Rabí, Kašperk, and Velhartice castles have been cooperating since 2011 as part of Šumava’s Trio of Castles Project. The castles are a free association of castles that you will see as a geographical triangle with the town of Sušice, one of Šumava’s gateways.
The aim of this cooperation is to help visitors to discover Šumava and what these beautiful medieval sights and surrounding offer.
Every year, the three castles host the Šumava’s Trio of Castles Days in Spring and Autumn. Though these events over the weekends have a common theme, each castle runs them in a unique way.
The project is financially supported by the Plzeň region.
The castle was founded in 1356 by the Holy Roman emperor and king of Bohemia Charles IV to protect Southwestern Bohemia. Located only 3 km from popular tourist destination Kašperské Hory.
The castle was founded at the turn of the 13th and 14th century as ancestral home of the lords of Budětice.
Visit the largest castle ruin in Bohemia and enjoy the view points from which you can see the largest part of the Pošumaví region.
Every year we organize two events with extended thematic tours or programs called Šumava’s Trio of Castles Day.
These events take place in Spring and Autumn, outside the main tourist season.
Machines that changed the world at the castles of the Šumava Triple Castle
At Rabí Castle we will use the crossbow to tell the most famous story of this legendary castle. During the siege of Rabí Castle in 1421, one of the defenders of the castle shot out the eye of Jan Žižka of Trocnov with a crossbow, which led to his permanent blindness.
How did this powerful weapon of medieval warfare work, why was it used more in the defence of walls or their siege than on the battlefield?
The answer will be found in the functional mechanism of this weapon, based on the principle of a lever and a wheel on a shaft. It may come as a surprise to learn that the use of this weapon is not a closed historical chapter, or that its functional principle continues to be used today in areas where we might not expect it.
Special tours of the castle will be held throughout the weekend, focusing on its construction and medieval construction in general. For the first time, a working replica of a medieval crane, which works on the principle of efficient use of a pulley and a wheel on a shaft, will be presented, as well as some other construction tools. Building materials such as stone, wood, mortar or the system of building massive castle walls, scaffolding or the organisation of a building smelter will also be presented. The complex construction of the iconic Velhartice bridge will be presented, the collapse of part of the Paradise Palace will be explained and other interesting topics of medieval construction and Velhartice Castle will be presented.
The tours will start every hour from 10:00 to 15:00.
A functional model of the mast drawbridge will demonstrate the security of the entrance to the castle courtyard of this castle under Charles IV. The occurrence of this bridge, of which there are verifiable remains at Kašperk, was not quite common in the Czech environment. Surprisingly, even in the case of this construction based on the principle of the movement of a double lever, it is not a closed construction chapter, as visitors to our highest royal castle will learn.
Accompanying programme at the castle:
On Saturday, 28 September, the medieval music group Holba.
On both days of the weekend there will be a period kitchen in the courtyard with authentic medieval recipes that will pleasantly surprise you not only with their taste but also with their simplicity. There will also be a blacksmith and a carpenter who will demonstrate how our ancestors could have prepared the roof with forteles.
The courtyard will be slightly charged for the duration of the event (50,- adults, 20,- children, students and seniors). During both days, Kašperk will be open from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. It is possible to take a guided tour of the castle with a climb up the eastern tower. The west tower is closed to the public during the ongoing construction of the roof truss.
Project coordinator: Zdeněk Svoboda
This project is supported by the Pilsen Region.
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