Bechyně Castle

This originally princely settlement in Bechyně, mentioned as early as the 9th century, is situated on the southernmost rock promontory
above the confl uence of the Lužnice River and Smutná stream. Before 1268, King Přemysl Otakar II obtained the “wild mountain of
Bechyně” from the property of the Prague bishops and built a stone castle here. Under the reign of King John of Bohemia, a town was
founded below the castle 1323 and was surrounded by walls. The castle’s current Renaissance style is the work of its most famous
owner, Petr Vok of Rožmberk. In the castle you can thus admire the wedding hall of Petr Vok where the famous wedding with Kateřina
of Ludanice took place, a courtyard with illusive paintings, and also the bedroom of this last member of the Rožmberk family. It
also accommodates an exhibition of children’s portraits that is unprecedented in the entire Europe. The castle has been a cultural
monument of the Czech Republic since 1958. The current owner of the castle, Panství Bechyně SE, has been carrying out extensive and
costly repairs and renovation in the entire castle since 1994, and in 1998 the castle was made accessible to the public for the fi rst time.