HUKVALDY - Castles on Waymarking.com

History of Hukvaldy castle
The first references on the Hukvaldy Castle date back to the year 1285, it is expected that its construction started around mid 13th century and its founders were German Counts of Hückeswagen. The first of them, Arnold, the Knight of Hückeswagen, had come to the Czech Kingdom based on the invitation by the Czech King Premysl Otakar I, to mediate his marriage with Premysl´s daughter Anezka with the English King Henry III. The marriage was not realised but Arnold still stayed at the Czech King´s Court as his diplomat and was awarded the land in North-East Moravia. And that was the place where after the year 1250 the Hukvaldy Castle was founded, probably by some of Arnold's descendants.

In mid 14th, century it was the first time when the Castle was purchased by the Bishops of Olomouc who were then the most frequent lords there. In 1355 their ownership was even certified by the Papal Bull which, at the same time, prohibited to sell or pawn the castle. Nevertheless, unfavourable financial situation of the Olomouc Diocese resulted in additional pawns and so the castle owners were changed very often in the course of the following decades. Among others, let´s name at least the Hungarian King and later on the Emperor Sigmund or the famous Hussite commander Jan Capek of Sany, infamous for his, as they say, treachery during the Lipany battle. In 1465 the castle was acquired by the Czech King Jiri of Podebrady, who then sold it back to the Olomouc Diocese. Bishop Taso of Boskovice was insolvent and so his brothers, Dobes and Benes Cernohorsky of Boskovice, helped him and later on, when Taso died of plague, took over the castle. Under the Lords of Boskovice. Many major building conversions of the castle were realised at that time and after their death in early 16th century, when again and for a long period then, the Hukvaldy Castle was returned to the Olomouc Diocese (in the 18th century it became the Archdiocese) until 1948, when the castle was nationalized.

In the 20th century, however, the castle was desolated and ruined for a long time. They say that it was destroyed on 5th October 1762 by devastating fire as a result of the storm, when one of the wooden buildings in the main yard was struck by lightning. The fire was spread and destroyed the whole castle. According to another, less official version, the castle was set on fire by clerks who had to climb the hill every day to get to work. The fact is that the castle had been decaying for a long time before and most of the clerks had left it two years before the fatal fire, when most of the offices were moved to the chateau under the castle hill. The decay then continued even after the fire, as villagers living under the hill took the walls to pieces and used them for their own dwellings. As the time passed, the castle became entirely devastated and it was only in the 19th century when at least the most urgent reconstruction works were carried out. At that time the Hukvaldy Castle used to be mentioned as a romantic ruin and a favourite place for a trip, which it still true.

St. Andrew Chapel, constructed around the end of the 17th century, is the best preserved building at the castle. The Chapel was the only premise which was reconstructed and maintained in the course of the 19th century. St Andrew Chapel, constructed around the end of the 17th century, is the best preserved building at the castle. The Chapel was the only premise which was reconstructed and maintained in the course of the 19th century. It was consecrated to St Andrew, the patron of the region and his portrait is still placed on its altar. Inside the chapel we can also find the statues of St John of Nepomuk and St Francis of Xaver. There is excellent acoustics there, very good for various concerts and performances, which are also held in another place, e.g. in the round amphitheatre which originally served as a fortification, constructed in the course of the 15th century. It used to be a seat of a garrison and a prison for serfs. As late as in 60s of the 20th century shackles and fetters to chain the prisoners to the walls were still found there. The separate round fortification was connected with the rest of the castle later in the 16th century, under the Bishop Stanislav Pavlovsky, by long perimeter walls. Approximately at the same time the Bishop Vilem Prusinovsky founded a game park in the settlement around the castle. Fallow deer from the game park used to be sent to the Diocese and Capitulary kitchens in Olomouc and Kromeríž. In mid 18th century the game park was transferred directly to the castle hill where we can find it even nowadays. In 1900 they started to breed also moufflons and so today there are some 150 pieces of fallow deer and 150 moufflons living there, as well as wild boars. The whole castle hill is a nature heritage site and its old beech trees provide a shelter to rare fauna and flora species.

Another premise which we can still find in the castle is the third gate but only its side walls have been preserved. It was constructed after 1645 by the Olomouc Bishop, the Archduke Leopold William, the youngest son of Ferdinand II, the Emperor. The same Bishop had the first and second gate built, which is the castle entry now. The above Bishop´s coat of arms are placed on both of the gates.

