Valdštejn Castle

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Valdštejn Castle (aerial view)

The Valdštejn (German: Waldstein ) is the ancestral home of the noble family Waldstein and the oldest castle in the region Bohemian Paradise . It is located three kilometers southeast of Turnov near the Hruboskalské Skalní město ("rock town") and is in the Okres Semily in the Czech Republic .

description

In the second half of the 13th century a chain of rock castles was built between Veliš near Jičín and Bezděz . Like other structures of this type, this castle was built on high rocks with the aim of making it impregnable.

The originally Gothic castle on three large sandstone blocks is separated from the surroundings by a deep moat. Nowadays it is protected by forest on three sides, only on the impregnable north side, where the cliffs drop steeply, there is a clear view towards Turnov. The individual stone blocks were connected by wooden bridges, the buildings themselves were up to the ramparts, a palace built and a tower of wood.

After a fire in the 16th century, only remnants of the walls and the hall remained of the complex, especially in the rear part, cellar vaults carved into the rock have also been preserved. Together with a baroque pilgrimage chapel and two stone bridges from the 18th century as well as the new buildings and conversions from the 19th century in the historicism style , the entire complex consists of a mixture of several stylistic epochs.

history

Chapel of St. John Nepomuk

The castle was founded by the Markwartingers between 1260 and 1280 . The family, from which several Bohemian noble families emerged, rose during the reign of King Otakar II Přemysl and owned large estates in the Jizera region as far as the Giant Mountains . The first attested owner was a Zdeněk (1280–1304), who named himself after the Waldstein castle. He was the son of Jaroslav von Turnov (1234–1269). In addition to the castle, several villages on both sides of the Jizera around Turnov to the Cistercian monastery Hradiště belonged to the Waldstein manor . Already during Zdeněk's lifetime there was a dispute over ownership, which was continued in the following generations. From 1318 court proceedings between members of the Waldstein family for robbery in the associated villages are documented. The relationship with the lords of the neighboring rock castle Rotštejn was also determined by enmity and mutual raids. Since the Waldstein dynasty had branched out into several lines in the first half of the 14th century, the castle belonged to the Lomnice branch. They remained in the possession of the rule until it passed to the Lords of Wartenberg around 1380 .

After 1420, Waldstein Castle was occupied by the Hussites . In 1436 Jan Čapek ze Sán , commander in chief of the army of orphans , was mentioned as lord of the castle. A few years later the castle was transferred to one of the Lords of Valečov , who were also close to the movement. The Hussites strengthened their position in this region by systematically conquering and expanding fortifications.

In the period that followed, the situation was unclear, and there were numerous changes of ownership and disputes. In 1440 the castle came under the control of robber barons for a short time . In 1514, Zikmund Smiřický von Smiřice bought the dilapidated and indebted Waldstein manor and united them with the neighboring manor Hrubá Skála Castle , which he also owned. Waldstein Castle burned down in the middle of the 16th century and was designated as a ruin in 1582. In 1620 Albrecht Wallenstein acquired the former family property again, but showed no interest in the destroyed headquarters. Nevertheless, the ruins remained in the possession of the founding family for the next 200 years.

Only when the former Prague organist and Baroque composer Václav Karel Holan Rovenský settled in the ruins as a hermit in 1694 and the place became a popular destination for pilgrimages , did the owners' interest reawaken. In 1722 the pilgrimage chapel of St. John Nepomuk was built on the site of the hermitage and two stone bridges with baroque statues of Bohemian saints made of sandstone were built.

In 1821 Franz Adam von Waldstein sold the entire Groß Skal estate to the Counts of Ährenthal . From 1824 to 1843 they rebuilt the castle in the neo-Gothic style. Further alterations were made by the end of the 19th century.

Waldstein was one of the first Bohemian castles to be opened to the public in the second half of the 19th century. Its location in the Bohemian Paradise has made it a popular destination. It has belonged to the town of Turnov since 1945 and is visited by more than 70,000 people every year.

  • Valdštejn Castle, the first bridge. The original sculptures by the Jelínek brothers from 1725–1735 are now housed in the chapel. Copies were placed on the bridge.

  • Classicist main building

  • Remains of the hall

  • Middle courtyard

Web links

Commons : Valdštejn castle  - collection of images

Coordinates: 50 ° 33 ′ 45 ″  N , 15 ° 10 ′ 1 ″  E