Prague Journal

Saturday, March 12, 2005.

Jitka had arranged for Radka, the daughter of the architect who helped design their house addition, to give us a private tour of Orlik castle, so we had an early lunch and were on our way by 2pm. Orlik was founded in the 13th century by Vaclav II, and was rebuilt by Emperor Karel IV in the 14th century. The castle became the property of Christopher of Svambert (Schwarzenberg) after the battle of Bila hora (White Mountain) in 1620, and except for a few short periods, (most notably the nationalization by the communist party from 1948-1989), remains the property of the Schwarzenberg family. It was remodeled in 1849 - 1860 in the new gothic style. The castle is enormous, with grand rooms with period furniture and long halls displaying trophy antlers and firearms.

posted by JWinn @ 10:41 PM