How to return from the castle to Prague. Kost Fortress - the dark Middle Ages in Bohemian Paradise

The Czech Republic is known to everyone as a country of castles and fortresses. This is perhaps the third association that comes to mind for most tourists after Prague and beer. But if a truly huge number of castles have been preserved in good condition, then there are not so many fortresses left that have not been destroyed and have not been rebuilt into palaces.

Today I just want to talk about one of the best preserved fortresses in the Czech Republic with a wonderful name Coast(Czech. Kost). In addition, this is one of the most interesting and unusual fortresses, after visiting which several remarkable facts about medieval life in general remain in your head.

The fortress has had its name since time immemorial. There are two versions of its origin, and neither of them has anything to do with bones. According to the first, the owner and builder of the original Costa of the mid-14th century, a certain Benes from Wartenberg, preferred to be called in the Italian manner - Benesius di Costi, hence the name of the fortress. According to another version, the reason was the location of Costa in an advantageous place from a defense point of view - on a cliff, surrounded and hidden by hills, because Kost can be loosely translated as “stone” or “solid”, given that many fortresses of the time were built from wood.

The coast was indeed almost impregnable, thanks not only to the thick walls, but also to various interesting tricks and techniques used in construction. For example, the fortress tower - the last stronghold of the defenders - had not only a height of 32 meters and a wall thickness of up to 4 meters, but also the shape of an irregular trapezoid. This trapezoid was built in such a way that its corners (the thickest and strongest parts of the tower) were facing the most convenient and likely directions of fire during a siege. In addition, the cannonball, hitting the wall at a different angle, often simply bounced off.

The tower itself has five floors, but only one of them was residential. The rest stored food supplies for a whole year, the first one was reserved for a water tank. It was almost impossible to capture the tower, because... it was possible to get into it only from the second floor along a wooden walkway, which was burned in case of danger, built from the neighboring building of the Wartenberg Palace.

The location was also not chosen by chance. Located in a hollow between the mountains (by the way, on the territory of a beautiful nature reserve Czech Paradise, famous for its rock cities), Kost is completely hidden from enemies by them. Until the last moment the fortress is simply not visible. It is reliably known that, for example, Jan Zizka, the famous commander of the Hussites, completely passed by it without finding it.

I think the two ponds - Black and White, dug on both sides of the fortress, were also not only a source of fish, but also added a little to the defense capability.

Often changing its owners, Kost experienced both prosperity and decline. The period of active construction lasted until the 17th century, after which the fortress began to constantly change owners until it fell to Norbert Kinsky, whose sons still own it. Private ownership is another unusual feature of the fortress, since such structures are usually owned by the state.

Count Kinsky himself is alive to this day, but due to the fact that he is a member of the Order of the Knights of Malta, he does not have the right to own significant savings or real estate. By the way, they say that he has an excellent sense of humor.

In general, the Kinsky family is one of the most famous in the Czech Republic, and at different times its representatives participated in events that later influenced the history of the country. In addition to the Kost fortress, they also own a castle Charles Crown(Czech. KarlovaKoruna), located in the town of Chlumec nad Cidlinou near Hradec Kralove.

The recesses in the blocks from which the walls of the fortress were made were used in construction when lifted and laid with a special tool. During the time of Charles 4, fortresses began to be built from large hewn boulders, each of which could weigh up to 4 tons. This made the walls very strong, but created difficulties during construction, because there were no cranes at that time. To work with blocks, recesses were made in them at the approximate center of gravity, through which the block was pulled upward with the help of a winch, and then laid with special pliers. The vast majority of Gothic fortresses were built this way, but usually the blocks were laid so that the recesses were not visible. In Kosti, the walls were initially covered with plaster, which hid the holes, so this was not given any importance during construction.

On the territory of Costa, almost all buildings have been preserved, including four palaces erected at different times: Wartemberg, Bibrstein, Lobkowitz and Shelemberg. Each bears the name of one of the owners of the fortress. Looking at them, one can see how the requirements for architecture changed from the Middle Ages to modern times: palaces of fortified buildings with small windows and thick walls were replaced by more comfortable, spacious, bright houses, decorated with sgraffito on the outside and richly furnished inside.

