Bouzov Castle

Bouzov was built in the fourteenth century and passed in 1696 to the Teutonic Order, which held it until 1939. Between 1895 and 1910 Archduke Eugen of Austria, then Grand Master, had it rebuilt by Georg von Hauberrisser, the architect of Munich's new town hall, into a romantic historicist castle - the medieval core kept but roofed, towered, battlemented and furnished throughout in a neo-Gothic manner, with carved woodwork, painted ceilings, a chapel with a Grand Masters' tomb and a knights' hall. The result is a building that looks more medieval than medieval buildings do, which is exactly why it has been used for dozens of films, especially Czech and German fairy tales, and why it is one of the most visited castles in Moravia. The wells, drawbridge and towers are part of the route.

What you actually see

• A historicist rebuild - Hauberrisser's work of 1895-1910 over a Gothic core.
• Neo-Gothic interiors - carved woodwork, painted ceilings and a knights' hall.
• The Grand Masters' chapel - with the Teutonic Order tomb.
• A film set castle - used repeatedly for fairy-tale productions.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Most of what you see is around 1900 rather than medieval. Guided tours only, seasonal, and it is one of the busiest castles in Moravia - book in summer. The village is small.

Nearby

Javoricko caves are a few kilometres away; Mladec caves are north.