Prague Journal

Saturday, September 1, 2007

This weekend was spent outside of Prague. Honza drove us toward Karlovy Vary, although we didn't quite get that far west. We visited Loket, Becov, and interesting ruins of a partially-finished cathedral at Tynec (quite close to Prague). Honza spent most of the time (while we were looking at the castles, chateaus and museums) gathering mushrooms, so you can imagine the feasts we had Saturday evening.
Our first stop was Loket (which means "elbow" becaue of the shape of the town as it hugs the river), a picturesque Gothic royal castle, founded in the 13th century. The castle was built on the place of an older Romanesque building, enlarged in the period of the reign of Wenceslas IV and rebuilt in the 16th century. The castle was used as a prison between 1822 and 1949, after having been partially demolished in the 19th century.
Becov, or more properly Bečov nad Teplou, is a castle on a cliff founded by the Lords of Osek in the 13th century. The castle reached its peak in the late 15th century, when it belonged to the Pluh family of Rabštejn, who were engaged in gold, silver and tin mining. The Thirty Years' War brought an end to tin prosperity, and in 1648, the Swedish Army damaged the castle and occupied it. The most valuable preserved part of the castle is the Chapel of the Visitation of Our Lady from the year 1400 with original frescoes depicting 17 Biblical motifs.
In the 18th century, on the site of the former fortifications above the castle moat, a Baroque chateau with an octagonal tower was built. The tower housed state rooms, a library and fountains. In the 19th century, the castle was connected to the chateau as one complex. The interiors were renovated in the Romantic style by architect Josef Zítek. There are valuable collections of paintings and tapestries from the property of the Belgian Beaufort-Spontin family, who bought Bečov in 1813.
The most precious artifact is the unique reliquary of St. Moor, which was found in the chapel in 1985. Alfred de Beaufort bought a rare 12th century reliquary of St. Moor for 2,500 francs, had it restored and brought it to Bečov. At the end of World War II the Beauforts, active collaborators with the Nazi regime, left the chateau in a hurry. The reliquary was hidden under the floor of the castle chapel for 40 years. In the 1980s, police got a tip that a foreign businessman was offering mediating services in the export of the forgotten reliquary. After a long investigation into the archives and interrogations of witnesses, a short list was made of possible sites where the reliquary could be hidden. On November 5, 1985, the reliquary was discovered, surrounded by bottles of wine and cognac. Sixty Czech and international specialists participated in its restoration. The castle has recently been renovated and the reliquary is displayed in a special safety deposit room in the chateau Bečov.
Our last stop of the day was Týnec nad Sázavou. All that remains is part of a Romanesque castle, enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries, consisting of a rotunda, a prismatic tower with a view, an attached, originally Gothic building and uncovered bases of a never-completed Romanesque palace. It's thought to be a spiritual place, and many people come for weddings or just for good luck.

posted by JWinn @ 8:11 PM