Wartenberg Palace has been used for a long time since the 18th century as a granary, so what can be seen there today is the fruit of the efforts of a local restorer. There is an exhibition of weapons with interesting examples of serf guns, as well as interesting chests in which the salaries of mercenaries were kept. The fact is that there was almost no fear of their theft: they were so heavy that it was very difficult for even two people to tear them off the ground. In addition, the chests were equipped with cunning disguised locks, so opening them was also not easy. You will probably be offered to find such a castle yourself.

There is a painting there of little Philip Kinsky, one of the representatives of a famous family. It is nothing special as a painting, but it is interesting because Philip is depicted in a girl’s dress. This was due solely to the foresight and economy of the parents. The fact is that boys, as heirs of the family, were often kidnapped for a large ransom, but girls were usually left alone.

The darkest and most ominous room of the fortress is the famine, the entrance to which has been tightly walled up for almost 400 years. During the Thirty Years' War, Kost was besieged by the Swedes. During the siege, a plague broke out inside the fortress. It was impossible to bury the dead on the rock, and to take them outside the fortress meant showing your weakness to the enemy. So the bodies were dumped in the famine, which was then walled up forever. The Swedes, by the way, never got the cost.

On the territory of the fortress, as expected, there was both its own chapel and a gentleman’s house, in which the garrison could cheerfully drink away their entire salary.

Perhaps, if not the most interesting, then certainly the most atmospheric, is the fortress torture chamber. Immediately upon entering, in the twilight, you will see a cage with the body of a witch (or rather, what’s left of it). Women imprisoned in such cages and suspected of witchcraft were sank under water for 5 minutes. If she survived, it means she’s definitely a witch, because witchcraft was clearly involved here. These were burned alive at the stake. And if she didn’t survive, well, it was a mistake. The charges were dropped and he was buried according to all Christian traditions.

The guillotine, like all other exhibits in the torture room, is only a replica and, although it was never used for executions, was used during the filming of the film Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins.

Among other things, you will see all kinds of masks, devices and torture instruments, saws, etc. In general, it’s fun there;).

The executioners who carried out executions and torture always constituted a special group of townspeople. Few people communicated with them, they were avoided, their houses were always located on the very outskirts of the city. At the same time, they have always been very wealthy people, because... their craft was generously paid. Amazingly, those who they then tortured and whose heads they cut off had to pay them. Here, for example, is a price list with prices for all kinds of punishments.

All mechanical exhibits can be tried in action, which especially pleased the male half of the group :)

In general, everyone liked the fortress. Dark, gothic, cold, real. The weather also contributed to this impression - although it was already May, there was heavy wet snow and a gusty wind was blowing. For some reason, the coastline is not very popular with tourists, and in such weather we went there alone with a guide.

80 kilometers northeast of Prague and 60 from Hradec Králové, on the very border of the Central Bohemian and Kraljevograd regions, is one of the few Gothic castles in the Czech Republic that were not affected by reconstruction in the neo-Gothic style, which in the 19th century changed the appearance of most Czech medieval castles. Thanks to this medieval castle of the Czech Republic Kost has retained its harsh and simple Gothic features to this day. Despite the fact that the administrative division of the Czech Republic places this Czech medieval castle in the Kraljevograd region, it is much more convenient to get to it by public transport from Prague. In this regard, on my website I consider the medieval castle of the Czech Republic Kost among the castles of the Czech Republic in the Central Bohemian Region.

History of the castle

Medieval castle of the Czech Republic Kost It was probably built at the beginning of the 14th century, first as a small wooden castle, since, judging by the chronicles, in 1346 its then owner, Beneš from Wartemberk, lived in his castle in Sobotka. But already in 1349 the Wartemberks moved their residence to the new Gothic Czech Republic Castle Kost. True, this medieval Czech castle did not remain in the hands of the first owners for long and already in 1405, after the death of Peter Wartemberk, the castle of the Czech Republic Kost was inherited by his son-in-law Jan from Kunštát. In 1414, his daughter Škonka married Mikulas Zajec from Gazmburk, and the Czech Kost Castle became the property of the Gazmburk family. Mikulas Gazmburk was one of the largest feudal lords of the Czech Republic at that time, from 1438 he served as the supreme judge of the kingdom and was personally present at the coronation of Albrecht of Austria by the Czech crown in Prague Castle.

