Točník Castle 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. It has about 300 inhabitants. Sights The municipality is known for the medieval Žebrák and Točník Točník is a municipality and v ...

. It was built during the reign of

Wenceslaus 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 ...

at the end of the 14th century above the already existing castle

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 ...

as his private residence. The two castles, Točník and Žebrák, make up a picturesque "couple," standing almost right next to each other.

History

The area where the castle stands was inhabited by people two thousand years ago, but it was not until the 14th century when the Bohemian and German king Wenceslaus IV decided to build his residence there. The castle Točník was built after the large fire at the castle Žebrák, which showed how unsafe it was for the king and how its position was not strategic. The castle was built on a three-part ground plan. Behind the defensive wall is a massive moat with a bridge, which was originally protected by a gate tower. The most important building, situated in the residential section on the L-shaped ground plan, is the Royal Palace with its side wing. The second floor of the palace was taken up with a ceremonial hall, while other floors were residential. 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 ...

, when Wenceslaus' brother

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

was in power, the castle was besieged by the Hussite army for three days, until it gave up and burnt 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 ...

instead. The castle was then mortgaged and handed over from one person to another, but it never found an owner that would keep it for a longer time and so it was gradually reduced to ruins. Jan of Wartenberg initiated the first stage of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

alterations, which were continued by the

Lobkowicz The House of Lobkowicz (''Lobkovicové'' in modern Czech, sg. ''z Lobkovic''; ''Lobkowitz'' in German) is a Czech noble family that dates back to the 14th century and is one of the oldest Bohemian noble families. The family also belong to the Ge ...

family. In 1594, the castle came once again to the royal property and was administrated by the Bohemian Royal Chamber. The Thirty Years' War contributed greatly to the castle's deterioration. In the year 1923, the castle was sold to the Czech Association of Tourists for 2000 Czechoslovak crowns and now it belongs to the state. Since the 1930s the gradual restoration works continue until this day.

Popular culture

The movies '' Bathory'', ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

'' and '' Hard to Be a God '' were filmed at Točník.

References

External links

Točník Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tocnik Castle Castles in the Czech Republic Beroun District Castles in the Central Bohemian Region