Hluboka nad Vltavou

Not far from Cesky Krumlov on a high rocky cliff stands proudly romantic castle Hluboka nad Vltavou - a beautiful copy of the English castle Windsor. You will be able to get there drive about four hours by train to the station Hluboka.

The castle was once built by Czech kings in the first half of the XIII century, and acquired its present elegant appearance at the beginning of the XVIII century. When it realized extensive reconstruction under the influence of the wife of Prince Jan Adolf II Schwarzenberg Duchess Eleonora. The restoration was done in the style of "new Gothic 'and also included the landscaping of the park and the surrounding landscape.

In 1838 Duke Adolf II and his wife Eleanora visited England. Under the influence of impressions from this trip the prince wanted to build in their possession something like Windsor Castle, which he had seen in England. He chose for this purpose the castle Hluboka. In restructuring it strongly supports the Princess Eleanora, whose portrait still hangs in the reception hall. All rooms have survived to our times almost original form. During the tour you can see a morning room, audience hall, large and small dining rooms; a rich collection of rare wall tapestries from the Netherlands, Belgium and France; library that holds about 12,000 books.

Hluboka nad Vltavou like a castle from a fairy tale, thanks to its openwork pinnacles and huge blooming maze. Among this vast maze of green, you feel like in the movie Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." There is the castle Hluboka own little secret.

In the chambers of Princess Eleonora, hanging mirror, peeking in which the girl will always be happy with her husband and young. The castle offers tours. You can buy a trip to Prague or to buy tickets on the spot. The average price of the tour from Prague is 50 euros. The cost of entry to the castle with a guide is 10 euro. In the winter time and its surroundings do not look less impressive, the only negative - the second floor of the castle closed to winter In the old days, in the castle every year had been gala hunting gon in the fall.

Now the castle is host to many weddings and celebrations. Newlyweds come here from all over the world to celebrate in the luxurious halls of Hluboka the most important day of his life. After visiting the castle, you can also call a walk in Cesky Krumlov, which is the heritage of UNESCO. It is just a 15-minute drive from the castle. Castle Hluboka nad Vltavou is the best combined with the magical atmosphere of Cesky Krumlov, which even inspired Hans Christian Andersen to create his unique fairy tales. But more about that in the next article.

How to get there?

The bus from the bus station to the town Na Knížecí Strakonice, there change to "fast" train to the station Hluboka, but fast train does not run on Sunday. You can also reach the castle from Hlavní nádraží to station Hluboka. Of course, you can also get there by car or on a bus tour.