The beautifully fortified medieval Czech castle Kost faithfully served its owners throughout all the internecine wars of the 15th century, never allowing the enemy to take it by storm. But in 1497, the Gazmburk family faded away, and the castle of the Czech Republic Kost became the property of the Supreme Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom, Jan Šelmberk. The gentlemen from Shelmberk immediately set about reconstructing the medieval Kost Castle and building a new representative palace. Construction work in this medieval castle in the Czech Republic continues under the new owners, the Bibrsteins, who bought the castle in 1524. In 1556, Anna Bibrstein married Kryštof Lobkowicz, and for the next hundred years the Czech castle Kost became the property of this famous Czech family.

Noted among the owners of the medieval castle of the Czech Republic was the famous Generalissimo Albrecht Wallstein, remembered by local residents for his ruthless squeezing of taxes from them. True, the castle of the Czech Republic Kost remained in the ownership of the famous commander for only 2 years, before his villainous murder in Cheb in 1634 (for more details, see the website page dedicated to Cheb Castle). The night of May 18-19, 1635, became tragic for the medieval Czech castle Kost, when this Gothic Czech castle was almost completely destroyed by fire. The new owners (from 1637), the Czernins of Hudenice, slightly restored the Czech Kost Castle, but used it mainly for agricultural purposes. And only with the transfer of this Czech medieval castle into the ownership of the Kinsky dal Borgio family in 1871, the Czech Coast Castle was returned to its former greatness as a result of careful restoration. In 1950, the Czech Kost Castle was nationalized, but in 1993 it was returned to the ownership of the Kinsky family. Giovanni Kinsky dal Borgio is the owner of this monument of Gothic architecture to this day.

Legends of Kost Castle

Legend about the name of the castle

In the 15th century, the medieval castle of the Czech Republic Kost was already an impregnable stronghold, which was very difficult to take by storm, even for a very well-armed army. The famous Czech commander, leader of the Hussites, Jan Zizka, also failed. His soldiers launched an attack several times, but the defenders of the Kost castle repelled all enemy attacks over and over again. And then Jan Zizka decided to starve out this Czech castle. His troops blocked all the loopholes into the valley, and a few weeks later famine began in the medieval castle of Costa, the day came when all the provisions remained were a pig's head and a wineskin. The defenders of this Czech medieval castle had already begun to think about surrendering to the enemy when the castle cook proposed a cunning plan, which was happily supported by the commandant of the fortress.

That same evening, Hussite warriors standing guard at the walls of the Czech Kost Castle heard the clinking of glasses, the clatter of dishes and the joyful cries and singing of the defenders of this Czech medieval castle. Shaking their heads, Zizka's warriors said that their commander had chosen the wrong path. And inside, behind the walls of the Czech Republic's Kost castle, the defenders of the castle, fainting from hunger, threw a pig's head and a wineskin over the fortress wall, shouting: “Have fun with us, Hussites! We have a lot of food and wine, we will celebrate for many more days!” There was a murmur in Zizka's army, and he had no choice but to lift the siege and lead his army away from the walls of this medieval Czech castle.

They say that Jan Zizka was very angry because of his failure and said in his hearts: “This castle is hard as a bone. Only a dog can eat it!” This is where the name of this Czech castle “Kost” comes from. And the then owner of the castle of the Czech Republic Kost, Mikulas Zayic from Gazmburk, in memory of this event, added a boar's head to the coat of arms of the castle.

Practical information for independent tourists

How to get there by car

To get to the Czech Kost Castle by car, we leave Hradec Kralove to the northwest along the road E442 (35) in the direction "Liberec, Jicin, Hořice" ( Liberec, Jičin, Hořice). After 43 kilometers, having passed Jicin, we take the exit to the road 16 in the direction "Mlada Boleslav, Turnov"( Mlada Boleslav, Turnov) . After another 14 kilometers, entering the town of Sobotka ( Sobotka), we turn right from this road, following the signs for Vesec u Sobotki, Podkost and Grad Kost ( Veseč u Sobotki, Podkost). The Czech castle Kost will be a little over three kilometers from Sobotka, right behind the town of Podkost, on the hill to the right of the road. Parking is located right next to the castle.

