Hrad Loket

Beautiful place very nice

Beautiful place, just that parking ?

Beautiful castle, town and surroundings. Great bike trip for pedestrians

A beautiful trip

A dream

Very beautiful Medieval place, we had this time little time. Next time we take more time

The stone royal castle of Loket is a more than 800-year-old mansion, towering over the granite massif that flows around the Ohře River. It was probably founded as a border fortress. The castle served kings, Šliks and lords of Plavno, burghers of Loket and in the 19th and 20th centuries also as a prison. Shortly after 1989, it was opened to the public, the tour leads through porcelain exhibits, the collections of the former city museum, the museum of weapons to the former prison, where there is now an impressive and authentic exhibition of the law of suffering. Establishment of Loket Castle The exact dates of the foundation of the Romanesque castle vary. The founder is considered to be either the Czech King Vladislav I or the ministerial emperor Friedrich I. Barbarossa, who settled the area with peasants from the German lands. At the end of the 14th century, the castle acquired its current Gothic appearance and is a frequent refuge for members of the royal family. The first surviving written mention of Loket dates from 1234. Later during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II. During the riots against King John of Luxembourg, Queen Eliška Přemyslovna and little Václav, later the Roman emperor Charles IV, find refuge in Loket. Although he is imprisoned here at the age of three, he likes to return to Loket as an adult. 1434 Flag of the castle to Chancellor Kašpar Šlik The castle is besieged by the Hussites, but it is not conquered on the second attempt. As a reward for financial assistance, it is pledged to Chancellor Kašpar Šlik, and under the administration of the Šlik family, Loket is transformed into a representative family seat with features of the coming Renaissance. 1551-1562 The castle is managed by the family of lords from Plavno After conflicts with the townspeople and extensive confiscation of the Šlik family's property, Loket Castle passed to the lords of Plavno. However, they do not prove to be good landlords and the castle passes to the administration of the townspeople of Loket. 1598 The castle is the property of the town of Lokte The castle became the property of the burghers of Loket and in the following years it was used mainly for economic purposes. Due to the catastrophic condition of the town hall, even city councilors sit at the castle. 1607 Death of Jiří Popel from Lobkovice Jiří Popel of Lobkovice, once the highest court master of the Kingdom of Bohemia, once died in the castle prison, imprisoned in Kłodzko and later in Loket for insulting imperial majesty. He is buried on the site of a former church tower. 1st half 17. century The Thirty Years' War Like the whole Czech land, the castle and the town of Loket suffered from numerous disasters during the Thirty Years' War. The city is besieged and shelled many times, eventually conquered by imperial troops. At the end of the war, the siege by Swedish troops was not spared, but especially Loket was economically decimated by plague wounds and imperial regulations on the inclusion of Loket as a border fortress. 1788 Reconstruction of the castle into a city prison In 1788, a proposal was made to rebuild the castle into a prison, which was completed in the 1920s. The Skalní světnice palace in the vicinity of the castle tower falls victim to the reconstruction. The castle operated as a prison until 1948. 1968 The castle is managed by the Monument Institute in Pilsen The castle is detached from the property of the town of Lokte and passes into the administration of the Monument Institute in Pilsen. 1992 Restoration of the castle town Loket A new stage is coming for the castle, which is returning to the property of the city. The administration is entrusted to the newly established Loket Castle Foundation (later transformed into a co-op) and Loket is regaining its ancient beauty and the new attention of thousands of visitors.