Konopiste Castle, Czech Republic: description, photo, location on the map, how to get there. Medieval baroque castle konopiste castle konopiste czech republic
Konopiste Castle is located 50 km from Prague, near the small town of Benešov. It undoubtedly has great historical and architectural value.
Every year it is visited by thousands of tourists who are attracted by the magical fairy-tale atmosphere of the castle and its historical significance. He became widely known thanks to Franz Ferdinand von Habsburg, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, who used Konopiste Castle as his last residence. In 1887, Franz Ferdinand received the castle in its almost modern form - a quadrangular building with seven round towers and two drawbridges.
However, Konopiste Castle acquired its architectural appearance, which has survived to this day, only in the 18th century. It was built five centuries earlier in the Gothic style inherent in those times, following the model of French churches. There are many "blank spots" in the history of this architectural monument. So, there is no complete certainty even about who founded the castle. Presumably this is Bishop Tobias of Benešov. Over the next few centuries, the Konopiště castle repeatedly changed owners, who supplemented it to their liking. A major reconstruction was carried out at the beginning of the 17th century - then a Renaissance palace was added to the building. Over time, the features of this style began to prevail in the architecture of the castle. A few decades later, frescoes of the Four Seasons were added on the ceiling of the large hall and carved marble fireplaces.
Franz Ferdinand, like the previous owners, also took part in the arrangement of the castle, converting it into a luxurious residence: he installed electricity, installed a hydraulic elevator, and significantly expanded the collections of hunting trophies and weapons.
These collections, as well as a shooting range with automatic targets and much more, are shown to tourists during excursions. Konopiste Castle is also very popular because it has an unusually beautiful park around it, where peacocks walk around. On the territory there are greenhouses with exotic plants and enclosures with bears. All together, this seems to immerse visitors of historical monuments into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.
You can complete your tour by visiting the Museum of St. George, which often organizes exhibitions dedicated to episodes from the life of Franz Ferdinand. And if you're lucky, you will witness a real wedding ceremony within the walls of this castle.
Castle Konopiste photo.
Konopiste Castle is located 2 km from the city of Benešov, located in the Central Region of the Czech Republic, about 40 km from Prague in a southeast direction. The residence of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, is one of the most beautiful Czech castles.
Konopiste Castle, founded as a Gothic fortress, was inspired by French fortresses with symmetrical towers, numerous entrances and leaning bridges. Through many modifications, the castle was gradually rebuilt into a romantic castle with a luxuriously equipped interior designed for the everyday life of the nobility.
On the territory of Konopiste you can see an amazing park, the Rose Garden, a greenhouse, a unique shooting place, admire a huge collection of antique furniture, hunting trophies and art objects. By the significance and value of its collections, the castle is one of the most interesting in all of Central Europe.
Konopiste Castle was founded in the 13th century around 1294 in the Gothic style, probably by Tobias from Benešov (Tobisem z Benesova). The castle was built on the model of French fortresses: with cylindrical towers, parkan (an unbuilt belt between defensive walls), 4 gates and a drawbridge.
Seven towers gave the castle a majestic appearance. After all the Benesovtsy died out in 1327, the medieval residence became the property of the Sternbergs for 275 years. During the 17th-19th centuries. in Konopiste, a number of influential noble families were replaced: the Godeevskys from Godeev, after the battle on the White Mountain for a short time Albrecht from Wallenstein, the Mikhnovs of their Vatsinov, the Vrtbovs from Vrtba, Lobkowitz and others.
The first changes in the medieval architecture of the city were carried out at the end of the 15th century by Irzhim from Sternberg, at the beginning of the 17th century by the Godeevskys from Godeev. Konopiště acquired baroque features in the 18th century under Vrtbach from Vrtba, and in this form it has survived to this day.
In 1887, Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, the official heir to the Austrian throne since 1896, bought the castle from Lobkowicz. Konopiste, where he liked to hide from court quarrels (due to an unequal marriage with Sophia Chotek), began to turn into a future imperial residence. Being a great romantic, the Archduke gave the order to rebuild the castle in the historical style according to the design of Josef Motzker, so that it would resemble its original medieval appearance as much as possible.
Franz Ferdinand bought this castle to run away with his beloved, who did not belong to the monarchy. The wedding with her was played only after the prince officially renounced the right to the crown.
