Karlštejn Castle

At the parking lot below you also have the option of being driven to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage. The journey takes about 20 minutes and the coachman tells you a bit about the castle. He also stops briefly so that you can take photos of the castle (at the best seat). You drive directly through the town and can already get an overview.The baker (Pekarna or Pekařství) on the right side (uphill) has sensationally good Golatschen with various toppings (e.g. with cherry, plum, quark, pear or poppy seeds). The older lady is very nice and speaks pretty much all common languages 😳😊Café 34 on the left (uphill) is very nice, has original dishes and also various homemade lemonades. You can sit outside very nicely.

Karlštejn Castle was founded in 1348 by the Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor as his private residence and a place of safekeeping royal treasures, especially his collections of holy relics and the Imperial Crown Jewels. In 1355 Charles IV stayed here for the first time, overseeing the construction and decoration work, especially in chapels. The construction was completed in 1365 when the Chapel of the Holy Cross in the Great Tower was consecrated.
The Chapel of the Holy Cross was the place of safekeeping the imperial crown jewels until 1420 when the Hussite wars (religious civil war) began, and they had not ever returned to Karlštejn Castle. After the wars in 1436, the Bohemian crown jewels were taken to the Chapel of the Holy Cross where they remained till 1619.
The castle was a representative residence of Charles IV and his son Wenceslas IV only, i.e. till 1419. As a fortress, Karlštejn Castle protected the crown jewels, holy relics, and royal archives till the 17th century.
Over the centuries the castle has always been in hands of the king or a state institution, never in private hands. Nowadays it is owned by the state.
After 1480 the castle was rebuilt in the late Gothic style, in the last quarter of the 16th century in the Renaissance style. During the last reconstruction that took place at the end of the 19th century (by architect Josef Mocker) in the spirit of purism, the castle gained its present appearance.
Very impressive is the preserved original stair-arrangement of individual castle buildings. The lower section with a small courtyard by the Well Tower and the Burgrave´s House continue through the majestic five-storey Imperial Palace and the Marian Tower. At the highest point, the construction of the castle culminates in a monumental, 60-meter-high Great Tower and its massive fortifications.

A beautiful little place, idyllically situated on the Vltava, with the famous Karlštejner castle as a landmark. There are many small restaurants and of course souvenir shops.