Excursion "Czech Krumlov and Gluboka nad Vltava Castle" is always popular among tourists, because it gives you the opportunity to see two sights at a time. They are located in South Bohemia, approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers from its capital, Prague. But the Hluboká Castle itself is too big to dedicate just an hour to it. Of course, the town of Cesky Krumlov is no less interesting. And it also has many attractions. Therefore, many tourists who have been on a sightseeing tour come here again - this time to examine everything more carefully. This article is about Hluboká Castle. It is also called Czech Windsor. And quite legitimately. After all, it was built on the model of Windsor Castle in the UK. How to get to the fortress Gluboka nad Vltava and what to see there, read below.
Where the castle is located
This landmark stands on a high cliff above the Vltava River. The Czech Republic is generally famous for its castles. There are about a thousand of them in the country. True, not allthey amaze the imagination like Gluboka over the Vltava. Many castles are romantic ruins. The best starting point for seeing Renaissance palazzos and proud feudal nests is the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. Hluboka Castle separates one hundred and forty kilometers from this city. How to overcome this distance, we will describe below. In the meantime, let's describe the area, or rather, the enchanting landscape that opens up before the astonished tourists approaching the Hluboka castle. High above the valley of the Vltava River and the Budějovice Basin rise the white Gothic towers of the mighty fortress-palace. Don't be disappointed when your guide tells you that they are not medieval. The style in which the castle is built is pseudo- or neo-Gothic. But this fortress is very ancient. And we will tell you her story now.
Castle base
The Czech castle Hluboka nad Vltava was most likely founded by King Wenceslas the First or his son Premysl Otakar the Second. But the first mention of the fortress refers only to 1253. True, she then had a different name. The Zbraslav Chronicle mentions Froburg, which can be translated as "the sovereign's castle" (located in the direct possession of the king). Later, the fortress was given to a feudal lord from Budějovice. Its name gradually began to sound like Frauenberg - "Lady's Castle". This gave rise to the creation of various romantic legends about beautiful owners who were cruelly tortured by their husbands. The modern name "Gluboka" was given to the fortress much later. Some believe that the castle began to be called so because ofneighborhood with the forest of the same name, located in the low valley of the Vltava. There is another version. The fortress has a very deep well, the fame of which gave the name to the entire citadel.
Further history of the castle
We can only guess how the harsh medieval fortress Froburg looked like. In those days, there were frequent fires and wars. In addition, do not forget that royal Prague was close. The castle Gluboka over the Vltava belonged to the capital's courtiers, who often fell out of favor with the sovereign. Sometimes it was simply given for debts. Sometimes he passed as a dowry to another noble family. For four hundred years of its existence, the medieval Frauenberg has changed twenty-six names of owners! Over the years, the castle has been rebuilt several times. Each owner tried to bring something of his own to his appearance, to strengthen him according to the then fashion and the canons of defense construction. Archaeologists assure that the fortress Gluboka nad Vltavou has gone through all the stages of development of architectural styles. At first it was built according to the Gothic model. Then for some time it existed as a fortified "palazzo" in the style of the Italian Renaissance (architect B altazar Maggi). At the beginning of the eighteenth century it was replaced by a charming baroque palace.
Further history of the castle Gluboka nad Vltava
In the middle of the seventeenth century, the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I granted Frauenberg to the Spanish general Don B altazar de Marradas for his "merits" in the fight against the Protestants. The new owner was notinterested in this Czech residence, and therefore in 1661 he sold it to Jan Adolf I of Schwarzenberg. This famous family owned almost half of the country. The fortress remained in the ownership of the Schwarzenbergs until the year 1947. In order to nationalize the property of the family - the town of Cesky Krumlov and the castle of Gluboka, the state adopted a special law. Two years later, a museum was opened in the fortress. And Krumlov was included in the UNESCO list as a world heritage of mankind.
