Český Krumlov Castle

Český Krumlov Castle sprawls along a narrow rock ridge above a loop of the Vltava. Only Prague Castle is a larger castle-and-château complex in Bohemia. It was begun in the first third of the 13th century and is first recorded in 1253, when a lord of the Vítkovci family carried the name "of Krumlov". The Rosenbergs inherited it in 1302 and made it their seat. They added the Upper Castle in the 14th century, and William of Rosenberg turned it into a Renaissance residence in the later 16th century. After the Rosenbergs came the Eggenbergs from 1622, who added Baroque wings and the first theatre, and then the Schwarzenbergs from 1719. In 1947 the property passed to the state. The castle has been a national cultural monument since 1989 and has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the historic town since 1992.

The theatre is what sets Krumlov apart from other great Central European residences. It was first built in wood in 1680–1682 under Johann Christian I of Eggenberg and refitted with new stage machinery in 1765–1766 under Joseph Adam of Schwarzenberg. It survives with its auditorium, deep stage and the original wooden machinery for fast scene changes, and it counts among the best-preserved Baroque theatres in the world. It is reached from the palace by the Cloak Bridge of 1764, a five-storey arcaded bridge across a deep rock-cut ravine whose upper levels are covered passages. In the Masquerade Hall, the Viennese painter Josef Lederer painted a crowd of life-size revellers and commedia dell'arte characters in 1748, and he included himself drinking coffee in one corner.

A visit works like a walk through the centuries. You cross the Bear Moat into the lower courtyards, painted with Renaissance sgraffito. The round tower of the 13th-century Hrádek has a 16th-century top and views over the red roofs of the town. The Rosenberg rooms hold wooden Renaissance ceilings and Brussels tapestries. Beyond the bridge, a late-Baroque garden with a cascade fountain runs west to the Bellarie summer pavilion. In the same garden stands the revolving open-air auditorium, which has hosted summer performances since 1959. Interiors are shown on guided tours.

Getting there

The castle stands above the old town of Český Krumlov. The regional city of České Budějovice is about 22 km away. Český Krumlov is on the railway from České Budějovice, and some direct trains run from Prague. České Budějovice South Bohemian Airport (JCL) is about 17 km away, but check what it currently serves; the train from Prague is a practical alternative.