on a rocky outcrop dominates the Dyje valley. First a castle in the Middle Ages, Vranov was altered by an architect of the imperial court, Johann Bernhard Fischer d'Erlach. The splendor of the Habsburgs reigns supreme: logic, Austria is a stone's throw away. Renowned residence of the nobility (the Austrian emperor Charles VI came to visit the Marquise de Pignatelli), the castle contains furniture made by Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. It also contains an adorable chapel and a beautiful Ancestors' room with its magnificent Baroque fresco.
Vranov nad Dyjí Castle, Zámecká 93, 671 03 Vranov nad Dyjí, Czech Republic. Phone. : +420 515 296 215.
Kroměříž Castle and Gardens
Kroměříž is situated on an ancient ford crossing Morava, at the foot of the Chriby mountains, which dominate central Moravia. CzechTourism / Photo press
Nestled in the heart of Moravia, Kroměříž Castle is considered by Unesco to be an "exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a European Baroque princely residence and its gardens". The castle is also registered on the list of world cultural heritage since 1998. The powerful archbishops of Olomouc, of which it was the second home, lived there like princes. It is not surprising that the congress hall, a Rococo splendor illuminated with chandeliers, also caught the eye of the inescapable Milos Forman for his Amadeus . To recover from the splendours of the castle, a piece of advice: stroll through the Versailles-style gardens: straight paths, boxwood beds, plant embroidery, endless colonnades, statues and baroque pavilion ...
Episcopal Palace of Kroměříž, Sněmovní nám. 1, 767 01 Kroměříž, Czechia. Phone. : +420 573 502 011.
Zvíkov Castle
Defended by the Písek gate and a high defensive tower with a conical hairstyle, the castle of Zvikov is endowed with very beautiful elements, like the interior courtyard with arcades. CzechTourism / Photo press
First, an exceptional site. At the confluence of the Vltava (Moldova) and the Otava, Zvikov lies in wait for the enemy from a peninsula no larger than a soccer field. Enemies, there were throughout its history: the Hussites who sieged for three months in 1428, then the Habsburg army in 1618. The garrison held firm, and the walls of the castle too. It must be said that the habitable tower has walls 3 meters thick, reinforced by pointed blades to deflect the projectiles of the attackers. Today, we appreciate its pretty interior courtyard with arches, which evokes a cloister.
Zvíkov Castle, Zvíkovské Podhradí 1, 397 01 Zvíkovské Podhradí, Czech Republic. Phone. : +420 382 285 676.
Hluboká nad Vltavou Castle
Built in the 12th century, Hluboká Nad Vltavou Castle was razed by its owners, the Schwarzenbergs, who rebuilt it a little over a century ago to make it a copy of Windsor Castle. CzechTourism / Photo press
Pompous, overloaded, excessive, but dazzling! This neo-Gothic Tudor-style castle was imagined by Prince Johann Adam of Schwarzenberg on his return from England. The latter had been turned upside down by the majesty of Windsor Castle, which he had discovered on the coronation of Queen Victoria. So you have to see Hluboká as an incredible English eccentricity in South Bohemia. Like a fairytale castle, it is as white as a unicorn, bristling with eleven crenelated towers and turrets. A real wedding cake! The interior amazes: carved woodwork, rooms overloaded with furniture, tapestries, marquetry and earthenware. The monumental staircase, the morning lounge, the incredible library, the smokehouse hung in Cordoba leather are only a small part of the rooms of the castle… which has 140. Stunning!
Hluboká Castle, 373 41 Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic. Phone. +420 387 843 911.
Český Krumlov Castle
Český Krumlov Castle, dating from 1240, is listed as a national cultural heritage and is one of the main tourist attractions in the region. CzechTourism / Photo press
The second largest castle in the country (after that of Prague) overlooks the adorable ancient city of Český Krumlov, where the Vltava winds so beautifully. It takes half a day to visit this colossus, property of the Czech state. Provided with forty-some buildings, the castle passed in turn to the hands of the Rozmberk, the Habsburgs, the Eggenbergs and the Schwartzenbergs, the fine flower of the Czech aristocracy. Climb to the top of its tower, stroll on the multi-storey bridge which spans the moat, admire the coach which seems to have been immersed in a golden bath ... In the evening, listen to an opera in the baroque theater which has kept its decor. origin. In the castle gardens, an astonishing open-air theater, the stands of which are mobile, allows you to attend ballets, plays and opera.
Český Krumlov Castle, Zámek 59, 381 01 Český Krumlov, Czech Republic. Phone. : +420 380 704 721.
Český Šternberk Castle
Stretching over a narrow rocky ridge overlooking the Sázava, this 13th century castle was altered several times over the centuries. CzechTourism / Photo press
Incredible but true: this castle has belonged to the same family for almost 780 years! Zdeněk Sternberg still lives with his family in this fortified castle, which nicely straddles its narrow rocky promontory overlooking the Sázava river. The tour allows you to get to know the Sternberg ancestors. Between copper engravings, hunting trophies, period furniture and family photos, we sail from century to century to meet the oldest living Czech family. A journey through time ! In summer, demonstration of falconry in the courtyard of the castle. Half an hour from here, don't miss an eleventh castle: Konopiště. It was here that Archduke François Ferdinand resided, whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 triggered the First World War. Passionate about hunting, the successor to the Habsburg throne has left behind him countless hunting trophies and superb armory, not to mention one of the very first electric elevators in Europe!
Český Šternberk Castle, Český Šternberk 1, 257 27 Český Šternberk, Czech Republic. Phone. : +420 317 855 101.
More info : www.czechtourism.com
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