The Třeboň Castle
The Třeboň castle complex, below the dam of the fishpond Svět, is one of the largest in the Czech Republic. It is surrounded by the English style castle park, creating a pleasant green oasis in the middle of the city. The castle complex serves as a venue for a number of festivals and celebrations every year.
There are about one hundred and
twenty rooms in the Třeboň castle. These are
either historical Renaissance halls and
chambers or modern rooms inhabited
by the Schwarzenbergs up through the
20th century. A large National Regional
Archive is situated in the castle, much
sought after by researchers and students.
The archive holds very unique and
valuable collections of archival documents
from the beginning of the 13th century
until the present, mainly consisting of
the unique Rožmberk archive, arranged
by the Rožmberk archivist and librarian
Václav Břežan at the end of the 16th
century. You can pass through the castle
park to access the permanent exhibition
“Třeboňsko – Landscape and People”,
classified within the national House of
Nature network from the year 2000.
(open from 9:00–5:00 p.m., from
May to September daily except Mondays;
tel.: +420 384 727 912; www.itrebon.cz).
Václav Březan, the librarian and archivist of the House of Rožmberk, looked after Peter Vok‘s library, one of the largest privately owned libraries in Central Europe. The library catalogue had four volumes and contained over 11 000 titles (the price for one book was 50 heads of cattle). The library was transferred to Prague on rafts on the Vltava River. In 1648 it was taken to Sweden as war loot by explicit request of the Queen Kristina. Today it can be found mostly in Uppsala in Sweden and in the Vatican. Václav Březan wrote “The History of the House of Rožmberk”.
The history of the castle and of Třeboň itself is closely connected with the noble families that owned the dominion over the years and centuries.
The Třeboň castle stands on the ruins of the
original Gothic stone castle, almost
destroyed by a fire in 1562. Vilém
of Rožmberk assigned its reconstruction
from a medieval castle to a Renaissance
mansion to the Italian architect and
builder Antonio Ericera (aka. Antonín
Vlach). The Třeboň castle was completed by
another Italian architect, Dominico
Cometta, as the main domicile of Petr
Vok of Rožmberk. His work includes
a 110-meter long hallway leading from
the original fortification to the Church of
St. Jiljí. There is also a Baroque fountain
based on the design of the famous Baroque
architect Pavel Ignác Bayer. The Třeboň castle
remained empty after the 1st World War,
even serving as a hotel for a few years.
During the 2nd World War it was occupied
by the Gestapo. The castle became state
property after 1947, together with the
entire Schwarzenberg holdings.
The Rožmberk Renaissance interiors - tour A
The Rožmberk Renaissance interiors
feature rooms associated with the
personal and social life of the Rožmberk
family. A number of interesting exhibits
can be seen here such as the heraldry
of the five noble families which owned
Třeboň and the families they were related
to. You can also see the picture of the
White Lady, the original pottery
and tin tableware, jewellery boxes, and
walls painted by Tomáš Třebechovský.
A favourite among visitors is “the
fraucimor” (frauzimmer), a room where
the ladies would pass their free time
keeping company with the princess, or the
alchemist laboratory that takes us back in
time to remember the works of famous
alchemists such as Dr. John Dee and
Edward Kelly. A sign above the window
in one of the rooms commemorates the
death of Peter Vok, who passed away in
the castle on November 6th of 1611.
Hours of opening: | |||
---|---|---|---|
Month | Day | Open | Last tour |
VI, V, IX, X | tue - sun | 09:00 - 16:00 | 15:15 |
VI - VIII | tue - sun | 09:00 - 17:15 | 16:30 |
The private Schwarzenberg chambers - tour B
The monumental Baroque architecture,
the sobriety of the Empirical style and
the playfulness of all the historical styles
used literally breathes on us in the
Schwarzenberg chambers. It is interesting
to notice how the technical inventions and
fashion of the day manifest themselves
in the interior design of the bedrooms,
chambers and work rooms, reflecting the
progressive nature of the castle lords. The
original interiors are complemented by
collections of all kinds of paintings such
as portraits and hunting scenes as well as
valuable porcelains, crystal glass objects
and the owners’ personal belongings
(trophies from trips to Africa, etc.). We learn
the names all the important members
of the noble families, for example both
Johann Adolf I and II, and Josef Adam.
Hours of opening: | |||
---|---|---|---|
Month | Day | Open | Last tour |
VI, V, IX, X | tue - sun | 09:00 - 16:00 | 15:15 |
VI - VIII | tue - sun | 09:00 - 17:15 | 16:30 |
The tour shows interesting aspects of
life in the Třeboň castle such as the kitchen and
room of the dog-lead as well as articles
used for horse riding and hunting. Another
small discovery during your walk through
the Třeboň castle may be the entrance to the
underground defence system.
Hours of opening: | |||
---|---|---|---|
Month | Day | Open | Last tour |
VII - VIII | tue - sun | 09:00 - 17:15 | 16:30 |
The Třeboň Chateau, similarly to other
castles belonging to the Rožmberk
family, is the site of occasional sightings
of the White Lady. Bohuslav Balbin
stands behind the creation of a legend
linking the White Lady to Perchta of
Rožmberk. She is said to have lived an
unhappy life at the Mikulov court of her
husband John of Lichtenstein who, as the
myth holds, brought a curse upon Perchta
before her death. Should the White Lady
be seen wearing white gloves, she is said
to be announcing the arrival of a happy
event. Black gloves, on the contrary, are
a signal of death, and red gloves are
a warning against fire.
Information source : Official website of the State chateau of Třeboň
IČ: 75152533, zapsané u KS v Č: Budějovicích, spis. zn. L 6355/KSCB | korespondenční adresa: Chvalšinská 242, 381 01 Český Krumlov
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