Krivoklat Castle – A Royal Residence and A Feared Prison
Heading west from Prague, as you drive through the sweeping, winding road of the Central Bohemian woodlands, you glimpse a majestic medieval structure atop a hill through a break in the woods. A trademark tower with a red turret, and white buildings with a red-tiled roof – the Krivoklat Castle!
Lying 60 km from Prague, the access to this straight-out-of-a-fairytale castle from the town beneath is through a scenic country road. It is one of the oldest and most significant royal castles of Czechia. The castle’s history dates back to the 12th century CE and the Premyslid, Luxembourg, and the Jagiellon, the various ruling dynasties, shaped its current avatar.
The History of Krivoklat Castle
Krivoklat Castle has a checkered history, with its own share of glory days and dark times during its 9 centuries of existence. They built it in Gothic style during the reign of Premyslids (the 13th and 14th centuries CE). In what we see today, the upper courtyard and the tower hail from the 13th century.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, under the reign of the Czech king and later Roman king Vaclav IV, they rebuilt and expanded the castle. Soon after, the castle fell to the Hussites and the Catholics and faced some dark years. But Czech king Vladislav II reconstructed the castle in the 15th and 16th centuries in the late Gothic style, and Krivoklat flourished.
Once again, during the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle lay ignored. It functioned as a prison, and a feared one at that. As my friend Kerwin entered the spiked cage, I figured why Krivoklat Castle was notorious as a scary prison during medieval times. Kerwin could not stand erect in that cage meant for prisoners.
The dungeons 
Kerwin inside the spiked cage
In mid-18th-century, the Fürstenbergs acquired the castle. A fire devastated it in 1826, but the Fürstenbergs restored it in the 19th and 20th centuries and sold it to the Czech state in 1929. Today, it serves as a museum and a tourist attraction.
The Castle Tour
From the castle entrance, you reach the second castle courtyard, passing through many remnants of the prison and its dungeons. You also go past the Small and the Large Knight’s Halls, the library, a picture gallery, a Lapidarium that stores some important fragments of archaeological interest, and the museum. Along the way, from the oratory, the view of the chapel is stunning.
The castle chapel 
Medieval armour on display in Krivoklat Castle 
The Lapidarium 
The castle library
The Gothic structure is obvious all around – in its corridors, rooms, and even the arches joining the sections of the castle. As you ooh-and-ah through the castle, keep your eyes peeled for the artefacts, statues, medieval armours, and a 53,000-book collection in its library. Given its rich history and varied exhibits, your Krivoklat Castle visit could last an entire day. And if you are looking for a Gothic experience, it will be a day well spent!
