Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov (14500 inhabitants, 492 m above sea level) is among the most beautiful towns of the Czech Republic. It is situated 25 km southwest from České Budějovice in the Šumava foothills, at the bottom of Kleť Hill, and bends of the Vltava River.

This location was settled as early as the Bronze Age (1500 B.C.). Records of Celtic inhabitants come from the Late Iron Age (about 400 B.C.), and that of a Slavonic settlement date back to the 6th century A.D. In the 9th century, the noble Czech family of Slavnikovci, who were slaughtered by the rival Premyslid dynasty, probably owned the locality. This area then became their property and was passed to one of their family lines - the Vítkovci (Witigonen). During the 13th century, the King Premysl Otakar II, through his well-thought out colonization policy, tried to populate the sparsely settled Šumava region in the Czech-Austrian borderland and in this way integrate his domains in Bohemia with his newly gained territories in Austria. His efforts in this sphere, however, had its consequences in territories ruled by the sovereign family of Vítkovci, which resulted in conflicts with the most powerful aristocratic family in the country. The conflicts had their origins for example in the foundation of the royal town České Budějovice and the Cistercian Monastery Zlatá Koruna (Golden Crown), both founded by King Premysl Otakar II in 1263. The Zlatá Koruna monastery was supposed to restrain the influence of the Rosenberg monastery in Vyšší Brod, founded by Peter Wok von Rosenberg in 1259. Krumlov was built as a dependent town in the neighborhood of the castle belonging to the Vítkovci Clan in the 13th century. The town was first mentioned in documents from 1253, where Krumlov was called Chrumbenowe. However, the name Krumlov is derived from the German "Krumme Aue", which may be translated as "crooked meadow".

The older part of the town (the so-called Latran) evolved spontaneously under the castle and was linked to provision of economic services to the castle. The other part of the town (first mentioned in 1274) grew on the opposite slope inside a characteristic meander of the Vltava River. The historical core of the town with the Gothic St. Vitus Church and patrician stone Renaissance style houses preserved its medieval atmosphere to the present days. Gothic and Renaissance houses, the big Renaissance town hall on the descending quadratic square, the narrow and twisting lanes routing towards the town fortification walls, dignified monasteries and churches were all preserved to the present times without any disturbing reconstruction. As a whole, they represent a jewel of world importance. Therefore since the year 1992, Český Krumlov has been included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage list as a historical town reserve.

The precincts of the castle and chateau in Český Krumlov belong to the largest compounds of this time in Central Europe; in Bohemia, it is the second largest following the Prague Castle. Even today, it gives a clear visual evidence of its rich history. On an oblong and high buttress, protected by the Vltava River and the Chvalšinský Stream, nearly forty houses and palaces concentrated around five courts and the castle garden were built over six centuries.

Lords of Krumlov, one of the branches of the legendary family of Witigonen (Vitkovci in Czech) holding the coat-of-arms with a five-petalled rose, founded the original minor castle (the so-called Hrádek) in the first half of the 13th century. After the extinction of the lords of Krumlov in 1302, the Lords of Resenberg came into the Krumlov dominion. This family possessed it until the year 1600. Their name was connected with the three centuries of the greatest prosperity of the castle and the neighboring town.

Under the reign of Henry I. and his son Peter I. (the first Lords of Rosenberg in Krumlov) a new castle (the so-called Upper Castle) was built. Peter I. of Rosenberg became the first man of politics at that time and also the richest aristocrat in the country. In Krumlov, he founded for instance the St. Vitus Church and the Spital of St. Jošt in the Latran.

In the fifteenth century, Krumlov was characterized primarily by the personality of Ulrich II. of Rosenberg. The Hussite wars encouraged Ulrich II to erect a monumental fortification of the castle taking into account effective range of newly appeared guns. After completing the fortification, the Lords of Rosenberg adapted the fourth court of the castle. Prestige and inwrought interiors were to show the evidence of the family's importance and of the level life at the court of Rosenberg.

The sixteenth century was the period of the last Lords of Rosenberg, who participated in formation of the current appearance of the town and its surrounding area. William of Rosenberg (1535-1592; Czech aristocrat, diplomat and politician (thanks to his four marriages to the leading European princely families), from the year 1570 the supreme burgrave of the Czech Kingdom and intermediary between the Czech aristocratic opposition and the Habsburgs. In the years 1572-1575, he negotiated on the Habsburg candidacy for the Polish throne, rejected the offer to become the Polish King himself and initiated reconstruction of patrician houses and the castle in the spirit of the Renaissance.

In the second half of the 16th century, the Rosenbergs' builders, led by an Italian architect Baltazar Majo "de Vomio" (Baldassare Maggi) turned the gothic castle into a pretentious Renaissance chateau. William of Rosenberg ordered the reconstructed castle to be grandiosely decorated. Painting works in interiors as well as on facades were done by a large painting atelier led by Gabriel de Blonde (an artist with perhaps Dutch ancestors) and later by his successor Bartoloměj Beránek. Themes of the paintings on the facades as well as in interiors were mainly based on literary artworks (Metamorphoses by Ovidius and Roman History by Livius). Biblical topics dominated in private apartments of the prince. Although the chateau interiors were adapted several times in the course of the next two centuries, further possessors of Krumlov preserved the beautiful Renaissance apartments of William of Rosenberg in their original condition.

