CLOSE WINDOW | About Karlstejn Castle, Czech Republic | external links 1 |

The castle, exceptional even among the Czech castles, not only for its historical significance but also due to its robustness and architecture. It was established by the Czech and Roman King Karel IV in 1348, who gave it the role of the treasury for the coronation insignia and the most valuable relics of the Holy Roman Empire. The basic construction of the Karlsątejn castle took more than seven years, and the internal adjustments of the Chapel of the St. Cross were prolonged until 1365. The castle fortification ought to have resisted any attacks in its time, which was confirmed in 1422 when Karlsątejn was besieged by Prague citizens. By decree of the Caesar Rudolf II the damaged castle buildings were repaired at the close of the 16th century but in spite of this a gradual deterioration of Karlsątejn began just then. In 1619 the coronation jewels together with the archives were taken away to Prague, in 1620 a garrison surrendered the castle to the army of Ferdinand II... | full article |

The Tourist Server of the Czech Republic: The best-known example of our castle architecture is Karlstejn, named after its founder, the Czech King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. The castle soon became the place of keeping of both the Czech and imperial crown jewels and later a symbol of the Czech Kingdom. The mastery of Gothic art is evidenced in the Chapel of the Holy Cross with its unique cycle of panels created by master Theodoricus.
Karlstejn was founded in 1348 by Emperor Charles IV as a stronghold for safekeeping of the imperial regalia. It was part of Charles' program which included the constitution of the Prague university (Charles University). Like many Czech towns and sights, the castle area is automobile free. Visitors park on the main road and walk to the castle, up the narrow valley, a very pleasant walk past small shops and restaurants. Picture taking was not allowed inside the castle, nor is it easy to do justice to interiors with ordinary cameras, so we can't show you the Chapel of the Holy Rood (repository of the imperial insignia and coronation jewels) or the wall paintings of the church of the Virgin Mary.
High Gothic castle founded in 1348, which has a unique position among Czech castles. It was built by Czech King and Roman Emperor Charles IV as a place for safekeeping of the royal treasures, especially Charles's collection of holy relics and the coronation jewels of the Roman Empire. The first stay of Charles IV in the castle is documented in 1355 when he came to supervise the building works as well as the decoration of interiors, especially the castle chapels. The construction of the castle was finished in 1365 when the Chapel of the Holy Cross situated in the Great tower was consecrated. At the outbreak of the Hussite wars the castle became the place for safekeeping of the Czech coronation jewels, which were kept here, with the exception of several short-time breaks, for nearly 200 years. The castle was reconstructed in late Gothic style after 1480 and in Renaissance style in the last quarter of the 16th century. The present appearance of the castle comes from the last reconstruction, which was carried out in the purist neo-Gothic style by architect Josef Mocker at the end of the 19th century. Very impressive is the original step-like order of buildings. From the Well tower and Burgrave's palace located as the lowest you walk up to the majestic five-storied Imperial palace and further up towards the Marian tower. And finally at the top of the headland stands the monumental 60m high and separately fortified Great tower.
The entire castle Karlstejn is one of the most valuable historic monuments of world art. The grandiose ideological concept and magnificent artistic decorations of the castle are inseparable from the donor, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and Bohemian kingt, Charles IV. Charles (baptized Wenceslas) - son of the Bohemian king John of Luxemburg. one of the last mediaeval knights, who never lost touch with the high culture of mediaeval France, and of Elisabeth (Elis'ka) Premyslide, a proud woman and last offspring of a glorius dynasty. for centuries rulers over the lands of the Bohemian crown, inherited from both parents their best qualities. After a somewhat turbulent childhood the gifted youngster, dispatched by his father, was brought up at the court of their reletives, the kings of France......
Karlstein Castle differs entirely from other 14th century castles. In Prague, Charles IV built a family, royal and imperial residence based on genius Ioci, utilizing Kasperk and Radyne as watch castles, Lauf at Nuremberg and Tangermunde as the center of the imperial feoffs and domains and other big and small castles as hunting seats or places to rest upon journeys. At Karlstejn, however, Charles IV fully developed in architectural forms the entire complicated system of his world outlooks and ideas on state, the ideology of the monarchal powers of the Czech king and his imperial dignity. His richly developed mystic thinking and feeling, his allegorical fantasy and the high demands he placed on culture predetermined the building program of the castle. The foundation stone of Karlstein was laid in 1348 and the main building works lasted to 1356, the year of Charles' coronation as emperor. Charles IV devoted care to the rich interior decoration of the castle until the time of his death on 1378.