In the vicinity of the third gate there used to be a graveyard for serfs in the past and opposite, under the massive gun bastion, there used to be a kennel. The Hukvaldy Castle had never been captured due to its excellent strategic location and massive bastions. Originally, there were no trees on a steep hill under the castle, due to defence reasons. Enemies were thus practically not protected, at all and therefore vulnerable from the top. And that was why the Hukvaldy Castle withstood the attacks of Wallachians, Danes and maybe also Swedes during the 30-Year War. The Danish troops were besieging the castle in 1626 for nine months and still failed.

Behind the third gate there is the fourth one, constructed in early16th century. Its present design dates back to the 19th century. Inside we will find the former guardroom, now a small exposition of some stone pieces from the castle and a board with its brief history. From the fourth gate you will enter an ancient-looking bridge which was, though, constructed as late as in 1970. There used to be an original wooden bridge with a trapdoor before. Under the bridge there is a deep moat which used to serve as a stone quarry for the castle construction. Another similar place where it was possible to extract stone was the nearby Kaznicov hill. And that is the place where, according to old legends, treasures of the legendary rebel Ondras and his companions were dug in. The fortification around the bridge was realised by Stanislav Thurzo, the Bishop of Olomouc, early in the 16th century, as well as the fourth and fifth castle gate with the former guardroom. Now there is a little shop named "U hukalky" ("At the Hooting Woman´s") with the Bishop Thurzo´s coat of arms above the door. At his time also the second castle yard was constructed, with the entry from the fifth castle gate.

The yard is dominated by the so called White Tower, constructed in the end of the 15th century by Benes and Dobes Cernohorsky of Boskovice. Traditionally there was a castle kitchen downstairs, on the top of the side wall you can see cantilevers on which, most probably wooden boxes (prévets) used to be placed - e.g. the medieval lavatories. From the yard you will pass through the Gothic portal (13th century) to the original castle. According to the legend, the most famous Hukvaldy´s ghost, the pretzel-maker Svetlik, was immured in its peripheral wall. They say that he was punished by cruel Hetman Harasovsky, as Svetlik refused to give him his beautiful daughter. Therefore the pretzel-maker would still appear in the castle, always at full moon midnight, when Svetlik´s white hands are slowly protruding from the above wall.

The core of the Hukvaldy Castle is its oldest part which dates back to the 13th century. At that time the eastern palace was constructed, which was the seat of the castle founders. Inside that knights´ palace, the first castle chapel was placed, as well.

The castle core was reconstructed in the 15th century when additional floors were added to the above south-west peripheral wall by the Lords of Boskovice. The coat of arms of Dobes Cernohorsky and his wife Hedvika can still be seen in the castle core. The latest part of the castle core is then the renaissance Palace with preserved renaissance windows, built around 1550. In mid 16th century, a prison for priests was established in the castle core. Its most famous prisoner was the Canon Philopon Dambrovsky (imprisoned in 1585-87), who was suspected of poisoning four Bishops of Olomouc. In the same prison, just by chance, a certain sinful monk died whose ghost is also still roaming through the castle. He is known as the Black Monk as he appears as a faceless figure wearing a black hood. There are also stone reservoirs for rain water there used for cooking before the well was dug out.

Shortage of water, it was a real drawback of the Hukvaldy Castle for a long time. As late as in 1581 a well was dug out in the castle, the cost of which nearly equalled the yields from the Hukvaldy domain in total. Originally it was some 150 metres deep and water was pumped by means of a large pedal wheel operated by prisoners. In 1738 the pumping equipment was burnt (they say that it was due to the servants´ negligence) and since that time there was, again, water shortage at the Hukvaldy Castle, which started its decay. At present, the well situated in the remotest part of the castle is nearly filled in and is some 40 metres deep only. Behind the well there had been the renaissance fortification which was pulled down after 1653 and two baroque bastions were built on its place. They serve as lookouts now. The most famous Hukvaldy native, the composer Leoš Janácek, loved to sit on one of them (the roofed one). And as they say, he even composed some of his pieces there.

Another lookout is situated in the castle core, with beautiful outlook to the wide landscape, to the Beskydy Mountains and cities of Koprivnice, Pribor and Ostrava. In the past all of them used to be administered by the Hukvaldy domain. And at present, the Hukvaldy Castle is still the third largest one in the Czech Republic.

Since 1994, the Hukvaldy Castle with its adjacent game park is a place where the International Music Festival "Janáckovy Hukvady" is held every early summer. It is an event of international importance, highlighted in the calendar of all those who are fund of classical music.


adults: 60,- CZK ,students, seniors and children from 15 to 18 years: 40,- CZK ,children from 3 to 15 years, ZTP, ZTP-P: 20,- CZK ,dogs (you must have a lead): 10,- CZK

Accessibility: Full access Condition: Partly ruined Admission Charge?: yes Website: [Web Link]

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