The road from Prague to the castle of the Czech Republic Kost is similar to the road to the castles of the Central Bohemian region Bela pod Bezdez and Bezdez, we leave the motorway R10(E65) to the congress 44a on the road 16 , and from this last one after 15 kilometers we turn left onto the road 279 , after another 4 or so kilometers we try not to miss the right turn at City Coast And Podcast and after a little over a kilometer we find ourselves at the castle.

How to get there by bus or train

To get to the Bohemian Coast Castle from Prague by bus, you will need to make at least one transfer. Buses depart from the Black Bridge bus station ( Černý Most) (bus to 8.25 from the bus station UAN Florenc). You need to get off at the stop "Podkost, Krzyzh. Pomniki" (Libošovice, Podkost, křiž. Pomniki), from which you will have to walk about one and a half kilometers to the castle. Only one bus stops per day at the stop "Podkost, grad Kost" located next to the castle. Here are some travel options:

The nearest train station is in Liboszowice. From here to the Coast Castle it is about two and a half kilometers on foot along the tourist route, marked with yellow signs. Trains depart from the Main Station, ticket price is 135 CZK, here are the travel options:

Prague	Train	Transfer	Arrival	Train	Departure	Liboszowice

The Gothic Kost Castle is located on the territory of the unique rocky Bohemian Paradise nature reserve. It was built in the middle of the 14th century and is an ancient fortress that has preserved its original appearance to this day. There are two versions of the origin of its name. According to one of them, the castle is named after its builder and first owner Benezidi Kosti. According to another version, the name of the castle is related to its location. The castle was built on a rock surrounded by hills in an advantageous position from a defensive point of view. The word “Kost” in translation means “stone” or “fortified” and emphasizes the inaccessibility of the castle.

Another beautiful legend is associated with the name of the castle. It is associated with the name of Jan Zizka, the famous Hussite commander. During the Hussite Wars, Jan and his troops attacked the castle. But the defenders of the fortress repelled enemy attacks over and over again. Then Zizka decided to take Kost by siege. Long weeks passed when the only provisions left in the fortress were a pig's head and a jug of wine. And then the owner of the castle resorted to a trick. In the evening a feast was staged. The defenders defiantly rattled empty plates and glasses, and then the soldier threw the remaining food over the wall and shouted to the Hussites: “Our food supplies will last for several months, Let's celebrate together!” Exhausted by the long siege, the warriors of the Zizkov army left the castle walls empty-handed. Jan Žižka was very angry at his defeat and shouted out in anger: “This castle is hard as a bone, and only a dog can eat it!” Since then, a boar's head appeared on the castle's coat of arms, and the castle got its name.

Cost Castle was built of stone, unlike most wooden fortresses of that time, it had walls up to 4 meters thick and various construction tricks. Thus, the fortress tower, 32 meters high, had the shape of an irregular trapezoid. At the same time, the cannonballs, hitting the wall at a crooked angle, often simply bounced off it. The tower had five floors, and only one of them was residential. A water tank was stored on the ground floor, and the rest were used as food storage. The castle was surrounded by the Black and White ponds, which not only served as a source of fish, but also had defensive significance.

The owners of Costa constantly changed, erecting palaces on the territory of the fortress named in their honor: Wartemberg, Bibrstein, Shelemberg and Lobkovitsky. Looking at the palaces, one can trace changes in architecture.

Wartenberg Palace has been used as a granary since the 18th century and was subsequently restored. It now houses a large exhibition of weapons, as well as interesting chests with camouflaged locks that once held mercenaries' salaries.

Bibrstein Palace is built in the Renaissance style. In 1635 it was damaged by fire and was converted into a barn. Now you can see the black castle kitchen, historical weapons from the Army Museum in Prague, the museum in Mlada Boleslav and the collections of the Kinsky dynasty - the last owners of the castle. This is one of the rare cases when such a structure belongs to a private owner and not the state.

There are also scary places on the castle grounds. This is a torture chamber, closed to visitors, the grave of the defenders of the fortress who died during the Thirty Years' War from the plague epidemic.

Various festivals and holidays, knightly battles, and a Witches' Congress are held on the territory of the castle. For example, every weekend in the castle the executioner acts as a guide on excursions. He tells the guests of the castle about how he walled up a dozen soldiers in the tower. Without a twinge of conscience, the unusual guide happily tells his listeners how he punished an unfaithful noblewoman who was caught with her lover. It won’t be possible without visiting the executioner’s workplace, where he will tell and show his methods of work (even if the guests are against it :).

