User Reviews
Valdek is a castle ruin in the municipality of Chaloupky in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The name is probably derived from two German words: Wald (the forest) and Eck (a widespread part of places' names, meaning rock formation).
The castle was built around the middle of the 13th century (first written mention comes from the year 1263) by an aristocratic Buzic family. In 1623 it was described as abandoned.[1] Passing centuries left only ruins, dominated by a still standing large round tower (bergfrit), built during the second half of the 13th century.
In 1926, the area around the castle became part of the Military training area Jince. The castle itself was still accessible (except during manoeuvres). After 1950, no access was allowed. After 1989, it became possible to visit the castle again but tourists were not allowed to stray from the road to the castle.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.