Those who built the castles of the Czech Republic many centuries ago probably could not even imagine that hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world will walk through them one day.
In the Czech Republic, castles were built for practical reasons - to protect against the forces of various enemy states who dreamed of seizing the wealth and land of this country.
Medieval fortresses in the next centuriesrepeatedly rebuilt. Castles of the Czech Republic gradually turned from military fortresses into luxurious residences of noble families (Lihensteins, Schwarzenbergs and others), as well as monarchs. However, the powerful towers and their walls, growing out of the rocks, still showed inaccessibility and grandeur.
Castles of the Czech Republic for modern tourists - the sourceartistic impressions. At the same time, it is an opportunity to look at the lives of their inhabitants through the ages. There are almost all the castles of the Czech Republic mentioned in this article near Prague.
Prague Castle
Going to the Czech capital, it's worthvisit this most famous in the country castle. It is the central sight of the city. Prague Castle was the main residence of Czech kings (today - presidents). He grew up from a fort built in 880 on this site. Prague Castle has since experienced periods of oblivion and several destructive raids. However, the time passed, and he revived again, embodying the inviolability of the monarch's power.
Prague Castle today is an architectural museum,which behind its walls collected particles from different eras of history. The most ancient "artifacts" are parts of the wall of the church built here by the Virgin Mary (date back to the 9th century), as well as the rotunda of St. Vita (dates from the 10th century), which is "hidden" in the basement of the cathedral of St. Vita (14th century), its majestic Gothic descendant.
Karlštejn
Karlstejn is the second most visited castleCzech Republic after the Prague Castle. Its square tower and gray-green roofs look at tourists from virtually all the guidebooks. This attracts many people the spirit of the legendary era, which glorified throughout Europe the Czech kingdom. If you decide to see the most beautiful castles in the Czech Republic, do not forget to visit Karlstejn.
The castle was built by Charles IV - the first kingCzech, who was able to become the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. This building was a reliable military fortification for Karl, its majestic country residence and at the same time a treasure trove, as it housed works of art, jewelry, royal regalia.
Hluboka nad Vltavou
Nearly 300,000 tourists come annuallyin order to look at the castle Hluboka nad Vltavou (Czech Republic), will agree that it is one of the most romantic and beautiful in this country. Therefore, if you want your beloved to feel like a princess from a fairy tale - be sure to visit this place together (you can even arrange a wedding ceremony here). The Czech Republic, whose castles and fortresses amaze with its greatness, is an ideal place for a romantic trip.
Gluboka was built in the 13th century, but it acquiredIts neo-Gothic shine later, in the second half of the 19th century. This style at that time, in the romantic era, was extremely popular. The castle of Hluboká (Czech Republic) is interesting both outside and inside. Inside you will find collections of various works of art, as well as luxurious historical interiors.
Czech krumlov
A unique historical monument is theCzech krumlov. UNESCO did not accidentally include it in the list of World Heritage sites. Cesky Krumlov is an entire ancient city. On the rocky ledge in the center of it rises the castle itself. The medieval street layout here has survived until now. You can see in this place buildings that belong to the most diverse architectural epochs (from the 14th to the 19th century). About 300 thousand tourists come here every year to feel the fragrance of the past.
Konopiště
The most famous of all the inhabitants of this castleis Archduke Ferdinand. It was with the murder of this man that the First World War began. However, tourists are attracted here not only this fact. Konopiště, a Gothic castle, is located in a very picturesque place. It is located on the wooded shore of the lake.
In addition, here you can find the largest collection of historical weapons in Europe, as well as hunting trophies and armor, not including works of fine art and meetings of majolica.
Sikhrov
Сихров не являлся никогда военным сооружением.It was created in the late 17th century, when the knightly times had long ago been forgotten. Sikhrov became a castle-manor, executed in the French spirit, which was brought here by the Rogan-Rochefor, its owners. They collected a very interesting collection of paintings here, but the main treasures of the castle were miniatures of the 16th century, a collection of antique furniture, a luxurious library, the Dvorak Museum, carved wood interiors, and the ghost of the "black lady".
Loket
Loket Castle (Czech Republic) is visited by those who wantlook at the real antiquity. He is one of the best in the country, which has retained almost completely medieval appearance: powerful towers, small windows, stone walls. Loket is particularly distinguished from the rest of the palace-palaces, luxuriously decorated, with its serious and gloomy look. But this was to be expected from the building, which is a frontier fortress, built not at all for amusements at the inaccessible bend of the Ohře River.
Romanesque rotunda dating back to the 12th centuryIt is considered the oldest of the remaining buildings that make up the castle Loket (Czech Republic). Waiting for you inside the museum of Czech porcelain. Karlovy Vary Region is famous for its products. You will also find a book binding museum and a basement exposition of an ancient prison with torture instruments displayed here.
Orlik over Vltava
Describing the most beautiful castles of the Czech Republic, it is impossiblenot to mention Orlik over the Vltava. The name "Orlik" is an echo of the memory of the eagles that once lived in the vicinity of this place. The building itself is located on a high rocky promontory, which cuts into the river. Orlik Castle (Czech Republic) reminds itself of a nest of a mountain majestic bird. Now, when the waters of the Vltava River, Orlitsky reservoir, crept very close to the walls, hiding the peaks surrounding it, we still do not cease to admire the charm of the white carved towers shining against the sky.
