Krakovec Castle, Krakovec, Czech Republic

Krakovec Castle was founded in 1381 by burgrave of Křivoklát, Jíra of Roztoky. As the head of the royal ironworks and a protégé of King Wenceslas IV, he built a comfortable residence in an advanced architectural style. The remains of the castle still prove that Jíra was a rich and powerful man. The castle he built was a spectacular and luxurious facility, on the same level of art value and comfort as royal castles.

The palace of the Krakovec castle was built as a three wing, two floor building. Some building adjustments were made in the early 16th century (late gothic windows), and in the 17th century (renaissance gables, unpreserved). The horseshoe-shaped tower in the front side of the castle core is made of rubble-stones.

No major reconstruction has ever been done at Krakovec. In 1783, wooden parts of buildings were destroyed by fire, never to be repaired.

In 1855, a large part of the chapel collapsed; in 1883, the eastern wing was torn down by dynamite.

Currently, the best preserved part of the palace is the southern wing in its entire height. Of the western wing, the outer wall has been preserved, and parts of the lateral walls; all that’s left of the eastern wing is the outer wall under the courtyard level.

References:

Hrad Krakovec

User Reviews

Dominic Bachofner (2 years ago)
Lovely Place and great people at the entrance. The young Lady speaks English pretty well. We had a nice chat. Definitely recommended.

Bohumila Johnson (3 years ago)
Nice old castle, visited it when it was raining, so it was not a great time, but there is a good restaurant right next to the castle that has sitting area outside and they cook well.

Doug Warren (4 years ago)
1353 first notarized as a castle. Fantastic place to explore. It is a bit out of the way but well worth the effort. Quiet area.

Charles Seaton Jr. (ChuckDiesal) (4 years ago)
The Krakovec Castle is a Ruin, It's not a huge place but it is nice place to venture around. There are also plenty of trails in the area to roam.

Kocour Komiksák (4 years ago)
The ruins and especially its surroundings are very nice. Beware of slippery unmaintained small roads in the rain and in winter

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

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The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Krakovec Castle

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