- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- South Bohemian, Czechia
- Style
- Gothic architecture
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 49.4389°, 14.1924°
History
The castle on a rocky spur at the confluence of the Vltava and Otava was built in the first half of the 13th century as a stronghold of the Přemyslid kings – the first mention, from 1234, already names its burgrave – and its oldest surviving part is the Markomanka tower. Under Wenceslas I and Ottokar II came the palace with its arcaded courtyard and the Chapel of St Wenceslas. In 1307 the castle was pledged to the Rosenbergs, in 1473 it passed to the Švamberks, and in 1622, after the defeat of the Bohemian estates' revolt, Imperial troops took and plundered it. After the Eggenbergs, the Schwarzenbergs acquired the castle in 1719 and carried out a Romantic restoration in the 1840s and after 1880. It was confiscated from them in 1948, and since 1950 Zvíkov has been a state castle.
What to see
The approach leads through the former outer bailey and several gates. The highlight is the royal palace, with a two-storey Gothic arcade around the courtyard and the Chapel of St Wenceslas, while the so-called Green Room preserves some 250 square metres of late Gothic wall paintings. The walls look down on the confluence, now flooded by the Orlík Reservoir, while the 20-metre Markomanka tower, built of rusticated stone blocks, guards the landward side.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q769690
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).