Křivoklát Castle is located in Central Bohemia,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

History

Křivoklát was founded in the 12th century, belonging to the kings of Bohemia. During the reign of

Přemysl Otakar II Ottokar II ( cs, Přemysl Otakar II.; , in Městec Králové, Bohemia – 26 August 1278, in Dürnkrut, Lower Austria), the Iron and Golden King, was a member of the Přemyslid dynasty who reigned as King of Bohemia from 1253 until his dea ...

a large, monumental royal castle was built, later rebuilt by king Václav IV and later enlarged by king Vladislav of Jagellon. The castle was damaged by fire several times. It was turned into a harsh prison and the building slowly deteriorated. During the 19th century, the family of Fürstenberg became the owners of the castle and had it reconstructed after a fire in 1826. The Fürstenberg family owned the castle until 1929. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the first cottages appeared below the castle and the hamlet became known as Budy. Nearby hamlet Čamrdoves grew up, and during the 17th and 18th centuries they became one village. In 1886 the hamlets Budy, Amalín, Čamrdoves, and Častonice created one single administrative unit, the municipality of Křivoklát. Today the castle serves as a museum, tourist destination and place for theatrical exhibitions. Collections of hunting weapons, Gothic paintings and books are stored there.

Gallery

File:Wenceslas Hollar - Bohemian views 11 (cropped).jpg, Křivoklát on an engraving by

Wenceslaus Hollar Wenceslaus Hollar (23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a prolific and accomplished Bohemian graphic artist of the 17th century, who spent much of his life in England. He is known to German speakers as ; and to Czech speakers as . He is particu ...

from the 17th century File:Antonin Mánes - hrad Křivoklát (1835) obr01 crop.png, Křivoklát on a watercolor by

Antonín Mánes Antonín Mánes (3 November 1784 – 23 July 1843) was a Czech painter and draftsman. Life Mánes was born and died in Prague, which was part of the Austrian Empire when he died. He was the son of a miller and was self-taught because his fam ...

from 1835. File:Krivoklat 1958 01.jpg, Krivoklat around 1958 when its main tower was reconstructed. File:KrivoklatKaple.jpg, Altar in gothic chapel of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary from the time of King Vladislav II. Jagiellonian File:Hrad Křivoklát 33.jpg, Lower courtyard File:Hrad Křivoklát (Křivoklát) (7).jpg, Upper courtyard File:Křivoklát, hrad z vyhlídky.jpg, Křivoklát Castle from East, 21st century.

Notable prisoners

Burkhard von Berlichingen Burkhard von Berlichingen (c.1550–1623) was an imperial councillor at the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II. He became court councillor of Württemberg in 1579, chancery councillor in 1586, and in 1588 was sent to the imperial court in Prag ...

Edward Kelley Sir Edward Kelley or Kelly, also known as Edward Talbot (; 1 August 1555 – 1597/8), was an English Renaissance occultist and scryer. He is best known for working with John Dee in his magical investigations. Besides the professed ability to ...

Hieronymus Makowsky Hieronymus Makofsky or Makowsky (c. 1565–1630) was a Bohemian knight and a gentleman of the privy chamber to Emperor Rudolph II. He is thought to have had a homoerotic (although not necessarily sexual) relationship with the emperor. In 1598 he s ...

External links

Castle website
cs, en

Official Prague Tourism website page about the castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krivoklat Castle Royal residences in the Czech Republic Rakovník District Museums in the Central Bohemian Region Historic house museums in the Czech Republic National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic Castles in the Central Bohemian Region Fürstenberg family residences