Karlštejn Castle - Karlštejn Castle

Beautiful Castle, quite interesting place to visit and learn about history of Czeck heritage and Karlo IV, highly recommend and not far from Prague, only 25km.

Very nice historic castle. Book a guide it helps understand the historic context. Try to visit weekdays because it is very crowded on weekends.

Located about 30 kilometers southwest of Prague, Karlštejn Castle started life in 1348 and has since risen in the ranks to one of the best castles in the Czech Republic. Karlštejn Castle was founded by the Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor as his private residence and a place of safekeeping royal treasures, especially his collections of holy relics and the Imperial Crown Jewels. In 1355 Charles IV stayed here for the first time, overseeing the construction and decoration work, especially in chapels. The construction was completed in 1365 when the Chapel of the Holy Cross in the Great Tower was consecrated. The Chapel of the Holy Cross was the place of safekeeping the imperial crown jewels until 1420 when the Hussite wars (religious civil war) began, and they had not ever returned to Karlštejn Castle. After the wars in 1436, the Bohemian crown jewels were taken to the Chapel of the Holy Cross where they remained till 1619. The castle was a representative residence of Charles IV and his son Wenceslas IV only, i.e. till 1419. As a fortress, Karlštejn Castle protected the crown jewels, holy relics, and royal archives till the 17th century. After 1480 the castle was rebuilt in the late Gothic style, in the last quarter of the 16th century in the Renaissance style. During the last reconstruction that took place at the end of the 19th century (by architect Josef Mocker) in the spirit of purism, the castle gained its present appearance. The preserved original stair-arrangement of individual castle buildings is very impressive. The lower section with a small courtyard by the Well Tower and the Burgrave´s House continue through the majestic five-storey Imperial Palace and the Marian Tower. At the highest point, the construction of the castle culminates in a monumental, 60-meter-high Great Tower and its massive fortifications. An unique original 14th-century wall decoration, a set of 129 paintings created by Master Theodoric in the Chapel of the Holy Cross (the largest in the world), the largest portrait gallery of kings of Bohemia in the Czech Republic, a replica of the royal Crown of Bohemia, a unique castle well. The castle is also famous as a set to a comedy play Night at Karlštejn Castle by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlický. After centuries of lying in near ruin, much needed restorative work has restored the Gothic castle to all its former glory, making it an immensely popular destination. The bustling tourist crowds are a stark contrast to the peaceful surrounding countryside which offers views of Karlstejn’s stunning exterior. From November, 01st, 2021 to March, 31st, 2022 the castle is closed to the public, including the garden. * Some photos coutersy of Internet. Thanks!

Karlštejn is a Gothic castle built by Charles IV in the 14th century. It is located 20 km southwest of Prague. Near the town of Karlštejn which is full of tourist attractions. Where you can eat and drink well. And return with hands full of gifts ??? Don't be fooled that you won't see the castle from afar, because it's deep in the woods. Nice driveway where you can park your car. Then walking uphill for about 300 m. And there you are!! ⛰?

Beautifully castle and nice little village but closed on Mondays (maybe weekdays in general). You can make a round trip as there are two paths leading to the castle - one through the village streets and one through a forest path. Both are quite steep though.

The beautiful castle, which can be easily reached by public transport from Prague. It's possible just to take a train from the main train station. The ride takes about an hour, and then a not so long walk uphill

Really beautiful and has a nice potential of being one of the most iconic castles around Czechia, but I found it too expensive to get inside, each part has a different tour and price, so if you want to really visit everything it will be a super high price to pay, so unfortunately I didn't get inside any part.

Impressive views, of and from the castle. It's a nice good really up the hill, through the small village at the foot of the castle. Many pitstop temptations before getting to the castle itself, I suggest considering a restaurant stop when coming back from the castle. The tours are organized in Czech and in English. Although there was a partial reconstruction in the courtyard that didn't impact the overall feeling of the place, its history and beauty.