In June 1914, Franz Ferdinand took part in the maneuvers of the Austrian army in Bosnia and on June 28, 1914, together with his wife Sofia, became the victim of an assassination attempt by the Serbian nationalist Gavrila Princip. A month after the terrorist attack, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I declared war on Serbia.
After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1921, the castle was transferred to the ownership of Czechoslovakia, and then the Czech Republic, as the successor.
Furniture, porcelain, majolica, chandeliers, tapestries, weapons, hunting trophies, art collections and other exhibits of the museum are of great value. cultural significance. The collection of historical weapons and armor from the collection of the d'Este family is very popular.
Franz d'Este was an avid hunter and collector. During a tour of the castle, you can admire a rare collection of weapons in the so-called Estens Arsenal, one of the largest in Europe.
Franz Ferdinand ordered the completion of the room intended for more than 1000 portraits of St. Jiri, with which he wanted to surpass a similar collection of the English king. The Great Trophy Corridor is a testament to the hunting habits of Franz Ferdinand, who killed nearly 300,000 animals in his lifetime.
The Great Trophy Corridor is a testament to the hunting habits of Franz Ferdinand, who killed nearly 300,000 animals in his lifetime.
In Konopiste Castle, you can see the magnificent collection of hunting and combat weapons and armor of the 16th-19th centuries, collected by Archduke Franz Ferdinand, numbering more than 4,500 items. There is also a large collection of hunting trophies that adorn the walls of this Czech castle - about 300,000 copies.
The Estonian weapons collection impresses with its size, which includes cold and firearms, armor and other items of the 15th - 19th centuries, which have no analogues in Europe.Extremely valuable exhibits contain the so-called. St. George's collection and the rarest collection of church antiquities related to the cult of St. Jiri, patron saint of knights.
Castle chapel.
Around the castle there is an unusually beautiful park on an area of 225 hectares, where peacocks walk along. On the territory there are greenhouses with exotic plants and enclosures with bears. All together, this seems to immerse visitors of historical monuments into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. A particularly beautiful part of the park is the Rose Garden with sculptural decoration.
As in the time of Franz Ferdinand, a Himalayan bear lives in the moat (recently there were two). Since the castle lost its defensive significance, water has not been poured into the moat.
Basic moments
Initially, the castle was a defensive tower cylindrical shape with moat and suspension bridge. Over time, Konopiste was expanded in the spirit of French Gothic to a powerful fortress: two belts of walls with parkan, seven round towers (four corner ones, one in the center of the eastern and western walls, as well as the main tower with gates - the very first tower that has survived to our days days).
Each era brought something new to the appearance of the castle. In the 17th century, its Gothic appearance was changed under the influence of the Renaissance; in the 18th century, Konopiště was thoroughly rebuilt in the spirit of the Baroque, and in this form it has survived to this day. The last large-scale reconstruction of the castle was carried out under Archduke Franz Ferdinand d "Este von Habsburg. According to his wishes, the architects Josef Mocker and Franz Schmorants equipped Konopiste with the latest technology of the late 19th century: water supply, electricity, sewerage were installed in the castle, a mechanical shooting range and hydraulic lift, which was powered by a dam specially built for this purpose on a nearby pond.At the same time, an English park was laid out around Konopiste on 225 hectares with a rose garden, terraces and marble statues.
Archduke Franz Ferdinand is largely responsible for the interior decoration of the castle. To the already existing collections of furniture, paintings, tapestries, glass, porcelain, weapons, armor and hunting trophies, the new owner added his extensive collections, and all this splendor has been almost completely preserved to this day. Franz Ferdinand, being a passionate collector and hunter, also took care of the accurate cataloging of his collections. As a result, in our time, thanks to a detailed catalog and photographs, it was possible not only to return all the objects in Konopiste (with the exception of two lost ones), but also to install and hang them exactly in the places that they occupied during the life of the Archduke.
Three of the collections presented in the castle are considered the most significant. Firstly, this is a collection of weapons and armor, sometimes called the d "Esten Armory. It included collections of the Obizzi, d" Este and Habsburg families, accumulated over several centuries and inherited by Franz Ferdinand. Adding to them his own exhibits and copies already available in Konopiste, the Archduke created one of the largest collections of military and hunting weapons and armor in Europe from the 16th-19th centuries, including almost five thousand items, among which there are also very rare specimens.
Also in Konopiste is a rich hunting collection of Franz Ferdinand, collected by him around the world. The number of trophies reaches about 300,000; they decorate all the chambers and corridors of the castle. Each stuffed animal, skin, horns, etc. provided with an exact indication of the place and time when the trophy was obtained. So the Archduke tried to put his passion at the service of science.
Another pearl of the castle collections is the collection of St. George. It includes objects of art, crafts and folk crafts with the image of St. George. The collection includes about four thousand artifacts of the 15th-19th centuries and is on display today in a special castle gallery of St. George.
History of the castle
The castle was built in the 13th century by Bishop Tobias of Benešov and was a building in the Gothic style, later reconstructed several times. Initially, Konopiste Castle was built on the model of a French castle as a powerful Gothic rectangular fortress with round towers at the corners, which made it possible to defend itself most effectively during sieges. In total, the castle had 7 towers: 4 in the corners, 1 in the center of the northern wall and 2 in the center of the short western and eastern walls. The fortifications of the castle were complemented by a moat and earthen ramparts.
The Benešović family was the owner of the castle until 1327, when the castle passed to the noble Sternberk family, who also owned the Český Sternberk castle near the town of Benešov. In the 17th century, the owners of the castle from the Šternberk family rebuilt the castle in the late Gothic style and later in the late Renaissance style. During the Hussite wars, the castle was subjected to a long siege by the royal troops, which lasted 17 months, and in 1468 it was conquered by the troops of King Jiří of Poděbrady.
In 1648, during the Thirty Years' War, the castle was captured and plundered by the Swedish army, after which it fell into disrepair. The dilapidated castle was bought at an auction by the Czech nobleman Jan Josef Vrtba (Czech. Vrtba). At the beginning of the 18th century, the castle was once again rebuilt by the Vrtba family in the Baroque style. Instead of a drawbridge, a stone bridge was erected, a new entrance to the castle was cut in the eastern tower, the height of the towers was reduced to the level of castle buildings, and a large southern wing was also built.
In 1887, the castle was sold for 2 million gold to Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, on whose initiative in 1889-1894 the castle was once again radically rebuilt. The reconstruction of the castle was carried out under the guidance of the architects from Vienna Josef Motzker and Franz Schmoranz. Being a great hunter, the Archduke equipped a mechanical shooting range in the castle, expanded the collection of weapons and armor already stored there, and also created several “hunting corridors” decorated with trophies - thousands of deer horns, boar fangs, stuffed foxes, exotic animals and birds. In addition, under the Archduke, water supply, sewerage, electricity were installed in the castle, a hydraulic elevator was installed in the central wing of the castle (which worked due to a dam built on a nearby pond) and a number of other technical innovations for that time were introduced.
At the same time, an English-style park with terraces, a rose garden and marble statues was laid out around the castle. Konopiste Castle was a favorite place for recreation and hunting of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. During his ownership of the castle, in addition to hunting trophies, Franz Ferdinand collected in it a large collection of historical weapons and various items depicting St. George. When Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, his children inherited the castle and its collections.
Since 1921, the castle became the state property of Czechoslovakia. In 1943, the castle became the headquarters of the SS troops in Bohemia and served until 1945 also as a repository of trophy works of art. At the end of World War II, a significant part of the works of art and collectibles were taken out of Konopiste, but by 1946 most of them were returned to the castle. Part of the art objects from the Konopist collection is currently kept in Prague.
After World War II, the state-owned castle was opened to tourists. Currently (at the beginning of the 21st century), the Czech Ministry of Culture spends about 800,000 dollars to maintain the castle, partially compensating this amount through tourism.
Tourists
The castle is open from April to October from Tuesday to Sunday: from 9.00 to 17.00 (16.00 in some months).
In November from Tuesday to Sunday: from 9.00 to 15.00.
Break in the work of the ticket office, shooting gallery and the Museum of St. George from 12.00 to 13.00.
The castle offers several tour options:
1 - Guest rooms and Hunting corridor (south wing)
2 - Armory, chapel, library (old part of the castle)
3 - Living rooms of the family of Franz Ferdinand.
The ticket price is 90-310 kroons, depending on the chosen route of the tour, the language in which it is conducted, and the right of a particular tourist to certain benefits. Tickets for the shooting range, the rose garden and the tour of the St. George collection will cost from 15 crowns (per person) to 80 crowns (per family, tour in a foreign language). When buying tickets for several routes at once, there are discounts for visiting other excursions. More information on the official website of the castle.
