Kokořín, Kokořín Valley Mid-14th century Gothic Castle
Kokořín Castle lies on a sandstone rock promontory above Kokořín Valley, in the heart of a protected landscape area. It was built in the mid-14th century, probably by Hynek Berka of Dubá, a wealthy and powerful lord of the Czech Kingdom.
The castle underwent dramatic development from a medieval fortress, through a ruin inspiring romantic artists, to extensive reconstruction in 1911-1918 under the leadership of Václav Špaček of Starburg. Today it is one of the most visited monuments in Central Bohemia.
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The story of Kokořín begins in the second half of the 13th century, when the first holders of the estate had a fortress built opposite Hradsko, above the rock cliffs of the western part of Kokořín Valley. The fortress was partially carved into the rock, and several rock chambers on five different levels have been preserved to this day, accessible by stone staircases carved into the rock.
In one of the chambers, you can see a niche, most likely intended for a statue - a chapel may have been located here. The walls have small niches for lamps. You reach the lowest chamber through a fifteen-meter-long tunnel - a rock passage. The fortress also included a farmyard on the site of today's farm in Kokořín village.
According to legend, Kokořín was founded long ago by knight Okoř of the Dubá family. His son became engaged to the daughter of knight Ctibor, owner of the fortress in Vidim. After Okoř's death, his son fell in love with the daughter of the lord of Houska and married her as well. Ctibor could not forgive him and harbored hostility toward him. Thanks to his power, he forced him to leave Kokořín with his wife and never return.
A charter dated April 23, 1320 finally mentions Kokořín: Jindřich of Osměchov exchanged the Kokořín estate with Hynek Berka of Dubá for Veležice.
Hynek Berka (1297-1348) was at that time one of the richest and most powerful lords of Bohemia. It was most likely he at whose initiative a new castle was built in the second quarter of the 14th century, less than two kilometers north of the original fortress. The castle itself was built on a promontory, with a lower plateau allowing for the establishment of an extensive outer bailey around it.
In 1427, Kokořín was owned by Aleš Škopek of Dubá, who is said to have professed the Catholic side. As a result, Kokořín was conquered and destroyed by Hussite forces. In the post-Hussite period, the castle was not in good condition.
In 1434, Bohuněk of Klinštejn inherited the estate. However, he needed to pay debts and a sale took place. In 1437, the famous warrior fighting on the Prague side Jan Řitka of Bezdědice became the owner. Soon after, in 1444, he bequeathed Kokořín and other estates to Záviš of Klinštejn, an ardent supporter of George of Poděbrady.
In 1522, Hynek of Šebířov inherited the castle. However, the castle had not been repaired since its foundation, and the dilapidated and desolate structure was not suitable for habitation. He therefore had a new fortress built in the village at the demesne farm. After his death, the estate was divided among his five daughters.
In 1609, the widow of Oldřich Hrzán of Harasov sold Kokořín to Emperor and King Rudolf II. However, as early as 1610, it was purchased by Václav Berka of Dubá and Lipé - director for the noble estate during the estates' rebellion. He fled the country in 1620 and was sentenced in absentia to loss of life, honor, and property.
Further succession of owners followed, including Adam of Waldstein, Jan Boeck, Anna of Bubna and Litic, František Karel Swerts-Špork, and Duke Arnošt of Ahrenberg.
After the Thirty Years' War, Emperor Ferdinand classified Kokořín among the "cursed" castles, which could no longer be repaired.
According to legends, the desolate castle temporarily became a den of robber knights led by Petrovský of Petrovice, who terrorized the entire region.
During the castle's reconstruction at the beginning of the 20th century, twenty-two human skeletons were found in the cellar under the tower. According to one theory, the skeletons belong to people the bandits kidnapped and demanded ransom for; according to another version, they are the robbers themselves, walled up deep in the castle cellar as punishment.
The lords of Bubna had a Baroque château of one floor built on the northern side of the demesne farm in 1715. A garden with a perimeter wall and a masonry arbor was also established on the south.
František Karel Swerts-Špork bought Kokořín in 1740, and from him in the same year his son Jan František Kristián took over. From him, the property passed to his daughter, Countess Barbora O'Reilly. During her reign, the château was modified and a natural landscape park was created.
By the 19th century, only a ruin remained of the castle, which enchanted and inspired many romantic artists - Karel Hynek Mácha, Josef Navrátil, Antonín Mánes, and many others.
In 1807, Barbora O'Reilly sold Kokořín, and owners continued to change until 1894, when large landowner Václav Špaček bought it, who also purchased the noble title with the suffix "of Starburg".
In 1895, the castle became famous thanks to the Czech Tourist Club. It presented it to the public as a model at the Ethnographic Exhibition in Prague and also contributed to its partial opening to the public.
Václav Špaček died in 1912, and his son Jan took over the property. The new owners had Kokořín, including the interiors, restored in the romantic spirit from 1911 to 1918, with the help of leading historians A. Sedláček, Z. Winter, Č. Zíbrt, and E. Sochor.
It was one of the last romantic reconstructions in Bohemia and also the first comprehensively conceived rescue of a medieval ruin in Bohemia and its opening to the public.
Jan Špaček died in 1947. Kokořín went to his younger son Jarmil, and from 1950, the Czechoslovak state took over all property as part of land reform.
It was not until 2006 that the Špaček heirs took over the property, to whom the castle was returned in restitution. They maintain the family tradition and have kept the monument open to the public.
Kokořín Castle offers two tour routes:
Visitors walk through the interiors of the Old Palace with a guide, furnished and decorated in historicizing style. Visitors walk through the castle galleries, as well as the great tower and cellar, independently.
The shortened circuit without a guide consists of climbing the tower and touring the castle cellar, where the skeletons were found.
Kokořín Castle is located on a sandstone rock promontory above Kokořín Valley, north of the village of the same name, in the heart of the Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area.
The castle is open to the public and offers two tour routes. By prior arrangement, visits are also possible in winter.
Current opening hours, admission fees, and tour options can be found on the official Kokořín Castle website.
Combine a visit to Kokořín with a walk through Kokořín Valley and the surrounding rock towns. The area is ideal for hiking and family trips. Also visit the 13th-century rock fortress with preserved carved chambers and a fifteen-meter-long tunnel.
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