Kost Castle (Czech: Hrad Kost) is one of the medieval castles of the Czech Republic, located in the Bohemian Paradise nature reserve (Jicin district, Kralove Hradeck region) near the border with the Central Bohemian region. The castle was built in the first half of the 14th century in the Gothic style.

Origin of the name

There are several legends about the origin of the name of the castle, the most plausible of which is related to the fact that the founder of the castle, Cost Benes from Wartenberg, wrote his name in the Italian manner Benesius di Costi, which is where the name of the castle came from. According to another legend, the castle owes its name to Jan Zizka, who, after a long and unsuccessful siege of the castle in the 15th century, allegedly exclaimed in his heart: “This castle is hard as bone. Only a dog can eat it!”

Location

The peculiarity of the castle's location was that it was built in a valley on a sandstone cape, standing at the junction of two massive rocky valleys. The valley north of the castle was formed by the flow of the Klenice River and is called Prokopska. To the south of the castle is the Plakanek valley. To the northwest of the castle lies another valley, unnamed, also of water origin. Previously, three ponds were built around the castle on three sides: White, Black and Lebyazhy. The first two ponds have survived to this day. By destroying the dam, it was possible to quickly create difficult terrain around the castle.

History of the castle

The castle was built before 1349 by Benes of Wartenberk, since in that year he moved his residence from Sobotka to Kost. The castle changed owners many times. The Benes family from Wartenberg owned it until 1414, then, as a result of a marriage, the castle passed to Mikulas Zayic from Gasmburk. In 1456, the owner of Kost Castle, together with the Trosky Fortress and the Rock Castle, became Jan Zajic from Gazmburk, who took part in the uprising against King George of Poděbrady. After the death of Jan Zajic, the owner of the castle became Zdenek Lev of Rožmital (d. 1535), who in 1497 sold Kost to the Supreme Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom, Jan of Sjelmberk, whose descendants owned the castle until 1524. The next owners of Costa were the Biebersteins (1524-1551). Jan Bieberstein added a Renaissance wing to the castle with an extensive kitchen. Since he died childless, the castle was inherited by his niece and her husband Krystof Popel Lobkowicz, who built a brewery and other fortified outbuildings at the castle. The Lobkowitzes owned Kost Castle until 1634, then the castle was for some time the property of Generalissimo Albrecht Wallenstein, and from him it passed to the Czernins of Hudenice (1634-1738). Under the Chernins, the castle fell into disrepair and was used as a granary. In 1738-1769, the castle was owned by the High Marshal of the Kingdom, Wenceslas Casimir Netolicki of Eisenberk, under whom Kost Castle and its surroundings acquired the legal status of a fideicommissa. His son had no children, so the fideicommissus to the castle was inherited through the female line, with each heiress adding the second surname Netolicki to her surname. In the 19th century, the castle was inherited by Field Marshal General...

Cost Castle, more like an impregnable citadel, is located on a small cape between three valleys. Previously, there were three natural reservoirs near the castle, blocked by a dam. If necessary, the owner of the castle could destroy one of the dams, flooding the entire surrounding area with water and thus making the castle inaccessible to the conquerors. Two ponds have survived to this day.

Scientists are still arguing over the origin of the name of the castle. Some researchers associate the name of the fortress with the name of its first owner, Benes Costa. Others believe that such a catchy name was given to the castle, founded at the beginning of the 14th century, by none other than Jan Zizka himself, who tried to take it by storm, and when this failed, he said that the local citadel was as hard as bone.

The list of those nobles who once owned Cost Castle will be very long. Some never came here at all, as if they had forgotten that they had such real estate. Others put a lot of effort into improving it. Thus, under Jan Biberstein, who owned the castle in the first half of the 16th century, another wing was added, in which there was room for a kitchen. And under Lobkowice, a brewery appeared at the fortress.

In 1738-1769 the castle belonged to Marshal V.K. Netolitsky, who made it a family property and forbade his descendants to sell it. Only in 1948 did the castle slip away from the family and become the property of the state, which established an art gallery here. Nowadays, the castle has been returned to its rightful owners, who are not at all opposed to showing their possessions to tourists.