hrad Týnec nad Sázavou Castle

The castle Týnec nad Sázavou stands on the hill, which naturally protected it from one side through a deep breach, from the other through the Janovická stream. This favourable location had a considerable strategic purpose in the past. Originally, the castle served as a guard fort designed to protect traders who passed through here. Since 1965 the castle has been protected as a cultural monument.

Aropological findings from the turn of the 1970s and 1980s confirmed that the fort had been established in the 11th century, although the first written mention dates back to the early 14th century. The oldest structure is the Romanesque Rotunda of St. Wenceslas, which later became the castle chapel and remained the oldest preserved monument in Týnka. There was originally only a wooden building; it was only later that a stone castle with this French rotunda was established.

There was no information about the first owners. The first known owner was Oldřich of Týnek, listed in 1318, who became the ancestor of the Meddek of Valdek. This family owned the castle until the 15th century and its members included Zdeněk z Valdeka, Zdeněk Medek and Protiva z Valdeka. After Medce, the castle was changed by several owners: in 1498 it was acquired by Litvín z Kinštejna, subsequently owned by Hodějovští z Hodějova (they joined the Týnek estate and Konopiště), then Albrecht z Valdštejna, and finally Pavel Michna z Vacínova.

Since the beginning of the 17th century the castle no longer met the new requirements of its owners and gradually began to lose its way. In the early 18th century it was bought by the earls of Vrtba together with Konopiste, but Tynecký Castle continued to decline. The vomit occurred in the middle of the 18th century when Marie Anna O'Kelly began to manage it and returned it to the habitable form. After 1918, the residential parts were rented as apartments. The owner was František Xaver Jiřík, director of the Museum of Arts in Prague. Finally, the Church of Czechoslovak Hussite bought the castle.

From an architectural point of view, the Romanesque Rotunda, in which the chapel is located, has been preserved until now, where the worship of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is held today. An important element is the prism tower, whose top floor serves as a lookout tower overlooking the city and its surroundings. The premises of the former palace now occupy the city museum. The tower also serves as a gallery with regular exhibitions. The interesting thing is, there's a big bat in the tower that's moving in for the summer.

There is a natural monument of Tynecka Rotunda, which protects the nest of bats. The castle is now a living center of cultural and social events. A number of events are held here regularly: exhibitions of artists, concerts of musical associations, performances of art schools, jarmarks, Celtic programmes and theatre performances. They're doing weddings here too. During Christmas and Easter holidays, thematic exhibitions are held. Particularly interesting is the permanent exhibition dedicated to Týnecké ceramics - a reminder of the stone factory, which worked here as one of the first of its kind in Bohemia.