Jindrichuv Hradec (South Bohemia, Czech Republic) - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The Castle and Chateau Jindrichuv Hradec stands in the town of the same name. It was founded on a cliff above the Nežárka river and the lake Vajgar. The area of the Castle and Chateau Jindrichuv Hradec is, after the Prague Castle and Ceský Krumlov Chateau, the third largest in the Czech Republic. It has over 320 rooms for which opening one needs 500 keys. Throughout the halls and chambers are 10 000 objects of art.

The ground of the construction had been a Romanesque castle, which received an early–Gothic appearance later. Its basic parts, a palace, chapel and big cylindrical tower, are still standing. The rich clan of Vítkovci, holders of the castle, were noble-minded for Jindrichuv Hradec. In the second half of the 16th century, the castle was new-built as a Rennaisance chateau. In 1773, it was destroyed by a conflagration and after that it was ruined partly. It was restored in the beginning of the 20th century. The chateau´s holders were subsequently Princes of Hradec, Slavatas and Cerníns. The ownership has been always changed throught inheritance and the chateau is one of the few historical monuments in Bohemia that was never retailed. The chateau entry has a Gothic gate from the middle of 14th century. The merits of the originál castle are located in the third courtyard. In the original palace wing there rested a well-preserved and valued early Gothic cycle of wall paintings from the year 1338, the largest set in middle Europe. An outstanding view point at the third courtyard shows Small and Big Arcades. The south part of the courtyard is closed by a Rennaisance palace of north Italian style with a pentagonal tower.