Valdštejn Castle, Turnov, Czech Republic

Valdštejn Castle (Waldstein) is an early Gothic fortress near Turnov, in the Czech Republic. The city was built on three sandstone cliffs in the second half of the thirteenth century by Counts of the Waldstein family. After 1420 the castle was occupied by the Hussites, then later by robber barons. In 1621 the abandoned castle was bought back by the Waldsteins, whose most illustrious member was Albrecht von Wallenstein. During the peak of the Baroque period, they built a pilgrimage church, dedicated to John of Nepomuk, in 1722 on the ruins of the castle.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Alessandro (3 years ago)
Nice castle to visit, great place surrounded by hooden hill for hicking or biking. Do not take too much, about 1h then enjoy the nature. Great and pleaseant staff ready to help. Recommended.

Erick Nemec (3 years ago)
One of my favorite castles in the area.

Peter Knight (3 years ago)
The new exhibition of the costumes for famous Czech fairytales is great. The young girl that was hosting the tour was fantastic, happy informative and entertaining for the small kids we were with. Definitely worth a visit

ARIFUL IMAM (7 years ago)
Small but well-preserved castle in the heart of "Bohemian paradise", small but interesting exhibition, little too pricey for seeing 3 rooms. But the guide was great. ... great walks and hikes among bolders, only downsize are people trashing this beautiful place.

Michael Romero (7 years ago)
This is a nice castle complex with some great views and beautiful surroundings. We didn’t want to take the tour and because of that the interior rooms were not open to us. Not with going unless you are on the tour. The views were really spectacular and some of the old buildings were impressive.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Valdštejn Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral