| Krivoklat Castle:
The castle of Krivoklat belongs to the oldest and most important castles of the Czech princes and kings. The history of its construction starts in the 12th century.
During the reign of Premysl Otakar II. a large, monumental royal castle was built to be later rebuilt by king Vaclav IV. and even later generously enlarged by king Vladislav of Jagellon.
The castle of Krivoklat was seriously damaged by fire several times. It became a feared prison and its importance sank rapidly. First during the Romantic epoque of the 19th century (when under rule of the family of Furstenberg that owned the castle until 1929) the castle was reconstructed - and saved.
See a beautiful castle chapel, the Great Royal and Chivalric Halls with an exhibition of Gothic paintings and sculptures, the castle library containing over 52.000 bands, a rich museum and a painting gallery of the Furstenberg, a famous castle prison with torture chambers and torture instruments, a monumental tower with a collection of hunting trophies and a view of the surrounding area, a pleasant walk around the castle walls, the tower Huderka with an open-hearth kitchen and an observatory gallery. All of this and much more belongs to Krivoklat, a national cultural monument.
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