The largest castle in the Czech Republic and the world: Prague Castle, Malbork and the biggest ruins

Czech heritage records · the largest castles and ruins

“The largest castle in the Czech Republic” and “the largest castle complex in the world” are among the most common questions about castles. The first part has a clear answer, but on figures, second places and ruins the sources disagree surprisingly often. It all depends on what is measured: only buildings and courtyards, or also gardens, outer baileys and walls?

We checked the record directly with Guinness World Records, the Prague Castle Administration, Kudy z nudy, Wikipedia and a measurement made by Seznam Zprávy on Mapy.cz in 2021. Where the figures differ, we give them all.

Prague Castle: a Guinness record

Guinness World Records lists Prague Castle under the record “Largest ancient castle”. According to the entry, it is an irregular oblong polygon with an axis 570 metres long and an average width of 128 metres, which gives an area of 7.28 hectares.

The Prague Castle Administration says on its website that, according to Guinness, the castle is “the largest coherent castle complex in the world” with an area of almost 70,000 m². Kudy z nudy uses the same wording. Both are fine, as long as you know that the record's exact name is “largest ancient castle”.

Even the area is not quite certain. Czech Wikipedia says it is “still a matter of dispute”, and Seznam Zprávy, measuring the footprint including courtyards and walls on Mapy.cz, arrived at 6.9 hectares. None of the figures includes the gardens. Either way, it is roughly ten football pitches.

According to tradition the castle was founded around 880 by Prince Bořivoj. Princes and kings lived here from the 9th century, presidents since 1918. Together with the historic centre of Prague it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Is Prague Castle really the largest in the world?

It depends on what we compare. The main rivals are:

• Malbork (Poland) – the Teutonic Order's castle covers 21 hectares, almost three times as much as Prague Castle. In Guinness World Records, however, it holds a different record: the largest brick castle in the world. Both records are valid at the same time.
• Windsor (England) – the grounds cover 5.3 hectares, and the British royal family calls it “the largest occupied castle in the world”. Czech Wikipedia claims the same of Prague Castle, which is larger by area. It comes down to what counts as “occupied”.
• Spiš Castle (Slovakia) – 3.9 hectares according to Slovak Wikipedia. It is often called “one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe”, but we could not confirm that from two independent sources.

The second and third largest castles in the Czech Republic

Here it first becomes clear how much depends on the measurement.

Český Krumlov is, according to the town's information centre and Czech and English Wikipedia, the second largest castle and chateau complex in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle. It consists of some forty buildings and palaces around five courtyards, plus seven hectares of castle gardens. The area varies, though: Czech Wikipedia gives more than 6 hectares, while Seznam Zprávy measured 3.14 hectares without the gardens. All sources agree on second place. Be careful with the claim “second largest in Central Europe”; the chateau's official website does not say that.

Jindřichův Hradec is often named the third largest castle and chateau complex in the country. The figures differ most here: 3.5 hectares according to Czech Wikipedia, just under 3 according to English Wikipedia and 1.82 hectares by Seznam Zprávy's measurement, which put it only eighth. The official website says only that it is one of the most extensive heritage sites in the country.

Seznam Zprávy's measurement: the ten largest castles

The only comparison using one method was made in 2021 by Seznam Zprávy. On Mapy.cz they measured the footprints of castles including courtyards, walls and buildings, without gardens and buildings outside the main complex. Treat the figures as one measurement, not official data.

Hukvaldy and Rabí are not in Seznam Zprávy's measurement. According to Kudy z nudy, Hukvaldy covers almost 2 hectares and Rabí about 1.5 hectares.

The largest castle in Moravia

There is no single winner here. According to Seznam Zprávy's measurement, Brno's Špilberk (3 ha), a Gothic castle combined with a Baroque fortress, leads ahead of Pernštejn (2.13 ha). Other sources, such as the daily E15 or Expats.cz, call Helfštýn the second largest castle complex in the Czech Republic after Prague Castle. That does not match the figures, so the fairest answer is that the largest Moravian castles include Špilberk, Pernštejn, Helfštýn and Hukvaldy, and the order depends on how you measure.

The largest castle ruin

There is no single right answer here either, and even pages on the same website disagree.

• Hukvaldy in the Moravian-Silesian Region: a Kudy z nudy article in its “Czech records” series calls it the largest castle ruin in the whole country, almost 2 hectares in area and over 300 metres long. Another Kudy z nudy page and Czech Television, however, rank it third.
• Helfštýn near Lipník nad Bečvou: 1.95 hectares according to both Kudy z nudy and Seznam Zprávy. Its official website says it is one of the most extensive castle complexes in Europe.
• Rabí in the Šumava region: about 1.5 hectares. Kudy z nudy calls it the most extensive castle ruin in Bohemia, but not in the whole country. Czech Wikipedia says it is the largest ruin in the Czech Republic.

So the safe quiz answer is: the largest ruin in Bohemia is Rabí, while Hukvaldy and Helfštýn, both around two hectares, compete for first place in the whole country.

And the largest chateau?

People often ask about “the largest chateau in the Czech Republic”, but no source we found ranks chateaux alone by area. Only the order of castle and chateau complexes can be verified: Prague Castle, Český Krumlov and Jindřichův Hradec. We found no documented claims of a “largest chateau” for Valtice, Litomyšl or others.

Trip ideas

All of Prague Castle: to grasp its size, walk it from Hradčany Square through the three courtyards to the eastern gate and Daliborka tower. That is more than half a kilometre.

The big ruins: Rabí in the Šumava region, Helfštýn near Lipník nad Bečvou and Hukvaldy near Ostrava.

We do not list opening hours or admission prices because they change. You will find them on the websites of the castles and their managers, such as the Prague Castle Administration and the National Heritage Institute.

More Czech heritage records

• The oldest town hall in the Czech Republic
• The oldest town in the Czech Republic
• The oldest house in the Czech Republic, in Prague and in Brno
• The oldest castle in the Czech Republic
• The largest chateau in the Czech Republic
• The oldest church in the Czech Republic
• The oldest synagogue in Europe and the oldest monasteries in the Czech Republic
• The oldest bridge in the Czech Republic
• The oldest brewery in the Czech Republic

All records in one place: Czech heritage records.

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Frequently asked questions

Figures from Guinness World Records, the Prague Castle Administration, Kudy z nudy, Czech, English and Slovak Wikipedia, Seznam Zprávy (measurement on Mapy.cz, 2021), the Český Krumlov information centre, E15, Czech Television and the websites of the individual castles; disputed figures are marked in the text. Photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Lead photo: Prague Castle above Charles Bridge, Tilman2007, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.