Transformation into Windsor
The medieval castle owes its today's perfectly recognizable appearance to Princess Eleonora Schwarzenberg, born Princess of Liechtenstein. More precisely, her voyage around Great Britain, which she made in the company of her husband, Jan Adolf II. Most of all in England, Princess Eleanor was struck by Windsor Castle. Returning to her castle in Hluboka, she, under fresh impressions, ordered the Viennese architect Franz Beer to develop a project for a gigantic restructuring of her palace. Large-scale reconstruction was carried out for quite a long time - from 1840 to 1871. The work was carried out according to the drawings of Franz Beer, and after the death of the latter, the no less famous architect Damasius Devoretsky took up the improvement of the palace. The “Czech Windsor” is obliged to him, first of all, by luxurious interiors. The residence of the Schwarzenbergs copies an English castle not only with a building, but also with a wonderful park laid out around it.
Museum
The town of Krumlov and the castle Hluboká nad Vltava are the most visited places in South Bohemia. And here all year roundmany tourists come. The castle has been operating as a museum since 1949. Opening hours depend on the season. In summer it is open from 9 am to 5 pm. But in the cold season it is better to visit the castle early. Indeed, in winter, tourists have access to the residence only from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon (the box office closes for lunch from 12:00 to 12:30). But during the Christmas holidays (December 22 - January 2) the museum works like in summer. The castle-museum has developed five excursion routes, so the ticket prices are different - from forty to one hundred and fifty kroons. And if you order a Russian-speaking guide, then a trip around the castle will cost two hundred and fifty crowns. Children under the age of six are allowed into the museum for free, while schoolchildren, students and pensioners go at half price. From the beginning of November to the end of March, except Mondays, there is a winter route for visitors. From June to September access to the private apartments, the kitchen and the tower is only possible on weekends. Photographing and filming the castle is only allowed outside.
Castle Gluboka nad Vltava: how to get there
There is no train station directly next to the attraction. It is located three kilometers from the castle. If you want to see the sights as part of an organized excursion group, then Prague travel agencies will be happy to offer you their services. On your own or rented car, you can get to the castle along highway 105, which leads from Czech Budejovice to Tyn nad Vltava. After four kilometers, you need to turn onto highway 146 and drive another 1 km. The whole journey takesabout twenty minutes. Getting to Hluboka Castle by public transport is a bit more difficult. First, you should get to the nearest town of České Budejovice, which is nine kilometers southeast of the fortress. Buses leave from there to the castle on weekdays every half an hour (on weekends they run less frequently, several times a day). You can also buy a ticket from the driver. You need to get off at the stop "Under the Church". From there, walk five hundred meters to the castle. If you go by train Prague-Ceske Budejovice, then there will be a stop "Gluboka nad Vltavou". But from it, as we wrote above, you need to walk three kilometers to the fortress.
Castle Gluboka nad Vltava: description
"Czech Windsor", as expected, surrounds the English regular park. There are ponds, flower beds, exotic trees and shrubs. Don't rush into the palace. The residence of the Schwarzenbergs is very beautiful, and with its Gothic style it resembles a real Hamlet's castle. The residence has one hundred and forty rooms, and each of them is unique and has its own purpose. Two courtyards, eleven towers, a hunting lodge "Fence" - it seems to the visitor as if he was in a fairy tale about brave knights and beautiful ladies. Tickets at the box office are sold separately inside the castle, the kitchen and the tower. The latter may be closed due to windy weather. But if you are lucky and there are no squalls, you should overcome two hundred and forty-five steps and climb fifty-two meters high to admire the picturesque view of the surroundings.
Kitchen
Do not forget that the Gothic style of the castle is just an entourage, nothing more. Inside, the Schwarzenberg residence was equipped with the latest technology of the nineteenth century. And this is most clearly felt in the kitchen, which, together with storage rooms and rooms for servants, occupies the entire lower floor. Hluboka Castle had its own water supply and sewerage system. Chefs used innovations such as a potato peeler and an apple slicer, meat was fried on self-rotating skewers, and meals were served upstairs in the dining room via an elevator.
The immodest charm of the Czech aristocracy
Gluboka Castle impresses with its discreet luxury. The prince's quarters were located on the ground floor. Jan Adolf II was fond of hunting, he collected a large collection of knightly armor and ancient weapons. The second floor was occupied by Princess Eleonora. Her chambers are adjacent to the library, which has twelve thousand books in five languages. The princess also had a hobby. Her collection includes lovely porcelain pieces, antique tapestries, and a fine selection of paintings.
