Bezděz Castle

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View of the Bezděz Castle
Drawing by the writer Karel Hynek Mácha

The Bezděz Castle (German: Burg Bösig ) is the ruin of a gothic hilltop castle . It is located on Velký Bezděz in the Bezděz municipality in the north of the Czech Republic . Due to the difficult accessibility, the medieval castle was hardly rebuilt later and the original appearance has been preserved to this day. Bezděz inspired many artists with its location and picturesque appearance, especially the romantic poet Karel Hynek Mácha .

history

The order to build the castle was given by King Přemysl Ottokar II in 1264. It took over the function of the older Houska castle , which no longer met the king's requirements due to the limited space available. Shortly after it was completed in 1278, the prospective king Wenceslaus II and his mother Kunigunde von Halitsch were imprisoned here in 1279 . The Bohemian Crown held the castle until 1420.

After the battle of the White Mountain , Albrecht von Wallenstein received the property. In the 20s of the 17th century he had the castle rebuilt on a large scale for the first time. The castle was then captured by the Swedes and was no longer inhabited. In the second half of the 17th century it served as a place of pilgrimage for the monks of Montserrat , dedicated to St. Mary. In 1785, after the order was dissolved by Emperor Joseph II , the castle was abandoned. Extensive restorations began in the middle of the 19th century.

investment

Both parts of the two-part inner castle form the palace wings connected parallel to the castle walls with the living rooms on the first floor. Which is located at the highest point dungeon . A chapel with a gallery is attached to the royal palace. A fortification wall with three gates and a small watchtower, the so-called devil's tower, stretches from the lower castle along the access path . The early Gothic castle was well insulated and well protected by the fortress walls far in front. So it was initially spared major renovations. Albrecht von Wallenstein gave the castle three triangular bastions and one square bastion.

literature

Tomáš Durdik: Castles of Northern Bohemia . Propagační Tvorba, Prague 1992, ISBN 80-85386-50-X , no pages.

Web links

Commons : Bezděz Castle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 32 ′ 21 ″  N , 14 ° 43 ′ 13.3 ″  E