The state castle Hluboka nad Vltavou

One of the most sought-after castles of our country, the Hluboká Chateau, towers on the northern edge of the Budejovice pond basin, on a steep promontory over the Vltava River.

Originally a royal castle, after many changes, it became property of the Schwarzenberg family in 1661. The present form of the castle complex, including the park and the surrounding landscape, was inspired by the ways of Prince Adolf II. Schwarzenberg to Great Britain, who, as a representative of an important and wealthy family, attended the coronation of the British Queen Victoria in 1838. As an honest diplomat of the Habsburg monarchy, he traveled to the coronation with his wife Princess Eleonora, who greatly influenced his ideas with the appearance of the castle. Deep soon became the Schwarzenberg manor house. The wide hillside of the Ostrogna allowed the chateau to be expanded and the surrounding courtyards and fields of play to be built in its surroundings. In the first third of the 18th century, the chateau was rebuilt in Baroque style and retained its appearance until the Romantic rebuilding around the middle of the 19th century. The example of the reconstruction of the Baroque castle was the royal castle Windsdor. After 1947, the Czechoslovak state continued in this direction.

The walls and ceilings of the interior are richly decorated with wood carvings and noble wood. Some rooms are decorated with paintings by European masters from the 16th to 18th centuries, chandeliers, stained glass and ceramics from Delft. Portraits on the walls show the most important members of the Schwarzenberg family. Private rooms of the late owners of Hluboká, Prince Adolf and his wife Hilda are also accessible. In the basement of the chateau is accessible the chateau kitchen with a confectionery and a personal and dining lift from the beginning of the 20th century.

Tour Routes:

I. Tour Route (Representative Rooms) is located on the first floor. There is a wide staircase at the beginning and end. The rest of the route is fully accessible.

II. Tour Route (Private Apartments) is partially accessible, with the first half located on the ground floor being barrier-free.

III. Tour Route (Kitchen) is accessible except for the chef's office and part of the corridor.

VI. Tour Route (Winter) is fully barrier-free.

Representative Rooms
The tour named "Representative Rooms" presents the so-called piano nobile of the Hluboká Castle: the morning salon, the reading room, the smoking lounge, the small and large dining rooms, the library, along with the personal rooms of Princess Eleonore and an exhibition of weapons – the antechamber of the armory and the castle armory. The walls and ceilings of the interiors are richly decorated with wood carvings and lined with fine woods. The most valuable furniture is located in the morning salon. Some rooms are adorned with paintings by European masters from the 16th to 18th centuries, chandeliers, stained glass, and Delft ceramics. Portraits on the walls depict the most prominent members of the Schwarzenberg family. An interesting feature is the presentation of valuable furniture collected by the princely Schwarzenberg family. These are luxurious 19th-century interiors, including 10,723 books stored in the shelves of the castle library. The rich weapon collection is among the most valuable in Czech castle collections.

Private Apartments
The private rooms have a more intimate character than the so-called piano nobile of the Hluboká Castle. They illustrate the life of the last owners after the romantic reconstruction in the mid-19th century, specifically the princely couples Johann Adolf II Schwarzenberg with his wife Eleonore (née Princess of Liechtenstein), Adolf Joseph with his wife Ida (née Princess of Liechtenstein), Johann Nepomuk II with his wife Therese (née Countess of Trauttsmandorf), and Adolf with his wife Hilda (née Princess of Luxembourg and Nassau). The rooms are furnished according to inventories from the last period of Schwarzenberg residence. The tour includes the hunting dining room, preparation kitchen, study, marble hall, bedroom, maid's room, and the original sanitary facilities with a toilet and bathroom. A technical curiosity is the personal and freight elevator. A highlighted theme of this tour is hunting, a significant element of the life of the castle's aristocratic residents, their families, and friends. The tour passes through rooms on the ground floor and the first floor of the castle.

Kitchen
A unique example of the kitchen of a large manor house. Like the romantic reconstruction of the castle in the 19th century, the orientation and location of the kitchen were inspired by English estates. The kitchen is located in the basement, in the northern part of the building, so that the operation of large kitchen stoves would not disturb life in the castle. Visitors will be surprised not only by its size but also by the individual sections dedicated to the preparation and character of various dishes (cold kitchen, hot kitchen, patisserie). The authentic equipment and furnishings were used until shortly after 1945.

Tower
A visit to the castle tower offers a fascinating view of the surrounding landscape, provided the weather is favorable. The tower was newly built after 1847 on the site of the original baroque tower, which had collapsed. The original tower lacked deep foundations, and during the radical reconstruction of the first courtyard in the 19th century, the front building, which served as a supporting wall for the baroque tower, was demolished. The newly built neo-Gothic tower with battlements measures 52 meters from the courtyard and 58 meters from the lower parterre of the castle park. It is slightly lower than the Black Tower in nearby České Budějovice, which is 71.9 meters tall, but it has 20 more steps to the observation platform – 245 in total. If the height of the promontory on which the castle stands is added to the height of the tower, visitors enjoy a view of the surrounding landscape from 102 meters. In case of bad weather, the tower will be closed!

Winter Tour Route
Autumn has arrived, yet Hluboká Castle continues to welcome visitors. Traditionally, the castle gates were closed to tourists on October 31 and reopened only on April 1 of the following year. However, heated areas allow the castle staff to welcome guests even during the cold season. There is much to offer. Gradually, rooms with a more intimate atmosphere were installed. Most of the ground floor, accessible as part of the winter castle circuit, housed the private apartments of the last four generations of Hluboká estate owners. The tour starts in the Hamilton Salon. Already in the hallway, alongside trophies and 18th-century graphic prints with hunting themes, visitors can notice framed photographs of members of the Schwarzenberg princely family. The hunting motif continues in other spaces, such as the smoking lounge and Therese's small dining room. This is followed by the grand hunting dining room, the preparation kitchen, Dr. Adolf's small dining room, his study, the living room, and the bedroom.

Park
The castle is surrounded by an English park covering nearly 200 hectares. The park was primarily developed in the mid-19th century, though some trees were planted much earlier. The park is divided by paths and alleys, with scattered groups of trees and individual specimens placed on grassy meadows. The castle grounds also included game reserves.

Barrier-Free Access
The castle provides barrier-free access to 4 tour routes, the park, the gardens, and the castle courtyard. Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are also available.

Visitors using a wheelchair are kindly asked to inform castle staff in advance if they plan to join a tour route.