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The first courtyard: burggrave's residence and the Well tower...
THE ENTRANCE PART
0riginally
access was gained to the castle
through the gate called Vorsilka. In the course of the Late Gothic modifications
of Karlstejn the way of access was changed and the first entrance gate
was built. The precinct of Karlstejn is still reached through this gate.
Vorsilka, in whose lower part the gateway can still be seen, forms a
part of the fortification zone of the left side of the way of access
behind the entrance gate.
The
other entrance gate, leading to the courtyard, had two entries,
one for pedestrians and one for riders on horseback. Both gates were
guarded by vassals during the reign of Charles IV.
The
castle courtyard now has a different character than at the time
of Charles IV. The original smaller burggrave's residence stood approximately
in the north-western part of the courtyard. A gateway below it afforded
access to a narrow courtyard and the well tower. The burggrave's residence
was gradually enlarged by the addition of annexes, the result being
that it surrounded the whole courtyard. In the early 16th century the
present southern wing originated in the area of the parkan, the rooms
on its ground-floor being provided with a Late Gothic diamond vault,
preserved to the present.
The
present burggrave's residence with frame masonry is now used
by the administrative staff of the castle, its groundfloor interiors
serving solemn occasions and reception purposes. The other buildings
forming the burggrave's residence were demolished in the course of the
large reconstruction of the castle at the end of the 19th century.
The
site of the well tower was once occupied by outbuildings serving
various purposes. Literature tells us, for example, that they included
a bakery, a laundry and an arms workshop, but the function of the said
buildings is not definitely known.
The
well tower with technical equipment for the drawing-up of water
is a unique monument. This equipment is formed by a wheel inside which
people walked. By rotating the wheel the bucket was let down and drawn
up. The well is nearly 80 metres deep. It did not have its own spring
and so water from a stream flowing below the castle was conducted to
it by means of a tunnel. Thus in actual fact the original well was a
cistern. Nevertheless, reports from the 19th century inform us that
the water had a pleasant flavour "in the manner of meadow wells
and was very cold". The well is no longer used, but the water in
it continues to reach a height of circa 10 metres.
From
the galleries of the local fortification walls there is a beautiful
view of the whole precinct of the castle, from the lowest situated well
tower to the burggrave's residence, the Imperial Palace, the Marian
Tower and finally the Great Tower, the most important part as far as
ideas are concerned. The gradated composition conceived for the castle
by Charles IV is evident at first sight.
The
wall galleries also afford a view of the immediate environs.
The surrounding hills (Plesivec, Javorka, Haknovec and Knezi hora) are
also of historical interest, because during the Hussite siege of the
castle the Hussite troops set up camp on them. At the time of Charles
IV the slopes of these hills were mostly covered with vineyards. Charles
IV had them planted and their tradition has survived to the present.
Spreading
out in the valley below the castle is the community once called
Budnany. Its name was derived from the wooden huts (hut = bouda in Czech)
of the masons, stonemasons, carpenters and other craftsmen who worked
on the construction of the castle. The origin of the community is thus
directly connected with the building of the castle. In 1794 the Emperor
Franz I raised it to a township. In 1950 the original community of Budnany
was merged with the surrounding communities lying on both banks of the
River Berounka and in the adjoining valleys to form one community named
Karlstejn after the castle.
The
most important historic buildings in the outer bailey include
the little Church of St. Palmatius
situated on a hill overlooking the Berounka.
It was built at the same time as the castle, probably being completed
about 1356 and consecrated a little later.
The relics of St. Palmatius were deposited in the church and acquired
by Charles IV as one of the first.
The church was under the administration of the Karlstejn chapter.
