![Kasperk Castle (7)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Kasperk_Castle_%287%29.jpg)
Kašperk Castle (german: Karlsberg) is a medieval castle placed in southwestern
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
(modern
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 ...
, former
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
). It is said to be the most highly located royal castle in Bohemia. Its elevation is above sea level). The castle is in property of the Town of
Kašperské Hory
Kašperské Hory (; german: Bergreichenstein) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as a ski resort. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ur ...
since 1616.
History
Kašperk Castle was founded in 1356 by
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
and King of Bohemia
Charles IV to protect Bohemia's borders. Historians and scholars believe the castle was built, primarily, for three reasons. The first was about security. Bohemia needed to bolster their border defense against
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. Secondly, the castle's location was chosen so as to allow for absolute control over the gold-rich region near
Kašperské Hory/Bergreichenstein. The third reason for building Kašperk Castle was because Kašperk lay in the path of the "Golden Route," a trade route that connected Bohemia and Bavaria to the affluent areas of western Europe.
[
A royal castle in name and status, the Kašperk Castle, however, had no royal occupant. The castle was given over to the king's pledge holders. Along with the castle, the occupant of the Kašperk castle also received from the king the authority over administrative and judicial matters in the region of Prácheň, which encompassed a significant part of southwestern Bohemia.][
The Kašperk Castle's first pledge holders were the second archbishop of Prague and the first Czech cardinal, ]Jan Očko of Vlašim
Jan Očko of Vlašim ( cs, Jan Očko z Vlašimi; Jan VIII as the Bishop of Olomouc) (? – died 1380), from the family of the House of Vlašim, was the second Archbishop of Prague (1364–1378). He was the uncle to his successor Jan of Jenštejn ...
. From 1411 to 1454 Kašperk Castle was in the hands of the house of Zmrzlík of Svojšín and Orlík. The father and son of this house, both named Peter, oversaw a relatively peaceful time in the castle's history. Peter, the father, was a royal moneyer. He and his son were followers of Utraquism
Utraquism (from the Latin ''sub utraque specie'', meaning "under both kinds") or Calixtinism (from chalice; Latin: ''calix'', mug, borrowed from Greek ''kalyx'', shell, husk; Czech: kališníci) was a belief amongst Hussites, a reformist Christia ...
, which was also endorsed by the Hussite
The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation.
The Hussit ...
. It was this allegiance of the Peters that the Hussites never attacked the castle. The younger Peter, on the other hand, made numerous raids on the neighboring catholic Bavaria.
During the mid-15th century ownership of the Kašperk Castle passed to the hands of the powerful Šternberkové/Sternberg family of Šternberk/Sternberg. The family held immense sway over the region. This powerful and lucrative position in the region made Zdeněk of Šternberk ambitious, and in 1465 he led an armed revolt against King George of Poděbrady
George of Kunštát and Poděbrady (23 April 1420 – 22 March 1471), also known as Poděbrad or Podiebrad ( cs, Jiří z Poděbrad; german: Georg von Podiebrad), was the sixteenth King of Bohemia, who ruled in 1458–1471. He was a leader of the ...
. The Kašperk Castle abruptly became a strategic citadel. With the castle becoming involved in the fighting, the garrison occupying it readied themselves against an onslaught by the king's forces. In order to bolster their defenses, a small fortress was hastily constructed. Ruins situated to the castle's east are believed to be the remains of that fortress, which today is referred to as the Deserted Fort.[
In July 1940, when the ''Donau-Zeitung'' referred to a folklore of three ''Nornen'', the writer alluded to sisters who once lived at the Castle, and cheated the blind one out of her fortune.]Anna Rosmus
Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.
Early life and research
As a 16-year-old, Rosmus started developing an interest in contemporary history, especially that of t ...
''Hitlers Nibelungen'', Samples Grafenau 2015, pp. 245f
Description
The central part of the castle consists of two residential towers and an oblong palace which was built between them.[
]
Architecture
The architecture of the palace was designed to give the castle the utmost security and ability to function as a stronghold. The central part of the castle was built away from the outer walls. To further make the castle resistant to raids, the front walls of the towers, which rise , were kept devoid of openings, except the bay window in the western tower. This design was adopted to make the castle less susceptible to attacks.[
]
Location
A road runs to within of the castle, where there is a parking. The road to the castle passes through the towns of Kašperské Hory
Kašperské Hory (; german: Bergreichenstein) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as a ski resort. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an ur ...
and Nezdice. Tourists also have the option to walk to the castle. Several trails branch out from Kašperské Hory. Railway lines and bus routes also pass near the castle. The railway station is at Sušice
Sušice (; german: Schüttenhofen) is a town in Klatovy District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 11,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administr ...
, and buses are available from there to Kašperské Hory.
Gallery
File:Hrad Kašperk od silnice 1457.jpg,
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasperk Castle
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Castles in the Plzeň Region
Museums in the Plzeň Region
Historic house museums in the Czech Republic
Bohemian Forest
Klatovy District