Pecka Castle, Pecka, Czech Republic

Pecka Castle is a gem of the Podkrkonoší region. From the castle lookout, you can see the central massif of the Krkonoše Mountains with the peaks of Sněžka and Černá hora, or the highest point of the region, Zvičina.

Pecka Castle was founded in the early 13th century. In the late 16th century, the Gothic castle was rebuilt to a Renaissance residence. It flourished at the beginning of the 17th century when it was inhabited by Kryštof Harant of Polžice and Bezdružice (1564–1621), an educated Renaissance intellectual. He spent his last and the most fruitful period of his life there. Kryštof Harant went down in Czech history as a traveller, composer, writer and politician.

The tour of Pecka Castle includes a tour of the reconstructed Harant Palace where there are seven interior rooms, a torture chamber and a basement vault. The exposition on the first and second floor focuses on the history of the castle, the life and work of Kryštof Harant of Polžice and Bezdružice, and generally on the period of Renaissance and Early Baroque.

An interesting part is the tour of a stylish open-hearth kitchen with an operating Renaissance fireplace and the basement vault with the torture chamber. The best known instruments of torture are on display in the torture chamber, from the rack and windlass to the Spanish boot. The tour is livened up with an authentic demonstration of melodies from a hundred-year-old harmonicon. There is also an interesting well; it is illuminated and 56 metres deep.

References:

visitczechia.com

Wieskirche

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.

Huong Pham (10 months ago)
Small beautiful castle ?

Karel Zadrobílek (4 years ago)
Beatiful calm place, nice countryside

Petr Litera (5 years ago)
Almost as empty shell as Karlstejn. Nevertheless, the interiors are well reconstructed and the cellars offer cool air even in the heatwaves. Unexperienced, but nice guides. Visit the sweetshop @ square!

venousek001 (5 years ago)
Good place to visit.

Václav Navrátil (7 years ago)
Nicely reconstructed castle ruins with great guides.

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