Landštejn, Czech Canada Turn of 12th-13th Century Royal Romanesque Castle
In collaboration with the National Heritage Institute, we present a unique 3D model of the royal castle Landštejn. The 3D presentation includes three construction phases of the castle - present day, Renaissance period, and the Romanesque appearance from the time of its founding. Travel back to the Middle Ages and walk through the castle in its original form.
Works directly in your browser - no installation required
Landštejn Castle was built at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries in Romanesque style, but the identity of its founder remains a mystery to this day. Based on the origin of the castle's name itself, it can be inferred that its builder was one of the territorial lords, rulers with supreme power in a certain territory.
Given the border location, two possible founders come into consideration: Czech King Přemysl Otakar I or Austrian Dukes Leopold V and Leopold VI. In 1179, the Czech-Austrian border was negotiated at the Cheb Imperial Diet by Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa - Landštejn stands precisely in this disputed border territory.
The first written record of the castle dates from April 2, 1231, when Hartlieb of Landštejn appeared as a witness to a charter. From this moment, we can gradually trace the noble families who held the castle.
From 1282, the castle passed into the possession of the powerful Vítkovci family, specifically the Sezima of Třeboň branch. This is the origin of the predicate Lords of Landštejn. The most prominent representatives were Vítek and Vilém of Landštejn.
Vilém was a prominent diplomat in the service of Emperor Charles IV and participated, for example, in negotiations about the storage of coronation jewels at Karlštejn in 1350. However, he was also in conflict with Jindřich of Hradec over a trade route that passed by Landštejn. In 1369, the castle was sold to the royal chamber.
In 1381, King Václav IV gifted Landštejn Castle to Konrád Krajíř of Krajek in exchange for other estates. This began an almost two-hundred-year period of the castle being held by the Krajíři of Krajek family.
The Krajíři came from Carniola and were among the important state officials. At Landštejn, they carried out extensive Gothic and Renaissance reconstructions, which, however, significantly indebted the family. In 1579, the castle was sold to Štěpán of Eicink.
An interesting document is the so-called Landštejn Urbarium from 1487, which represents the will of Jan Krajíř of Krajek and contains a detailed description of property and obligations of subjects on the estate.
Landštejn was besieged three times in history, but was never conquered by assault - only by starvation:
After 1579, the owners of the castle changed rapidly. In 1545, Emperor Ferdinand I was hosted here. After the Battle of White Mountain, the castle was confiscated from the defeated estates family of Neumaiers.
The fateful day came on August 25, 1771, when the castle was struck by lightning and a devastating fire broke out. The castle was never restored and was left to its fate as a romantic ruin.
Since the 1980s, systematic archaeological research has been conducted at Landštejn, bringing numerous significant finds:
Dendrochronological analysis of wooden well structures revealed that the firs used in construction were felled in 1592, precisely dating one of the Renaissance modifications to the castle.
Landštejn Castle has been administered by the National Heritage Institute since 2003. It is located in the picturesque landscape of Czech Canada, approximately 3 km northwest of the town Staré Město pod Landštejnem, at an elevation of 656 m above sea level.
Current opening hours and admission fees can be found on the official National Heritage Institute website.
3D scanning/modeling and software implementation
Krosapp Imagery
Annotations and texts for points of interest
National Heritage Institute - Castle Warden Mgr. Eliška Niederová
3D Artist - historical reconstructions
Filip Štorch
