Kratochvíle State Castle

This is one of our most beautiful Renaissance buildings, situated in the picturesque countryside amidst middle of forests, pastures, and ponds, and was built in 1583-1590 by Vilém of Rožmberk. This unique Renaissance and Mannerism building was designed for him by the skilled Baldassare Maggi of Arogno. The villa gained the look of an Italian casino surrounded by a moat and a closed rectangular garden with an entrance tract and an outer wall made of isolated houses. The castle interiors present the period of the last Rožmberks, Vilém and Petr Vok. The residential and
representational rooms were restored to their appearance from the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries according to old inventories. The stucco and painting decoration of the villa’s interior, based on hunting motives and scenes from Roman history, bears an extraordinary quality. The castle chapel of Birth of the Virgin Mary and the Renaissance garden with the moat are parts of the tour.

Attraction:

The farm premises, called Leptáč, were donated in 1569 by Vilém of Rožmberk to the regent of the Rožmberk dominion and famous constructor of South Bohemian ponds, Jakub Krčín of Jelčany and were originally situated on the site of the current castle. Krčín built a new manor and surrounded it with an extensive deer hunting park. The Rožmberk emperor liked the manor so much that in 1579, he exchanged it with Krčín for the town of Sedlčany with 10 villages.

Back