Kynžvart Castle in the Czech Republic - among mummies and snake skins

To FREEDOMtravel

Advertisement

In co-operation with Czech Tourism

Kynžvart Castle in the Czech Republic is a beautiful historic castle, which also houses collections of cool antique gadgets from around the world. How about Japanese armour, mummies from Egypt or a long dried snake skin that was once a Christmas present?

Tweet

Share

Share

Pin

Share

Share

Kynžvart Castle in the Czech Republic

Castle Kynžvart in the Czech Republic (Schloss Königswart in German) is a historic castle at Lázně Kynžvart in the western part of the Czech Republic. We made an excursion here from the spa town of Marianske Lazne, and it's also not too far to get here from the larger spa town. Karlovy Vary.

A castle with a long history

Kynzvart Castle has its earliest history in the second half of the 13th century. In the 16th century a Renaissance castle was built, which was replaced in the 17th century by a baroque mansion. The castle you see today is from the 19th century, built in neoclassical style. When we came here, it was raining, and it was perfect to stroll around for an hour inside a castle!

Guided tour of Kynžvart Castle

After extensive renovations, Kynžvart Castle was opened to the public in 2000. If you take a guided tour, you can see 25 of the castle's fully decorated rooms. Each room is more beautiful than the next and there are a billion details to look at. We were struck by some cool chair legs!

Library of antique books

The castle houses an impressive library with countless old books, prints and medieval manuscripts. One can't help but wonder what wisdom or secrets are hidden between these covers?

Museum of antique curiosities

Another fascinating attraction is the castle's 19th century museum. Here you can see how they displayed everything from coins and mummies to oriental trinkets and dolls. It's like visiting a museum within a museum!

There are also all sorts of curiosities, such as Lord Byron's amulet, Marie Antoinette's prayer book, Alexander Dumas' desk and an unsmoked cigarette from Emperor Napoleon III. It was Austrian castle lord Klemens von Metternich who liked to collect oddballs, and although he was both unpopular and feared, he loved his summer residence in the Karlovy Vary region of the Czech Republic.

Restaurant at the castle

After the visit to the castle Kynžvart we took the opportunity to have lunch at the restaurant Metternich right next to the castle. There was a fire burning inside and it was really cosy.

The Czechs like to start the meal with a soup, and we chose to start with the popular Czech garlic soup. Really good! Then there was a good fish and then an apple cake. Not bad at all!

More castles in the Czech Republic

Do you like castles and fortresses? Then the Czech Republic is paradise for you! Here are a bunch of magnificent residences to check out:

• Chateau Lednice - magnificent summer palace in the Czech Republic
• Mikulov Castle and Central Europe's largest wine barrel
• Loket in the Czech Republic - castle with friendly dragon
• The secretive forest castle of Konopiste
• Ploskovice Castle in Litomerice

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• 24
• 25
• 26
• 27
• 28
• 29
• 30

You might also like:

Sloup Castle in the Czech Republic - a fascinating place to visit Houska Castle in the Czech Republic - over the gateway to hell Kokořín Castle in the Czech Republic - plus nature experiences Hazmburk Castle in the Czech Republic - and Libochoviche Castle Trosky Castle in the Czech Republic - a landmark ruin Hospital Kuks in the Czech Republic - an unusual attraction