Karlštejn became the first architectural structure bearing the name of the emperor, and was originally planned as a place for the ruler to rest from the worries of state and everyday life. Later, the castle becomes a "box" for keeping the coronation imperial regalia and the most valuable relics of the Christian world.
The place for the hail was chosen on a rock between five hills of approximately the same height. Each of the five hills in ancient times was a pagan shrine.
The foundation stone of the castle was laid on June 10, 1348 by the Czech Archbishop Arnost of Pardubice. It was a hitherto unprecedented event in Europe for a priest of such a high rank to take part in the laying of the city.
In the years 1348-1352, Mattei from Arras was engaged in the construction of Karlstein, after him came Peter Parler.
From the very beginning, the castle was designed as a four-level one: subhill, with massive gates and outbuildings; burgrave with a well tower; the imperial palace with the Mariana Tower and the Great Tower.
The most powerful structure of the fortress. Its dimensions are impressive - 26 × 27 meters around the perimeter, the thickness of the walls is 7 meters. The Big Tower itself is additionally protected by four smaller towers.
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The Chapel of the Holy Cross is located on the second floor of the Big Tower - the most valuable Gothic chapel that has no equal in the world. The walls of the chapel in the lower part are lined with polished precious stones, collected in the shape of a cross.
In the upper part of the walls there are 127 wooden images by Master Theodoric. From them, the faces of the Martyr Saints of the “Heavenly Host of Christ” gaze upon those who have come.
For many years, the unique chapel of the Holy Cross remained closed to mere mortals. Today, having made a reservation in advance, you can visit the chapel. The atmosphere in it is difficult to describe, but even the most notorious skeptics experience a state of mute reverential delight.
The domed vault of the chapel is decorated with four thousand plates of jasper, agate, onyx and amethyst, framed by gold plates with the personal coat of arms of Charles IV and the Czech lion. The sunbeam, once penetrating inside, does not disappear, wandering and reflecting in thousands of polished surfaces of stone fragments. Overhead hangs a Venetian glass depicting the sun, moon and stars.
The entrance to the chapel was closed by four doors covered with iron, they were locked with 19 locks. Opening the locks was allowed to special key keepers who took a strict oath.
Inside the chapel, which with its decoration reminiscent of the mystery and infinity of space, Charles the fourth kept the holy relics: the shoulder of St. Anna, the tooth of St. John the Baptist, the nail with which Jesus was nailed to the Cross, the sword of Charlemagne.
Interesting facts about Karlštejn Castle
In those days, the bones of ancestors were considered a very powerful amulet, because their vitality is preserved in the bones. According to the latest scientific research data, it is in the bones that, as it were, conserved DNA remains in the best possible way, it can be analyzed and reconstructed. Likewise, various objects that were with a person in extreme situations (in moments of stress, spiritual ecstasy or death) retain traces of sweat, human blood, and thus carry genetic information.
No woman, not even a queen, could enter the Great Tower. Hence the legend that women did not dare to be on Karlstein.
Charles the fourth himself entered the chapel only in exceptional cases. For his personal needs, he used the chapel of St. Catherine, whom Charles the fourth considered his patroness. It was in this chapel on Easter that the emperor closed for several days and spent time in prayer and meditation. In case of emergency, written messages were given to him through a narrow opening in the door. No one dared to talk at this time.
“I decided to build my fortress here. The fortress is opposed to space, tradition is opposed to time”, - Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
It is not surprising that such an old city has its own ghosts and ghosts. Karlstein has a lot of them … There is talk of the ghost of a cunning shepherd who appears on moonlit nights and searches for the Karlstein treasure. And the legend of the devils on Karlstein? And the story of how the old goat saved Karlštejn from the siege? And blind Benesh and his faithful dog do not deserve attention? And what about a completely real story about Katarzyna from Komarzhov, the wife of the Karlstejn manager, who was a real sadist? Her name has become a symbol of horror and torment for many centuries …
Misconception about the prohibition of women to visit Karlstein
Once upon a time, women could not enter Karlštejn. This myth has survived to this day, and some continue to believe in it. And the comedy "Night over Karlštejn" by Jaroslav Vrchlichka supports this delusion. In this piece, women were really not allowed to enter the castle. However, this is historically incorrect. Women, like men, could enter the castle. This mistake was caused by Vaclav Hayek from Libočany. His chronicle mentions a castle called Dwarf. It was located near Karlstein and served as a stopping place for the ladies who visited their men in Karlstein. The truth can be found if we look at the charter of the chapter. The document says: "With this charter, we forever forbid ourselves to sleep or go to bed with women in the towers of Karlštejn, which are intended to protect the chapel."Women were free to move around the castle. The only forbidden place for them was one floor in the Great Tower, where the treasure guard was located.
The wicked burgrave's wife
The scariest of all the stories in existence is truly based on real events. In the 17th century. In the castle lived Katezhina Bekhinova, the burgrave's wife. She killed 14 people in a terrible way. The woman with sadistic tendencies tortured mostly young maids. But animals and servants did not hide from her anger either. One of them did not follow her orders and was thrown into prison. The cat that tore her lace was skinned alive. The first to report the murderous lady's deeds to the Chamber of Justice in Prague was Vaclav Hayek of Libočany, who at that time was rector in Karlštejn. The villainess was sentenced to death by starvation. After that, her husband expelled the chronicler. “Hayek, like a robber, was tied to a horse and taken from Karlštejn to Prague,” wrote the knight Václav Halás. Two days after the death of Katarzyna, the President of the Court of Justice suddenly died. Perhaps this was the last victim of the wicked burgrave's wife. They say that the souls of the slain maids (Girls in White) still live in the castle.
Blind musician
One of Karlstein's most popular legends tells of a blind musician. He played the lute in the castle and was accompanied everywhere by a devoted dog. In those days, the Prince of Brunschwitz with his servant visited Karlštejn. The treacherous servant tried to poison his master during a feast. He handed him a glass of poison, and the prince offered it to the musician, wishing to thank him for the wonderful music. When the musician raised the glass to his lips, the dog jumped into his lap and drank all the wine. She died a few minutes later. The blind man stroked his dog for the last time and said: "Noble sir, the wine has been poisoned and should have brought you death." The musician did not find out what punishment the insidious servant had suffered. He died a few days later, grieving over his dog.
Interesting Karlstein Facts:
- The Chapel of the Holy Cross houses the world's largest collection of paintings by master Theodoric, consisting of 129 canvases.
- The height of the most monumental - the Big Tower of the castle is 60 meters.
- The chateau museum of betlem is the largest mechanical betlem in the Czech Republic, with an area of 80 square meters. Bethlem is a giant Karlstein model, and the total number of figures participating in the Christmas action is 64.
- In Karlstein there is an exact copy of the royal crown of Wenceslas IV, made of 24-carat gold, decorated with 19 sapphires, 24 spinels and rubies, 30 emeralds and 19 pearls. The crown weighs 2.5 kg, and its cost is more than 1 million Czech crowns.