Český Krumlov Castle - Tour no. 1
Chapel of St. George - Český Krumlov Castle
Tour no. 1 leads you through the Renaissance and Baroque chambers, some of the most spectacular castle interiors. The tour begins in the castle chapel of St. George, built in the 14th century. The chapel is originally Gothic but was later modified in the Renaissance. Its current appearance comes from a reconstruction in the Rococo period, 1750–1753. The chapel holds a glass box with the remains of St. Calixtus, a martyr from northern Africa. Up until 1614, coincidentally, there were the relics of another saint here with the same name, the 16th Pope Calixtus I († 222 AD). In the Renaissance Hall, notice the copy of the famous painting Division of the Rose.
The route leads us onwards to the Renaissance living rooms of the last of the Rožmberks (bedroom, dining hall), richly decorated with biblical motifs. Valuable murals and beautiful coffered ceilings decorate the two Rožmberk anterooms where guests awaited an audience. The antecamera on the second floor served the same purpose. This is the anteroom to the vast Schwarzenberg suites, first inhabited by the Eggenbergs.
Golden Carriage - Český Krumlov Castle
The anteroom leads to the Eggenberg Hall with its legendary Golden Carriage. The Golden Carriage, doubtlessly the most famous exhibit of the Český Krumlov Castle, was created for Johann Anton of Eggenberg‘s (1610–1649) diplomatic mission to the Vatican? This aristocrat took up the role of imperial envoy to Pope Urban VIII in 1639 with such pomp and glory as Rome had never experienced before or since. The carriage, bringing gifts from Emperor Ferdinand III to the Pope, was made from walnut wood and covered with a layer of real gold, the iron parts were covered with gilded silver, and the fabric was black velvet with gold embroidery. The carriage was transferred to Český Krumlov in 1674.
The walls of the hall bear portraits of the individual members of the Eggenberg family. An interesting feature is the table in the dining room which could be extended to sit up to 30 people. The walls of the dining room are decorated by a rich collection of Schwarzenberg tapestries. The couch with the canopy gives the name to the Rococo Baldachin parlour, once used for informal meetings and for various social games. The bedroom of Eleonore Amalia of Schwarzenberg makes a lavish and representative impression – the room was originally prepared for the visit of Emperor Charles VI.
Masquerade Hall - Český Krumlov Castle
The highlight of the tour and one of the most famous parts of the Český Krumlov castle is the Masquerade Hall. It was painted by Viennese painter Josef Lederer in 1748; the walls portray 135 life-size figures representing a sprightly and rejoicing carnival company. Among the many things found here are the characters of the Commedia dell’arte: Pierrot, Colombina, Harlequin, Dottore, Pantalone... Work on the decoration of the Masquerade Hall lasted Josef Lederer a mere six months. It is unbelievable that he mastered the paintings himself, with only one assistant. You can also get an idea of what the author looked like – he portrayed himself with a cup of coffee looking onto the events in the hall.
I. guided tour - hours of opening:
| Hours of opening (Tuesday - Sunday): | ||
|---|---|---|
| date | open | last tour |
| 01.04. - 31.05. | 09:00 - 17:00 | 16:00 |
| 01.06. - 31.08. | 09:00 - 18:00 | 17:00 |
| 01.09. - 31.10. | 09:00 - 17:00 | 16:00 |
- A guided tour lasts 50-55 minutes
- Guided tour: Czech, German, English
- Lending of reading material available: Czech, German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch
- Number of visitors per guided tour: max. 45
- Possibility of reservation for groups from 8 persons
I. guided tour - price list:
| Admission in the official visiting time (CZK) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour | Czech commentary / foreign language commentary / own guide translation | |||
| Full | Reduced | Family admission | ||
| Children, students, invalids | Seniors | |||
| I. guided tour | 150 / 250 / 200 | 80 / 160 / 120 | 100 / 200 / 150 | 360 / 600 / - |
- children up to 6 years - free entrance
- groups of children up to 6 years - charged a price Kc 20,- / child
- reduced tour price for students - only for students up to 26 years
- booking fee = Kc 10,-/person
- reduced tour price for seniors - only for seniors over 65 years
- reduced tour price for groups from 20 persons - full tour price - 10%
- tour leader for free for groups from 25 persons
- extraordinary admission (out of the common visiting time) = full tour price + 100%
Map of the Český Krumlov Castle /pdf/