Castles of Bohemia – Karlstein and Konopište

Karlstein Castle - the brainchild of the Great King Charles IV, proudly flaunts at an altitude of 72 meters above the Berounka River. The castle was founded in 1348 and was conceived as a treasure trove of imperial regalia. The idea of Charles IV was completed in 1355 in record time, the castle surprised with its beauty. Karlstein went through different times. In the XVI century, the castle was allocated premises for the storage of the most important documents of the imperial archive. During the Thirty Years' War in 1620, Karlstein was besieged by the Swedes, but they also failed to capture the castle. Empress Maria Theresa transferred the castle to the Hradchansky boarding house of noble maidens. In 1887, the castle underwent quite a free restoration, and to this day pleases the eye of tourists.

Konopište Castle – our second point – was built in the XIII century as a Gothic fortress, but later it was rebuilt many times. The most famous owner of Konopište is Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on whose initiative the castle was once again radically rebuilt in 1889-1894. Franz Ferdinand, a lover of hunting, enriched the castle with his numerous trophies in the form of thousands of deer horns, boar fangs, stuffed foxes, exotic animals and birds. By order of Franz Ferdinand, an English-style park was set up around the castle with terraces, a rose garden and marble statues.