Žebrák Castle (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

''Burg Bettlern'') lies in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( cz, Středočeský kraj, german: Mittelböhmische Region) is an administrative unit ( cz, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. More accurately, it is in the

Beroun District Beroun District ( cs, okres Beroun) is a district ('' okres'') within Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Beroun. Complete list of municipalities Bavoryně - Beroun - Běštín - Březová - Broumy - B ...

above the village of

Točník Točník is a municipality and village in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bor ...

and from the village of

Žebrák Žebrák () is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,200 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Sedlec is an administrative part of Žebrák. Geography Žebrák is located about ...

. It was built by the Zajíc family. The two castles,

and Žebrák, make up a picturesque "couple," standing almost right next to each other.

History

The castle was built in the second half of the 13th century by Oldřich Zajíc III, but the Zajíc family soon moved elsewhere and sold the castle to the king. In 1336, the

house of Luxembourg The House of Luxembourg ( lb, D'Lëtzebuerger Haus; french: Maison de Luxembourg; german: Haus Luxemburg) or Luxembourg dynasty was a royal family of the Holy Roman Empire in the Late Middle Ages, whose members between 1308 and 1437 ruled as kin ...

acquired Žebrák and in 1346, Jindřich of the Luxembourg house started renovating it. He later gave the castle to

Karel IV Charles IV ( cs, Karel IV.; german: Karl IV.; la, Carolus IV; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charle ...

, who became the Holy Roman Emperor shortly afterwards. Karel's son

Václav IV Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; cs, Václav; german: Wenzel, nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he w ...

liked the castle very much, but after the large fire in 1395, he built a more strategically positioned castle above it. During the

Hussite wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, European monarchs loyal to the Cat ...

, the Hussite army unsuccessfully besieged Žebrák and Točník and then proceeded to burn down the towns

and

Hořovice Hořovice (; german: Horschowitz, Horvitz, Horowitz) is a town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,900 inhabitants. Administrative parts Hořovice is made up of only one administrative part. His ...

. In 1532, another fire struck the castle, but this time, nobody bothered renovating it. In the year 1923, the castle was sold to the Czech Association of Tourists for 8000 crowns and now it belongs to the state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zebrak Castle Castles in the Czech Republic Populated places in the Beroun District Castles in the Central Bohemian Region Tourist attractions in the Central Bohemian Region