Krakovec Castle Ruins

A tour of the castle will take you back to the time of King Wenceslas IV, to the period called the beautiful style, or the style of beautiful Madonnas. You can visit the castle independently with a printed guide or accompanied by a guide with an entertaining commentary. Either way, the time you spend here is up to you.

The castle is reached by a hand-hewn wooden bridge, the construction of which imitates a medieval pattern and is unparalleled anywhere else in Europe. You will see the remains of the palace, which had 27 living quarters with an ingenious heating system and boldly large rectangular windows. You will peek into the wine cellar carved into the rock.

Krakovec Castle was built around 1383 for Jíra of Roztoky, the head of the royal court metallurgy and the burgrave of the nearby Křivoklát Castle. The castle was in its day an unusually advanced luxury building, the comfort of which boldly competed with royal castles. Master Jan Hus also took refuge in Krakovec. It can be said that the castle was the place of his last long-term stay in Bohemia before his departure for the Council of Constance. The truth and the knowledge that the truth cannot be extinguished or banished is at least encouraged today by the Master’s statue in the lower castle. It began to fall into disrepair after 1783, when a lightning strike burnt down its wooden parts.

• Interesting fact: Krakovec often hosts poetry symposiums, theatre performances, concerts, religious services and the Hus Pilgrimage. The place is simply buzzing with life!

Where to head next?

If you want to enjoy views like those from the windows of Krakovec, head to the nearby lookout towers. A wooden lookout tower with a concrete base is located on Senecká hora near Pavlíkov. The second one can be found in Velká Buková, from where it is only a short walk to Křivoklát Castle. Take more time to explore the Křivoklátsko Protected Landscape Area, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In its forests you will find the romantic Skryje Ponds and another former royal residence – the ruins of Týřov Castle. What will you visit next?

• Interesting fact: Part of the castle, namely the tower, chapel and palace, was covered with a green roof, which blends in with the castle surroundings from the surrounding slopes. This experimental roofing is intended to prevent further devastation of the castle ruins.