August 2008

Točnik and Žebrak Castles

On my never-ending quest to see all the castles in Europe, I have checked a couple more off the list.  This time getting two birds with one stone.  About 60 km from Prague are a pair of castles dating back to the 13th century. Točnik castle was built in the 14th century by Vaclav IV who used it as a hunting lodge and secure residence for when staying in Prague was too risky. The castle was remodeled during the renaissance and remained a prominent royal residence until the Thirty Years War, after which it was abandoned.  Only during the 20th century was the castle "restored" and opened to the public.

II was delighted to see a bit of period machinery (though certainly not original).  This crane was completely hand powered.

Off the main courtyard was a small smithy and masonry.  Of the original equipment, only a gigantic bellows and a few stone catapult bullets remained.  The largest was about the size of a basketball.

These rooms were originally the castle kitchen but now they look more like the dungeon.  In one corner was a deep well than would have provided an unlimited supply of water if the castle were seiged. Now however, the chirping of hundreds of bats could be heard from the depths.

The main assembly hall is in the slow process of being restored, which basically means preventing it from disintegrating any further. This large room was originally two floors (a ballroom and the royal court) but the floor and the roof fell in long ago.  Only within the last few years was a new roof constructed.

Here I am with the family of my friend Mateusz.

Inside the castle we saw a display of Falconry.

The best preserved part of the castle are the royal chambers and the chapel.  Some of the furniture was original, having been built in the 1400s.  However most of it was not since at one time the castle was so neglected that local farmers used it as a large pen for their livestock.

From the walls of Točnik one can look down upon the old watch tower of Žebrak.  Built in the early 1300s, it was mostly a military fortress but did still contain some royal accoutrements until around a hundred years later when Točnik was completed.  The two castles were used jointly until 1532 when Žebrak was destroyed by a fire.

Me, Mateusz and little Wanda.

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