Rožmberk Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rožmberk (German: Rosenberg) is a castle situated in South Bohemia near Rožmberk nad Vltavou in the Czech Republic. It is the oldest seat of the House of Rožmberk, a historical Czech aristocratic family. It was mentioned for the first time in 1253 in a document signed by Vok "von Rosenberg".
The Gothic fortress was changed during the Renaissance era and then in the 19th century within the "Tudor Gothic Passion" period. The French family of Buqouy, the last owners of the castle, transformed it into a museum opened to the public, one of the first museums in the Bohemian land. The main palace with architectural features of several historic styles shelters a unique collection of Baroque furniture and pictures as well as a wonderful Renaissance Hall with a famous "musical niche" and original wall decorations. The armoury contains valuable weapons, armours and heraldry. The picture gallery is full of remarkable pictures dating back even to Renaissance era. The Rožmberk heritage has been guarded for hundreds of years by kind Perchta of Rožmberk, the White Lady.
[edit] History
The Rožmberk castle was founded in the first half of the 13th century by a member of the powerful family of the Vítkovci (or in Latin-Germ: Witigonen), Vok z Prčice who later called himself after this castle Vok von Rosenberg. Very soon a tributary town grew in the barbican. The castle became the administrative and economic centre of the estates, a part of which Vok von Rosenberg gave to the newly established Cistercian monastery in Vyšší Brod. In 1302 when the cadet Krumlov branch of the Vítkovci died out, Vok's offspring inherited Český Krumlov and they settled there permanently.
In 1420 Oldřich II of Rožmberk (1403 - 1462) was forced to pawn the castle to the Lords of Walsee from Austria to get money to finance the army against the Hussites. Oldřich was father to Perchta the White Lady. The Rožmberk castle was later paid off but in 1465 it was pawned again to the Lobkovic family. The castle was also in this case paid off.
In 1600 Petr Vok von Rosenberg passed the castle with estates over to his nephew Johann Zrinski of Seryn (1565 - 1612) son to Nikola Šubić Zrinski. Zrinski rebuilt the castle in Renaisance style. When he died in 1612 the estates were inherited by the Švamberks, relatives of the Rožmberks. But they lost the castle very soon because all their estates were confiscated after the Battle of White Mountain and were given to the commander of the Imperial army, Karel Bonaventura Buquoy. The family, whose main residence was in Nové Hrady, kept the castle until 1945, when it was nationalised after the end of World War II.
The castle was opened to the public in the middle of the 19th century as one of the first museums in Bohemia. The tradition of the Rožmberks is represented by the Renaissance graffito decoration of the outside facades with beautiful painted decorations of the interiors (especially the famous Music niche in the so-called Knight's hall). The tradition of the counts of Buquoy celebrates the history of the family which owned the castle until 1945. Neither the style nor the furniture of the castle have been changed since its reconstruction in the Romantic style was completed. The interiors, mostly renovated in the Neo-Gothic style, are furnished with valuable pieces of furniture, some of which were made especially with special wood carving for the use of the museum. The castle picture gallery contents a few valuable Czech and European pictures from artists of the Late Renaissance and Baroque eras, such as Bartolomeo Spranger, Karel Škréta, Jan Kupecký, and Norbert Grund. The armoury has a unique collection of stabbing and cutting weapons, arms, and relics of war.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The mysterious picture of Perchta, the White Lady of Rožmberk, is one of the most famous benign ghosts in Bohemia. She has supposedly appeared several times during the centuries since her death. A local tradition is if you understand what is written on the picture in secret signs you can release her and find a silver treasure.
The bronze elephant sculpture in the courtyard is a copy made in 2003. The original elephant from 1916 was stolen by Nazis and was lost for 50 years standing here in the yard. The owners found it and it was given back to them to make amends for the Holocaust. Now the elephant is back home in Switzerland and the precious copy is here to bring happiness to those who gently touch it.
The message "Loves disappear, colours fade" carved on a wall in the Knight's Hall dates to a Spanish of the 17th century.
