Křivoklát () is a market town in Rakovník District in the

Central Bohemian Region The Central Bohemian Region ( ; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative centre is in the Czech capital Prague, which lies in the centre of the regio ...

of the

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

. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the medieval Křivoklát Castle, protected as national cultural monument.

Administrative division

Křivoklát consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Křivoklát (623) *Častonice (35) *Písky (25)

Etymology

The initial name of Křivoklát was Krivoplát. It was derived from Czech words (i.e. 'crooked plate') and probably referred to the non-flat terrain where the castle was founded. In the 14th century, the name was distorted to Křivoklát.

Geography

Křivoklát is located about southeast of Rakovník and west of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is at above sea level. The market town is situated in the meander of the Berounka River at its confluence with the stream

Rakovnický potok The Rakovnický potok is a stream in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Berounka River. It flows through the Central Bohemian Region. It is long. Etymology The name means "Rakovník stream". Characteristic The Rakovnický potok origina ...

, which flows west of Křivoklát below the castle. The entire municipal territory lies within the Křivoklátsko Landscape Protected Area.

History

The castle was founded at the beginning of the 11th century. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the first cottages appeared below the castle and the hamlet became known as Budy. Nearby hamlet Čamrdoves grew up, and during the 17th and 18th centuries they became one village. In 1886 the hamlets Budy, Amalín, Čamrdoves, and Častonice created a single administrative unit, the municipality of Křivoklát. In 1896, the municipality was promoted to a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

Demographics

Transport

Křivoklát is located on the railway line Beroun–Rakovník.

Sights

Křivoklát is a popular tourist destination known for the Křivoklát Castle. It is an importance medieval royal castle from the 13th century. From the 1470s to the 1520s, it was extensively rebuilt. It is protected as national cultural monument. Today the castle is owned by the state. It is open to the public and offers guided tours. A notable building is the Church of Saint Peter. It was originally a late Gothic church from 1522, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 1880s according to the design by Josef Mocker.