When William of Rosenberg died in 1592, he left to his brother (and the last Prince of Rosenberg) Peter Vok (1539-1611) a colossal dominion, however burdened by extreme debts. Nevertheless, Peter Vok further proceeded with construction of the Krumlov chateau. He ordered the so-called Renaissance House built and gradually adapted the garden with the "lusthaus", birdhouse with singing birds, fountain and orangery. In the area before the castle, Peter Vok established a gemstone cutting shop and a sawmill for exotics, the services of which were often used by the Emperor Rudolf II. After the Peter's wife Katherine of Ludanice died, the childless prince bequeathed (through an agreement dated 1601) his heavily indebted dominion of Český Krumlov to the Habsburg Emperor Rudolf II.

During the Thirty Years War (namely in 1622) the Emperor Ferdinand II. Habsburg donated Český Krumlov to the Styrian family of Eggenberg. Later, this family also substantially influenced the face of the chateau and town, organizing broad construction activities and focusing on rich cultural and social life. For instance, the so-called Golden Eggendberg Coach, ordered by John Anthony of Eggenberg in Rome in the year 1638, remained preserved from this era. The Prince of Eggenberg sat in this coach during the last part of his trip through the streets and squares of Rome when visiting the Pope Urban VIII. However, the Pope did not welcome him as obligingly as it was appropriate for an emissary of the Emperor Ferdinand III. Therefore, further Habsburgs sent similar ostentatious mission to popes never more.

In the year 1719, Dukes of Schwarzenberg came to the Krumlov dominion (originally German, then Austrian and Czech aristocratic family; John Adam of Schwarzenberg (1615-1683) resided in Bohemia; he got possession of Třeboň in 1660 and in 1661 the Hluboká dominion as well. His daughter Ernestina († 1719) inherited estates of the Eggenberg family, whereby the Dukes of Schwarzenberg became the richest aristocratic family in Bohemia (in the Habsubrg monarchy, they held senior political and military offices). The Scharzenbergs possessed the Krumlov chateau for ten generations until the year 1947. It is also to their credit that the town of Český Krumlov further developed and that numerous exhibits that were routinely used and mostly were of no extraordinary value in the times of their origin were preserved for future generations. However in the later centuries they became a unique testimony of this era. Besides others, the chateau collections include manifold period furniture, Flemish tapestries and historical arms. The unique Baroque Castle Theatre (including its completely preserved Baroque theater property, original play costumes, stage equipment, scenery and a vast archival collection of Baroque repertory) as well as the illusively painted Masquerade Hall, which represents the outstanding mastery of the architect A. Altomonte and the painter Joseph Lederer, were built in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, Český Krumlov lost its role as an aristocratic residence. Although the town preserved its Renaissance and Baroque character, the architectural face of the town went through many changes. The town fortification walls were broken down as well as all town gates, except for the Budweiser Gate (Budějovická brána).

In the year 1920, the previous name of the town Krumlov was replaced by the name Český Krumlov, which was used originally in 1439.

Český Krumlov is also known fort its unique open-air theater with a revolving auditorium in the castle garden. It was designed by the avant-garde stage designer Joan Brehms (1907-1995), born in Latvia and student of the famous Bauhaus, who spent some time in South Bohemia. Here he (as the director of the Theater in České Budějoivice) experimented with the revolving auditorium and implemented this idea in the castle garden in Český Krumlov at the end of the 60's. In recent years, around sixty performances a year were played there and these were seen by nearly thirty-five thousand spectators. However, this popular attraction shall disappear from Český Krumlov at the end of the 2006 theater season, for it does not fit in with the baroque castle garden and the overall architectonic environment of the town.

At present times, the town of Český Krumlov lives a rich cultural life. A highly popular "Five-Petalled Rose Festivals" are held every year. The last weekend in September is reserved for the "St. Wenceslav Festival" - a celebration of good food and drink and a hornage to the Saint Wenceslav, patron of the Lands of the Czech Crown as well as the town of Český Krumlov. A fancy program is always prepared for the beginning of the main tourist season as well (in April) and for the time of advent, especially Christmas. Summer months and the culmination of tourist season are accompanied with numerous festivals of music, concerts and other cultural events with participation of reputable vocalists and musicians of all genres from all over the world. A good example is the already traditional "Early Music Festival" or the "International Music Festival in Český Krumlov". The cultural life of the town is also enhanced by a large number of museums and galleries: The WAX Museum, the House of Photography, the Fairy House, the Marionette Museum and others. However, probably the best known is the Egon Schiele Art Centrum (Mezinárodní kulturní centrum malíře Egona Schieleho).

Other information on the town and its surroundings, on the dates of various events and contacts to their organizers, on the sale of tickets on-line, etc. is available in all major language at the official information system of the Český Krumlov region, www.ckrumlov.cz.

Professional tourist information services on the town and its surroundings is provided by the Český Krumlov Infocentrum, which also has its detached site at the barracks (open daily from 17,00 - 21,00 o'clock). It will help individuals as well as groups to organize their own program of organized town and castle sightseeing tours.

INFOCENTRUM Český Krumlov
address: Náměstí Svornosti 2, 381 01 Český Krumlov
phone: +420/ 380 704 622-23,
fax: +420/ 380 704 619,
e-mail: infocentrum@ckrf.ckrumlov.cz
www.ckrumlov.cz/infocentrum