It should be noted that the castle tries to make money from almost everything, therefore it offers a wide range of additional services, such as falconry in front of the castle, walks in the garden, walks around the pond, live music concerts on weekends and much more.
There is also the possibility of holding various business receptions and weddings.
How to get there
Address: Konopiště 1, 256 01 Benešov
GPS: 49.779444,14.656667
Phone: +420 317 721 366
By train
In order to get to Konopiste by train, you need to buy a ticket in Prague for the train to Benešov, from there it is 2 km to the castle. Immediately at the station, you need to turn right, cross the bridge over the railway and move on to the first yellow marker. Further to the castle you can walk along the markers. Travel time from 40 minutes to an hour, ticket price 45 kroons.
By bus
You can also go to Benešov by bus from the Florenc station in Prague. Buses also run from the Roztili metro station, the ticket price is 45 CZK and the journey time is about 45 minutes. You can get to the bus station. Sometimes drivers stop the bus on the way to the forest, claiming that it is easier to get to the castle this way - and this is true. You need to move along the paved road into the forest, then continue along the yellow markers and in 25 minutes you will be there.
By car
By car, you can get from Prague in 40 minutes, the path should be kept on Benesov (this is 45 km from Prague), through the points of Kamenice, Senohraby. After 43 km, after the turn to Vatslavice, there will be a turn to the right, after one and a half km you need to turn right again and you are there.
One of the most beautiful castles located in the vicinity of the city of Benesov. It is included in the version of our site.
This castle of the 13th century gained its popularity due to the original architecture and rich collection of porcelain, antique furniture and hunting trophies. Sometimes it is called a "hunting" castle. Also, the fact that the last owner was an Austrian heir, whose assassination played an important role in the beginning of the First World War, brought the castle worldwide fame.
Despite numerous rebuildings and restorations, the castle has retained its Gothic style and its resemblance to French castles, as it was originally intended. Outwardly, it resembles a rectangular fortress with rounded towers. Today the castle is surrounded by a large English park with terraces, sculptures and a rose garden.
The last owner of the castle was Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was very fond of hunting and collected a collection of historical weapons. During his life, he killed a lot of animals, more than 200,000 to be exact. And the tradition of breeding bears in the district has been preserved to this day.
Geographically, the attraction is located about 50 km from Prague. In order to get to your destination, the easiest way is to take a train or bus to the town of Benešov, from which the castle is only 2 kilometers away.
Attraction photo: Konopiste Castle
Konopiste Castle is known as the last residence of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. His assassination in Sarajevo provoked the outbreak of World War I. The bullet fired at Archduke Gavrilo Princip by the Black Hand organization is now on display in the castle museum as an exhibit.
Konopiště is a beautiful and majestic castle near the city, surrounded by a park with a greenhouse and a rose garden. A luxurious building dominates the area. Prague is 45 kilometers away.
History reference
The Konopiště Fortress was built in the 13th century on the model of French castles. Throughout its history, it has changed its appearance many times. The Czech castle performed different functions: it was a defensive structure and a cozy home residence. The modern look of the complex has been preserved since the 19th century, from the time of Archduke Franz Ferdinand d`Este.
Castle Collections
In Konopiste you will get acquainted with a collection of unique weapons of the 16th-18th centuries and the life tragedy of the owner of the fortress. During the tour of the castle, you will have the opportunity to see the hunting corridor with trophies, the arsenal, the library, the luxurious chambers of the Archduke and his family. The interior is impressive with paintings, sculptures, outlandish items and souvenirs from the Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance eras.
The hall with the richest collection of hunting weapons and trophies, including many stuffed exotic animals from overseas travels, deserves special attention. The exposition tells about another hobby of the Archduke.
Castle park with rose garden
After the tour, take a walk through the picturesque English castle park, where luxurious roses bloom, exotic plants grow and peacocks walk.
Working hours
The opening hours of the castle may vary. Check the schedule on the website.
Castle routes and entrance fees
Children under 6 years old are admitted free of charge.
The tour for each route lasts approximately 1 hour.
For up-to-date information on prices for excursions, see the website of the castle.
Parking costs 60 CZK.
How to get to Konopiste?
Take a bus from the Roztyly or Florenc station to the station. Benešov, and then transfer to the train to Konopiste or walk two kilometers on foot. Up to st. Benešov can also be reached by train from the Hlavní nádraží train station.
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