Pernstejn Castle - 31 km

The monumental "Pernštejn Castle" stands proudly on top of a wooded hill above "the Nedvědičky" valley in the picturesque landscape of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. "Pernštejn" is the king of Moravian castles, one of the largest and best-preserved Gothic-Renaissance fortress buildings in Europe, the ancestral seat of the important and very wealthy "Pernštejn" family. The original simple layout of the castle is lost in the tangle of later reconstructions. In 1995, it was declared a national cultural monument.

The castle was founded by the lords of Medlov "Pernštejnová" between 1270 and 1285. The oldest core of the castle occupied the top of an elongated rocky cliff, the perimeter of which was defined by the wall behind which the cylindrical tower with the edge, today called Barborka, was inserted. The three-story palace was situated in the southern corner of the layout and the entrance was on the southern side.

In the first half of the 14th century, a tower-shaped second palace was built in the northeast corner of the core, and an outer wall was built around the core, delimiting the inner (third) forecourt. In the 1st quarter of the 15th century under "Vilém of Pernštejn", the construction of the "shell" began, i.e. the buildings surrounding the wall and the core building from the outside. The outer wall in the north-western corner, where the only access to the inner castle led, was strengthened by a prismatic "tower of the four seasons" with a famine chamber and an armory, and the north-eastern corner of the layout was secured by a "clock tower" with an edge.

During the Hussite wars and during the reign of George of "Poděbrady", "Pernštejn" was a support of the Hussites. Before 1460, it was affected by a big fire, then there was extensive late Gothic construction work by Jan (I) of "Pernštejn". Around the middle of the 15th century, the northern side of the core of the inner castle and partly also the western side were enclosed, often with the use of bay windows. A new palace was built to the east outside the core, above the passage of the Black Gate. At the end of the 15th century, the tower of the four seasons was raised and equipped with bay windows, which became a characteristic element of the entire late Gothic stage of the castle's development. From the second decade of the 16th century until 1522, the Knights' Hall was established on the first floor of the old palace, accessible through the massive Reception Hall, and on the ground floor the entrance hall, which the "Pernštejn" builders covered with a remarkable vault. In the middle of the 16th century, the fourth floor of the inner castle was built, but it was not completed. That basically ended the development of the castle, so its appearance is mainly late Gothic.

In 1596, Jan of "Pernštejn" sold the castle. A number of spaces have preserved their Gothic, late Gothic or Renaissance appearance. In the middle of the 16th century, the walls of some rooms were covered with inscriptions and rod drawings with quotations from the Bible or ancient literature, various records or joking and rude notes in Czech, German and Latin. Later, only partial modifications were carried out, for example after the unsuccessful Swedish siege of 1645. In 1655, "Pernštejn" was declared a Moravian fortress.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Giacomo Corbellini created the stucco decoration of the old cross vault of the Knights' Hall, in which canvases with landscape motifs, views and portraits are inserted. At the same time, a new chapel was built, which was painted by "František Řehoř" with scenes from the life of the prophet Elijah. In the second half of the 18th century, Rococo decoration with ornaments, views and gallant scenes complemented the interior of the Renaissance bedroom with preserved original tiled stoves. The Schröff family from Mannsberg acquired the castle from the Stockhammers in 1798, who had some of the walkways demolished at the beginning of the 19th century and built new roofs that replaced the previous steep roofs with walkways.

Part of the property then passed as the property share of "Josefina Schröfflová" to Mitrovská in 1818 when she married "Vilém Mitrovský", who bought the remaining share only in 1828. In the 19th century, the Gothic Hall of Conspirators on the second floor of the prismatic tower was decorated with coats of arms and romantic furniture. The Mitrov family created a rich library at the castle, for which they bought funds from the dissolved monasteries, and a collection of engravings and drawings. After the fire of 1886, the tower of the four seasons was modified.

In 2005, the granary (depository) on the third courtyard, which was reconstructed by 2009, burned down. "Pernštejn", built using white "Nedvědice" marble, is one of the best-preserved castles in the Czech Republic.

Text source: www.npu.cz - National Institute of Monuments