Svojanov - castle

The beginning of the history of Svojanov Castle dates to the period of colonization of the remote corners of the lands of the Czech crown. In the 1280’s Přemysl Otakar II had Svojanov Castle built (Fürstenberg at the time) with the aim of guarding the Trstěnice trade route. The castle was a typical fortress for its time, before the widespread use of gunpowder in Europe. The castle included an internal courtyard protected by five-metre thick walls, and an exterior wall of the old palace with the same thickness. The twenty-six metre high watchtower with sharp edges to deflect enemy fire also served as the final safehold of defenders. In the first half of the 16th century renovations were performed to increase the comfort of the castle, and mainly consisted of the expansion of the residential building to include a new wing. In 1569 the castle was destroyed by fire, after which extensive Renaissance reconstructions were pursued. During the Thirty Years War Svojanov was twice conquered by the Swedish and damaged. Also contributing to the gradual decline of the castle was the consequences of the Prussian-Austrian War in the 18th century; afterwards the castle became an ordinary farmstead. Following a fire in 1842 the Old Palace was rebuilt in the Empire style; the Renaissance wing remained as a ruin.