castle velhartice

There are several options how to enjoy this castle. You can either visit only the exteriors for a very small fee or take a tour through the medieval part and/or through the renaissance part.There is also a small restaurant. At the time we were visiting, there was a free art exhibition in the basement of the restaurant.Make sure you make some pictures with the beautiful stone bridge!

The castle consists of a medieval wing and a renaissance wing, both toured separately. We toured the medieval wing with an excellent tour guide who spoke about the castle's history and told us many interesting "gossip" stories that one does not find in history books. The inside of the castle is enchanting and really evokes the atmosphere of old times. Well worth the visit when in the Sumava region.

This is one of the three great castles in this region. You shouldn't miss it, the others are: Rabi and Kasperk. All of them are very spectacular.

The castle is very original, it can really pleasantly surprised you. Someone for his unusual defense system, another for romantic atmosphere enhanced by the wooded slopes of one of the most beautiful Šumava's valley.After many years efforts have been gradually opened to the public various parts of the castle and castle building conceived with unusual installations. Poetic audiovisual projections offered outside the mentioned areas for those interested in an unconventional way acquainted with the history, architectural development and rehabilitation of this heritage site. Since 2009 he has also opened a new guided tour outside the castle. This is a free tour of folk architecture file - open-air museum.

In the posh part of the castle it is forbidden to take pix. On the outskirts of the village on a cliff above the River Ostružná. Founded 1290-1310 as residence of squires of Velhartice (ownership till 1390). Commissioned by Bohumil of Budětice, construction works continued by Bušek the Elder and his son Bušek the Younger of Velhartice, favourite and legendary chamberlains of King Emperor Charles IV. 1390 Jan of Hradec, acquired by marriage. 15th century, one of the castle's significant owners: Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál . 30 Years' War and Velhartice Castle was in a dismal condition. Emperor Ferdinand II gave the castle to one of his generals, Don Balthazar de Marradas who, in 1628, sold it to General Martin de Hoeff Huerto (Emperor's army) acquired the confiscated Velhartice estate and a comprehensive remodelling was carried out and a new late Renaissance palace was erected in the east section of the upper courtyard. 1790 Owners Desfours family (built a paper-making factory in Velhartice which, during the World War II, made sleeping bags for the German Army). 1882 A leather-tanning factory opened, during WW II provided leather for military boots. 1945 several armoured units of George S. Patton's 3rd Army were stationed in Velhartice. Last owner of the Velhartice castle, Prince Windisch-Graetz, was expelled to Austria in 1946. According data, in its earliest origins situated at the southernmost ledge of rocky crag (current upper courtyard), a high castellated peripheral rampart, hiding wooden or half-timbered structures. Development: first castle's south stone palace erected on the rampart, second the north palace. Central portion composed of two palaces by walls interconnected, double-palace disposition accommodated to surrounding terrain. Paradise House occupies highest position of castle rock. At the NW castle front a medieval donjon (Putna, bulky prismatic residential tower) is connected with a defensive Tower by an arch bridge (32 m long, 3 m wide, 10 m high, 4 pointed arches supported by massive cylindrical pillars). The donjon was erected to protect the castle by its mass. The huge masonry walls are + 2.5 m thick. 15th Century defence system reinforced by a rampart encircling the whole northeast and southwest sections of the castle and merging into a deep dry moat hewn deep into the rock. Rampart included gatehouse with wide Gothic portal, to enter the site, with pointed flanker and a wooden fall-bridge to cross the moat.

Durch Zufall hat uns der Weg zu dieser sehenswerten Anlage geführt.Die Burg entstand am Anfang des 14. Jahrhunderts über der Gemeinde Velhartice. Lt. Erläuterungen soll die Festung wahrscheinlich von Herrn Bušek von Velhartice, der auch den Burgpalast mit einer mächtigen Wand errichtete, gegründet worden sein. In der nächsten Entwicklungsperiode wurde ein mächtiger vorgeschobener prismatischer Turm erbaut, der durch eine einmalige Steinbrücke mit dem alten Palast verbunden wurde. Menhart von Hradec, seit 1436 der höchste Burggraf von Karlštejn (Karlstein), wollte die Burg befestigen, um hier die Krönungskleinodien aufbewahren zu können, die hierorts während des Streits von Menhart und Jiří von Poděbrady verlagert wurden.Später kam die Burg an die Herren Švihovský von Riesenburg und Zdeněk Lev von Rožmitál. Nach einer Ständeerhebung gewann der kaiserliche General Baltazar de Marradas die Burg und verkaufte sie an den bekannten don Martin de Hoeff Huerta weiter. Dieser hat die durch den Krieg zerstörte Burg grundlegend neu gestaltet. Später blieb die Burg schon fast unverändert.Die letzten Inhaber waren bis zu 1945 die Herren von Windischgrätz.Dem Besucher der spätgotischen Burg stehen zwei Rundgängen zur Auswahl und ein audiovisuelles Programm zur Verfügung.

Ich habe diese Burg am Ende Juni besucht, ich bin mit dem Bus aus Klatovy angereist. Es gabnur eine anwendbare Verbindung um 10 Uhr, das gleiche galt für den Rückweg um ca 14 Uhr.Deswegen würde ich eine genaue Zeitplanung oder Benutzen des Autos empfehlen.Die Geschichte der Burg erfährt man ausführlich während der Besichtigung "Burg", das 70 Kronen kostet und mit einem Spaziergang über die einzigartige gotische Brücke mit 4 gebrochenen Bogen verbindet ist. Man kann aus der Brücke die Aussicht auf die umliegenden Wälder, die Teile der Burg und auch über die Gemeinde Velhartice genießen.