Czech Republic

The precise origins of Castle are somewhat mysterious. It seems likely the Castle was founded by Bishop after his old residence was burnt down during the Wars following Wenceslas II's accession, or by the Bishop's brother, Milota, who moved to the area after the Bishop died in 1296.

Either way it wasn't completed in its initial form of massive Gothic citadel until the 1320s at the earliest. This kind of large fortress was unusual in Bohemia and it is a shame it hasn't survived, as it consisted not only of the central tower, but a large series of ramparts, towers and moats with a drawbridge protecting the main entrance.  The Castle remained in this form for two centuries.

The Castle passed through a branch of the family and remained with them until the 17th Century. The Hussite Wars passed by.  In 1467 the Castle was besieged for 18 months, only surrendering when hunger forced the garrison out.  Small changes were made to the Castle in the late 15th century, making it more comfortable to live in.  In 1602 the Castle passed to the Lords of who set about turning the into a Renaissance manor house. However, it was still strong enough as a fortress to play a strategic part in the Thirty Years' War when considerable damage was done to it by the invading Swedish Army.

When the badly damaged Castle was sold to Jan Josef of Vrtba in 1716 it was still largely a medieval citadel.  However, it was about to become an opulent Baroque mansion.. The Vrtba family remained in ownership throughout the next one hundred years or so turning the Castle from fortress to residence.  The Castle then passed, inevitably, into the hands of the Hapsburgs.

Francis Ferdinand, who after the suicide of the heir to the Austrian throne, became 'heir apparent' displeased the Emperor when he became romantically involved with Countess Sophia Chotková, who (being merely a Countess) was not considered a worthy wife for the heir of the Hapsburg Empire.  Francis Ferdinand stuck by his love and after a dozen years or so he finally persuaded the Emperor to allow the marriage.

A high price would be paid, his children by the marriage would not be allowed to succeed him and Francis Ferdinand was "demoted" to Archduke.  The new couple moved to which by now had changed from a Castle to a vaguely fortified manor house, which is much the same as the building we see today.  Francis Ferdinand was a very enthusiastic hunter (he was estimated to have killed 40,000 animals in his life) and 10,000 of his hunting trophies were brought to adorn .  Another fascinating feature of the interior is the heating system - massive ceramic stoves stand in the corner of every room which were fed from outside in the corridor with hot coals to keep the living quarters warm.

In 1914 Kaiser Wilhelm visited , only a few weeks later Francis Ferdinand and his wife travelled to Sarajevo where they were both assassinated by a Serbian activist. The death of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire tipped Europe into World War I.  After the War was over many of 's treasures were robbed out.  In 1941 the SS arrived at the Castle and set up a base here.  During the Communist years the Castle was an administrative centre, finally becoming the tourist attraction we see today a few years before the Communist collapse in 1989.  Animal rights activists may find the two bears living in the Castle moat a little disconcerting.

Although far more of a 'hunting lodge-cum-manor' than a Castle, is still well worth a visit and many tours are conducted from Prague.

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2001