Hrad Kokorín / Kokorín Castle - Kokorín (Central Bohemia)
N 50° 26.420 E 014° 34.604
33U E 469943 N 5587676
This Czechoslovak stamp issued in 1960 depicts the medieval Kokorín Castle which is located about 10 km northeast of Melník above the Pšovka River in the Doksy Uplands, near the village of Kokorín.
Waymark Code: WM12DEA
Location: Středočeský kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 05/04/2020
Views: 17
This Czechoslovak stamp issued in 1960 depicts the medieval Kokorín Castle which is located about 10 km northeast of Melník above the Pšovka River in the Doksy Uplands, near the village of Kokorín. The castle was reconstructed from the ruins in the years 1911–1918.
Kokorín Castle is opened for visitors and thanks to pictoresque and romantic surroundings belongs among the most popular destinations for weekend trips of Praguers.
Kokorín, built probably by the burgrave of Prague Hynek Berka of Dubá after 1320, was conquered and destroyed by Hussite troops in 1426. After the Hussite wars the castle often changed owners (in the 15th century Ritka of Bezdedice and Klinštejn family, in the 16th century Berkovský of Šebírov and Kaplír family). It has been listed as desolate since 1544 and its fate was exacerbated by the decision of Emperor Ferdinand II., who included it among the so-called "cursed castles" (i.e. castles that were not allowed to be maintained, because otherwise, due to their advantageous position, they could endanger the ruler's power).
The ruin was bought by the Prague businessman Václav Špacek of Starburg in 1894, whose son Jan reconstructed it in neo-Gothic style before the First World War. The castle was modified to its current appearance by the architect Eduard Sochor according to the instructions of historians August Sedlácek and Cenek Zíbrt. However, Jan Špacek got into debt by rebuilding the castle, so in 1932 he sold the local manor. Kokorín was nationalized in 1951, became a National cultural monument in 2001 and eventually was returned to the Špacek family in 2006.
The Kokorín has a dynamic layout with a cylindrical bergfried and a tower palace at the ends. The 38 m high bergfried, a fortified free-standing fighting tower, is accessbile and currently used by visitors as a lookout tower. During the reconstruction, the castle palace was raised by one floor and roofed. On the corner of the palace is a sculpture of a woman with a shield bearing the coat of arms of Václav Špacek of Starburg by J. Kalvoda.
Source: excerpted and translated from
Wikipedia
and
National Heritage Institute portal.