CZ: Cervena Lhota Castle – Fairy Tale Above Water
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Parking costs 50 crowns. From there it is really close to the castle. Stands along the way offer all kings of products. Kids especially are going to have some hard time to resist to buy something there. Once you enter the compound you can either go straight to the castle or just take a look around. I recommend you to find out about the tour hours first. Then take a short stroll to get yourselves immersed into “castle atmosphere”.
Left to the castle, on a hill, there is The Holy Trinity church . Sermons are held there and the last owners of the castle lay there in eternal peace. Several white chairs stand in front of the church. These are there to be used during wedding ceremonies. Well, wedding guests must have some beautiful views from up there.
A yellow tourist trail surrounds the castle. Therefore, you can actually see Cervena Lhota from all angles. Consider renting a boat to fully enjoy romance. While on water you can also think about the movies where Cervena Lhota was staged. There is a great number of them actually. The castle saw Rapunzel running around, Mr Tau took off from a balcony and or Mr Vok’s Weddings were shot there.
Cervena Lhota is rather a mansion, or chateau if you will, today. But this was not always so. In the 14th century, a stronghold was built here. It’s name was Lhota. During the 16th century, it was rebuilt by Knight Jan Kaba of Rybnany into arenaissance chateau. There were many owners. Usually they adjusted the chateau to their needs. Unfortunately, sometimes it was for worse. However, living standards have changed across the centuries. The Schönburg-Hartenstein family were the last owners of the castle. They rebuilt it into its present state. National Historical Landmark Agency (Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav) administer the castle in the present.
Once you cross the stone bridge you walk into a passage. Its arches have some funny paintings on them. A corner courtyard balcony catches your attention once you get on the courtyard. Ladies crossed the balcony to not to enter gentleman’s chamber. Also, there are doors leading to the souvenirs shop and the box office.
There are three guided tours. The first one is the longest. It shows the visitors historical interiors on the first floor which includes the authentic apartment of castle’s last owners. Go through Banquet Hall. Apart from fascinating paintings there is one true rarity. It is a red ceramic bowl from around 500-429 BCE. It was used to dilute wine with water. Then you can see the study including the portraits of all owners from the Schönburg-Hartenstein family. Perhaps the most distinctive is the portrait of Marketa Pyskata who was said to be ugly.
There is a beautiful ceiling in the dining hall. In the boudoir you can see an embroidery depicting a peacock. It was made by Princess Sophie Schönburg-Hartenstein. She lives in Colombia now. There is much more to see on this tour yet we won’t make any spoilers. The next circuit is a visit to the attic rooms, where you can see not only the children's rooms and the hall, but also the castle theater. The last option is a tour of the cellar, which is however only accessible in July and August, otherwise it is open from April to October.
Do you know why Cervena Lhota is red? There exist couple of legends telling the story. For instance, on Johanka, the wife of Gutram Kaba of Rybnany. After her husband’s death Lady Johanka refused to a Catholic more. So she threw a large cross out of the windows as it reminded her of her former God. Storm break out above the castle. The devil flew into her chamber and took her to hell. Before doing that, however, he painted a cros in her blood on the wall. The new owners of the castle could not repaint the cross. Therefore, the painted the whole castle in red. Or you think the true reason was more mundane?
I cannot otherwise but recommend you to end you tour at Cervena Lhota Restaurant. If you want to experience more than explore the surroundings. Especially worth a visit are Pluhuv Zdar, Dirna where is a renaissance chateau and preserved parts of a Jewish ghetto in Kardasova Recice.
GPS: 49°14'47.5"N 14°53'06.6"E
Text: Lenka Bauerová, www.zamek-cervenalhota.eu
Photos: Lenka Bauerová, Miluše Svátková, Roman Maleček
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