Of all the Czech castles, this Gothic castle, established on 10th June 1348, is particularly exceptional. Karlštejn Castle was built by the king of Bohemia and Roman Emperor Charles IV to protect the royal treasures, especially the collections of holy relics and imperial crown jewels.
Karlštejn was originally built for Charles’ own private needs, as a small residence with a single tower; this was gradually extended with parts built to guard the jewels. To protect them Charles had the unfinished Great Tower on the first floor altered, with the rectangular flat-ceilinged living chamber converted to the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is decorated with inlays of precious stones embedded in gilded frames, above which there is wooden coffered panelling from the Prague workshop of Master Theodorik, together with a triptych by Tommaso da Modena. Nowadays the castle is an important national cultural monument and one of the most frequently visited castles in Bohemia.
It was built on a limestone rock promontory (316 m a.s.l.). What is particularly impressive is how the original tiered arrangement of the castle buildings has been preserved. The lowest are the working parts such as the Outer Bailey, the Well Tower and the Purkrabský Palace. The building continues with the Imperial Palace and the Marian Tower. Soaring 60 m high, the Great Tower with its own massive system of fortifications is the highest point of the castle.
There are many legends associated with Karlštejn, the most famous of which is that women did not use to be allowed at the castle. In this we are also misled by Vrchlický’s comedy Noc na Karlštejně (Night at Karlštejn) and the 16th century chronicles of Václav Hájek of Libočany. Yet this myth has no basis in truth, nor does the fictitious idea that nearby Karlík Castle was allegedly a dormitory for women who came to visit their better halves at Karlštejn. Women could spend the night at Karlštejn. All that Charles VI really commanded was the Great Tower.
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