Rafters and boaters oft en think that they are seeing two different castles stretch above the water in the meanders of the Vltava River. The older Lower Castle, built in the fi rst half of the 13th century by the Vítkovec Family, was joined at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries by the Upper Castle, of which only the Jakobínka defense tower was preserved after the fi re in 1522. The originally Gothic castle went through Renaissance reconstructions, and under the reign of the last Rožmberks was continued by the last member of the Rose family Jan Zrinský of Seryn in the Mannerism style. In 1620, the castle was acquired by General Charles Bonaventura Bucquoy. Under the influence of Romanticism, Earl George John Henry Bucquoy ordered the construction of a family museum recalling the knightly glory of the family in the castle interiors. Even today, visitors of the first guided tour may admire, among others, copies of the portraits of famous Crusader commanders and a collection of antique items and weapons. On the second storey of the castle, the private rooms of George John and his family were built based on the inventory of this period and are accessible all year long. A climb up the English Tower, from which you can enjoy an extraordinary overview of the meanders of the Vltava and the Šumava foothills, is part of the tours.
Attraction:
The Upper Castle is reminded to us today by the Jakobínka Tower from the 13th century. A unique project for its reconstruction, using Medieval building procedures, including a functional copy of a Medieval rotating crane, is currently under way. The project will be completed in 2019.