3 Castles Worth Visiting in the Pilsen Region
Castle 2 – Velhartice

Velhartice Castle is another of the three castles that are worth seeing if you are planning a visit to the Pilsen (Plzeň) Region. It is located in the village of the same name (Klatovy district) on the left bank of the Ostružná River, 640 meters above sea level. If you see a photo of this castle somewhere, you will immediately be able to recognize it – its distinguishing feature is a high massive stone bridge with four arches.

The castle was built at the end of the 13th century, but the first mention comes from 1318. The most important owners were the Bušek family from Velhartice, who worked at the court of King Charles IV, took care of finances, organized his foreign trips, etc., for which they were certainly very well paid as they invested considerable funds in expanding the castle.

Later, through marriage, the castle became the property of the lords from Hradec. After that, the castle changed its owners several times. One of the most important in the 15th century was Menhart from Hradec, who – as an opponent of George from Poděbrady – hid the Czech crown jewels here in the castle. In the 17th century, the castle was owned by the imperial general Martin de Hoeff-Huerta, who rebuilt the castle and added a late-Renaissance palace wing with arcades.

The castle offers two guided tours:

* Gothic Castle

* Renaissance Château

Both tours last about 50 minutes and are also suitable for families with children.

In addition, a self-guided tour is also available (paid admission). Visitors can view the outdoor spaces as well as the former brewery, where an interactive exhibition is located. At the time of my visit, it was an exhibition with information about the Thirty Years’ War and Martin Huerta.

We not only saw the aforementioned exhibition but also toured the premises of both tours. I was surprised by the imaginative way in which the authors of the exposition explain life in the castle and the social conditions in times of old.

As part of the GOTHIC TOUR, we first entered the so-called Paradise House. Although it is now only a ruin of the original palace, the structure has not lost much of its impressiveness. On the individual floors, we met wooden figures that once lived there. Of course, on the lowest floor it was ordinary village folk, on the middle floor knights and monks, while on the top floor, the king and queen were waiting for us.

During the tour, they use the Book of the Chess Game – an allegorical work about the organization of medieval society based on the rules of the chess game which was written around 1390 by the Czech writer, preacher and translator Tomáš Štítný from Štítný.

The stone bridge is unique, it was not built over the river, but directly on the rock. It is 10 meters high and its construction was certainly quite expensive, which only proves the wealth of the lords from Velhartice.

The bridge was supposed to fulfil a strategic role as it was connected to the Paradise House and the tower by smaller drawbridges. In the event of an attack, one part could be separated from the other. Whether it would really work the way it was supposed, fortunately, never had to be proven.

Originally, the bridge also had a roof, now it opens up to a beautiful view of the surrounding area.

We crossed the bridge to a massive tower which is called Putna due to its shape resembling a large vessel (for carrying coal, for example). This tower was also built to strengthen the defence system – it is turned in the direction of possible shelling by a reinforced wall without holes and protects other buildings with its mass. The walls are up to 3 meters wide, so even a staircase can fit inside them. During the Thirty Years’ War, the tower was used as a prison. In the 19th century, it was invaded by treasure hunters who were attracted by the idea of the wealth of the former owners as well as by the information that the crown jewels were once hidden there. However, they found only the remains of seven people (prisoners?) and with their thoughtless actions, they disturbed the statics of the building.

Our tour continued in the RENAISSANCE CHÂTEAU. At first glance, it was clear that we would find ourselves in a completely different world – arcades with white columns instead of cold walls, wooden doors to chambers with old furniture instead of empty rooms…

The exhibition shows how the nobility spent their weekdays and free time. We saw the ballroom, the dining room with a beautifully laid table, the room where cards and board games were played…

Once again, I have to praise the creativity of the authors of the exhibition. They enlivened the rooms with figures “cut out” from old graphics. So, for example, the lady of the castle tries on new clothes in the bedroom, the father educates his son, the maid cradles the baby…

We visited the castle in May, when the lilacs were blooming, which added at least a little romantic charm to the thick walls. By the way, do not forget to notice the holes in the walls, they are the remains of the scaffolding when this part of the castle was built.

May is the season of school trips. Even now there was one group. The children were sitting on the wall, dangling their legs, eating their snacks, laughing (only one little girl was looking at her mobile phone!) when suddenly…

…the White Lady was walking in front of us! But who would be afraid of the White Lady on a beautiful sunny day? The children nodded to her and politely greeted her: “Good day, White Lady!” The White Lady smiled. Unlike other white ladies who haunt other Czech castles, the White Lady from Velhartice is described as a gentle, loving mother. According to legend, this lady died while giving birth to her daughter Eliška. After that, she always came to the bedroom at eleven o’clock at night to rock her daughter. After an hour, she kissed the baby and disappeared again. The maid often saw her doing this, but as she knew the kind nature of her mistress, she was not at all afraid of her. When the husband returned from a military expedition, he took his daughter to Hradec for education. The White Lady continued to show up at the back gate…

Although the name of the White Lady is not mentioned in the legends, most authors agree that the mysterious gentle being could be Kateřina, the daughter of Jan from Velhartice, who married Jan from Hradec in 1391. The White Lady does not haunt in Velhartice, but special entertainment tours with the White Lady are offered here for smaller children with their parents.

Practical information:

The castle is closed on Monday! More details:

* Opening hours

* Entrance fees

You can play chess with large wooden chessmen or other games in the area or you can try archery or shooting with a crossbow during the summer holidays.

The parking lot is located approx. 300 meters below the castle.

Address and more information: Velhartice

In addition to two paid tours with a guide and one without a guide, you can see the open-air Museum of folk architecture below the castle for free. The village existed here even before the castle when gold was panned in the river and silver was mined in the mountains. Several village buildings from the Šumava region were relocated here on the original foundations of the original houses. For now, only exterior tours are possible.

We ended our tour of the Velhartice Castle at the restaurant U hradného sládka (At the Castle Brewmaster) in the premises of the former brewery. And what did we order? Since we were at the castle, we had the Castle Burger made of venison. Delicious!

Since Czechia is famous for its dumplings, for dessert we ordered a sourdough dumpling filled with plum jam, sprinkled with poppy seeds and with vanilla sauce. However, it is offered as a main dish, so if you order it you get one giant dumpling on your plate which you can share with 2-3 other people! 🙂

Where to stay:

During my stay in the Pilsen Region, we stayed at the Kašperk Hotel in the town of Kašperské hory, and from there we went on trips to all three castles. Kašperské hory is a small town (less than 1,500 inhabitants), but its former wealth (gold, silver) is evidenced by the fact that there are as many as three churches and a beautiful town hall building at the square.

Hotel Kašperk is located near the town hall and the tourist information center. It is a pleasant, four-star hotel with clean, simple rooms – no minibar, but there is a grocery store nearby.

However, the hotel has a great swimming pool with a view of the church tower. I regret I did not learn about this information in advance. After a day of hiking around the castles, the pool would have been a great choice. So definitely, unlike me, do not forget to pack your swimsuit! I, therefore, borrowed the photo from the hotel’s website:

If you decide on a different accommodation, you can at least come to the hotel restaurant for lunch or dinner and have something with dumplings again, for example, roast tenderloin with cream sauce. Bon appetite!

Read also:

* Kašperk Castle

* Rabí Castle

My thanks to the CzechTourismus and the Pilsen Region for the invitation to this interesting destination.

Text: © Copyright Ingrid, Travelpotpourri
Fotos: © Copyright Ingrid, Travelpotpourri and Hotel Kašperk (swimming pool)