Z-Art 04 Zvíkov Castle

Size:
Height: 17cm
Width: 41cm
Lenght: 70cm
Zvíkov Castle is located in the Czech Republic above Orlická přehrada (dam), on a steep rock above the former confluence of Vltava and Otava rivers before the dam was built. Since 1978, the castle has been owned by the state and is managed by the National Heritage Institute.
HISTORY OF THE CASTLE
The rock above the rivers´ confluence has always been the perfect place to build a defense area. The remains of the old Celtic oppidum were used to build the Hlíza Tower in 1220´s, during Přemysl Otakar I. reign. Later, a royal castle was built by the Přemysl family, who owned the castle until 1306 when Václav (Wenceslas) III was assassinated. The original name Zvíkov was temporarily changed to Klingenberg (the German form) around 1250. During the time, the later king Přemysl Otakar II and his suit, led by the Prague bishop Nicolas, were arrested in the castle.
The caste had strong power in the surrounding areas, which led to disputes with the neighbor family of Rožmberk, who made attempts to gain influence. After all the male members of Přemysl family died off in 1306, the Rožmberks took their chance and persuaded the king Rudolph of Habsburg to entrust the castle into their care. The Rožmberks were a very strong and well respected family and the castle remained in their ownership. In 1334-1336, Charles IV attempted to take power, but he failed mainly due to financial reasons, and the castle, as well as 32 villages in the region remained in Rožmberk´s heritage.
In early 15th Century, the Hussite Wars started. The burgrave was Jan Hájek of Hoděnín, a man with diplomatic skills, who came to an agreement with the Hussites and they eventually did not even attempt to conquer the castle. After the wars ended, the castle fortification system was improved and its safety allowed several political meetings in 15th Century.
The Rožmberk´s era ended in 1473 when Jindřich of Rožmberk gave the rights of managing the castle and the nearby Milevsko monastery to his uncle Bohuslav of Švamberk. The Švamberk family owned the castle till the confiscation after the Bílá hora battle in 1620. They had a great influence within the noble society of those times. The castle became the place of numerous social and political events at the end of the middle ages and the beginning of the Renaissance era. Bohuslav of Švamberk organized many of the castle´s improvements – beautiful wall paintings in the halls, building the chapel, and improving the buildings. During the Bílá hora battle and the previous rebellions, the castle´s residents never gave up – there was a large military unit defending the castle. However, in 1622, two years after the battle, Zvíkov surrendered, which meant the end of its famous era. The castle was plundered by the emperor´s soldiers. The next owners were the Eggenberg and then the Schwarzenberg families, however, they did not use the castle. In 1751, a huge fire destroyed most of the castle, which slowly dilapidated until 1840, when some attempts to repair it were made – however, the owners, Schwarzenberg family, had the neary Orlík castle as their main seat and Zvíkov was not their priority. This family owned Zvíkov till 1948 and now, it is owned by the Czech state and managed by the National Heritage Institute.