Krivoklat Castle

Krivoklat sits on a spur in the middle of the forest west of Prague and it is one of the best-preserved medieval royal castles in the country, largely because it was never modernised into a comfortable residence: the Premyslid kings hunted from here, Charles IV spent part of his childhood in it, and Vladislav Jagiello rebuilt it in late Gothic around 1500, after which it declined into a prison and a store, which preserved it. What survives is a great hall with a ribbed vault, second in size among Czech secular medieval halls only to Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle, a chapel with an original winged altar and carved figures of angels holding instruments of the Passion, a round keep, and a library and hunting collection added in the nineteenth century by the Furstenbergs. Prisoners held here included the alchemist Edward Kelley. The forest around is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

What you actually see

• A late Gothic great hall - second in size only to Vladislav Hall in Prague.
• A chapel with its winged altar - and carved angels holding the Passion instruments.
• A round keep - climbable, over the forest.
• Furstenberg collections - the library and hunting material added in the 1800s.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Guided tours only, on set routes and times; the longer route is not always running. Seasonal opening with a short winter season. The village is small and parking fills at weekends.

Nearby

The Krivoklatsko biosphere reserve surrounds it; the Berounka runs below.