Путешественников, кроме того, привлекает сюда a motley, but very interesting exposition, in which historical relics of Schwarzenberg, a famous family, are combined. The collection of firearms dating back to the 17th and 20th centuries, the library, hunting trophies and the archaeological collection, which contains exhibits from the time of Troy, are also very curious.
Melnik
Этот замок любим туристами не только за scenic area, as well as Mount жíp, the national shrine. Very interesting here is the architecture of the Renaissance, the family collections of Lobkivitsy and historical interiors. Melnik, moreover, is the center of winemaking in the Czech Republic. Charles IV himself, the emperor, brought a grapevine from Burgundy here and established the production of the famous drink with the help of the French. In the cellars of the castle today you can appreciate the Czech wine wealth.
Lednice
Lednice Chateau in the Czech Republic relating to ownershipLiechtenstein, is a magnificent example of the so-called "new Gothic". It was created on the site of an earlier medieval castle located here. Lednice is included in the complex, an area of 200 km2To which belongs a huge park and a baroque Valtitsky palace.
Park, which is called the "Garden of Europe",is a true masterpiece of landscape architecture, made in the landscape style of England. Interesting finds await someone who decides to walk along it: pavilions, temples, gazebos, ponds, a cave and artificial "ruins", a minaret, an aqueduct and others.
Cesky sternberk
This is an inaccessible gothic structure.towers menacingly over the Sazava River. Sternberg Castle in the Czech Republic is one of the most visited and ancient in this country. It was founded on the site of an ancient fortification in the 13th century. The castle is the birthplace of Sternberg - the richest and most famous noble family in the Czech Republic.
Залы богато декорированы.Knightly impresses, the largest of the grand halls, decorated with unique crystal chandeliers from the 18th century. Each one weighs 300 kg. Located in this room furniture, which served the owners from the 16th century. Karl Brentan, an Italian artist, made paintings on the ceiling here.
Sternberg Castle in the Czech Republic after the war was nationalized, and only in 1992, returned to Zdenek von Sternberg, the last owner, who lives here permanently and sometimes conducts excursions.
These are the main castles of the Czech Republic. I want to talk about another interesting place that can be found in this country. It is about the city of Kutna Hora.
Church of the bones
In the Czech Republic is unremarkable little town Kutna Hora. Here, as in other small towns, there is a church, a town hall and some square.
He probably would have remained unknown ifif there had not been a plague epidemic in the 14th century that had killed tens of thousands of people, and if some woodcarver had not decided in 5 centuries to "put in order" the remains of these dead.
Bones and skulls decorated ... church. From now on Kutna Hora has become a favorite destination of tourists from all over the world, who are attracted by all the mysterious and gloomy.
History of the Costume
Otakar II, king of Bohemia, approximately in the secondhalf of the 13th century sent to the Palestine one abbot. The superior of an overseas business trip brought some land. He scattered it in the cemetery. The land, I must say, was unusual. The priest took her to Calvary, the place where Jesus Christ was crucified, according to the New Testament.
С тех пор считается священной земля в городе Kutna Hora. It was rumored that the body began to decompose here only on the third day after the person was buried. Soon the fame of the Holy Land, located in the center of Europe, spread to other countries. Many famous people from various states wanted to be buried in the town of Kutna Hora in the local cemetery.
In Bohemia in the 14th century, the plague spread. Thousands of relatives from all over the world carried the dead to the place where a piece of the Holy Land was located.
Эпидемии и средневековые войны также contributed to the fact that the cemetery grew more and more. On it in 1400 built a Gothic cathedral. His tomb was a pantry for bones that were taken from the graves.
The name of the person who came up with the first order allthese bone heaps are unfortunately unknown. It is believed that he was one half-blind monk. It was he who dismantled the rubble of skulls and bones and built 6 pyramids of them.
After 400 years, the emperor ordered this cathedral.to close. Then the Schwarzenberg family decided to buy out the church along with the lands around. Since there was no place to sell the remnants of the land, Schwarzenberg decided to hire an "interior designer" in order to transform at least this area. Frantisek Rinta, the wood craftsman, approached the task quite creatively. Now we can see a unique creation of art.
The interior of the church
There is nothing special about this church.the city outside is no different. We see a somewhat gloomy building surrounded by slabs and stone monuments. However, as you know, appearance is often deceptive. Everything changes when you get inside.
В каждом углу этого здания расположены небольшие pyramids of bones. A huge beautiful candelabrum hangs in the middle. It consists of human bones of every kind. A separate element of the decor is a chandelier in the cathedral. Hundreds of tourists because of her eager to get inside this temple. If you look closely, you will notice that it is attached to the ceiling with jaws. It is difficult to imagine, but in this church there are bones of people, the number of which exceeds 40 thousand.
The castle of bones in the Czech Republic is the mainLandmark Kutna Hora. In addition, you can visit the National Museum located here, the Mint, as well as the Cathedral of St. Barnabas, and just walk through the beautiful and atmospheric streets of the city.
