Vimperk Castle

Vimperk Castle
	Vimperk Castle, view from the east
Alternative name (s):	zámek Vimperk
Creation time :	1260
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	In parts converted into a castle
Standing position :	Noble
Place:	Vimperk
Geographical location	49 ° 3 '22 " N , 13 ° 47' 2" E Coordinates: 49 ° 3 '22 " N , 13 ° 47' 2" E

The Vimperk Castle (German Castle Winterberg ) is a renaissance castle in the town of the same name in Vimperk in southern Bohemia . It is one of the most important sights of the place.

history

The chateau emerged from a castle founded by Ottokar II Přemysl in 1260 , who gave it to Burgrave Purkart of Janovice . From then on, Vimperk served the Janovices as the starting point for developing the uninhabited areas of the Bohemian Forest in the south and east. They also founded today's city of Vimperk as a marketplace for traders and craftsmen. In the heyday of the Golden Path , the castle served to protect the newly established trade routes that led directly through Vimperk.

After the castle in the second half of the 14th century. When it fell back into royal possession, Vaclav IV handed it over to the family of Kaplirz de Sulewicz . Under Petr Kaplirz de Sulewicz, the fortification of the newly raised town of Vimperk took place in 1479, and the castle was also incorporated. At the same time the upstream fortress Haselburg was built to protect the relatively weak north side of the castle. In 1494 the castle became the property of Malovec von Malovice , who rebuilt the complex on a large scale. In 1547 they lost the castle after the Battle of Mühlberg but again because it stands the uprising against King Ferdinand I had supported.

As a result, Vimperk wandered through the property of various noble families, such as the Lords of Neuhaus , the Rosenbergs and the Kolowrats , who had a new Renaissance castle built on the grounds of the castle from 1622 to 1624. In 1630 Jan Oldřich von Eggenberg acquired the facility, and from 1698 it was owned by the Schwarzenberg family . The last renovations were carried out in 1857 after a fire. Later the castle housed various offices and a barracks , today it is the museum of the city of Vimperk.

architecture

Vimperk Castle (forecourt)

From the earliest parts of the castle there is still the 13 m high Vlček tower from the second half of the 13th century on the west side of the former castle . receive. It is surrounded by a Gothic hill . As remains of the city fortifications, four city gates still exist today, the Black Gate (Černá brána) connects to the castle complex.

The castle complex is divided into three parts: the upper castle on the original castle grounds, the lower castle, built in the 17th century, and the small Haselburg fortress in the northeast of the site, which has a characteristic round tower 14 m in diameter.

The forecourt of the castle is surrounded by two-story buildings, which are dominated by the tower of St. Joseph's Chapel. The upper and lower castle are connected by an arcade gallery . In the upper castle there is also a cross vault , which rests on a central column , as well as a Gothic pointed arch portal on the first floor .

museum

The Vimperk City Museum is located in the area of the upper castle. In addition to information about the Šumava National Park and the history of the town of Vimperk, the exhibition also includes historical printing presses and books from Vimperk's time as a center of Czech book printing in the 15th century.

You can also see exhibits made of Bohemian glass from the heyday of glassworks in the 17th and 18th centuries. and the history of this branch of industry that is historically significant for the region.