I’d like to share three of my favorite things about the beautiful, storied Cesky Krumlov castle, from our tour there.
First, some background. The origins (who built it and when) of this castle complex — which sits on a hill overlooking the town — are unknown. More is known about its residents: the noble families of Rosenberg, Eggenberg, and Schwarzenberg (one at a time). (After WWII, the property passed to the government.) Inside, there were rooms preserved from the Middle Ages and Baroque periods, per when they were renovated by the residents.
1. The paintings. In the castle as well as town, walls were covered in colorful paintings that gave dimension to the plain, flat walls. Outdoor walls were painted to look like layered stones. Indoor walls held family coats of arms, intricate trims, and false doors and scenes. For example, the masquerade room’s walls were covered with life-sized people on the floor-level and balconies, as if they were attending the party.
2. Ceiling detail in the antechambers to the dining room. It had tiles with gold-rimmed, deep-red roses, interspersed with painted fruits. The effect was beautiful, delicate, and textured.
3. Bears. Moats that contain live bears were somewhat popular in medieval Bohemia. (If trespassers fell into the moat, the starved bears would eat them. Now, though, the bears are kept better-fed. A couple years ago, a legal decision passed saying all bears must be removed from moats by next year.) We saw Cesky Krumlov castle’s two currently-living resident brown bears in the moat, looking so cute from afar eating their apples and oranges! Other resident moat bears, who died within the last 30 years, were displayed in the castle as fur carpets! They added to the ancient-fortress and natural-history-museum aesthetics.
Swanson School of Engineering 