zámek Rožmitál pod Třemšínem Chateau

In the picturesque landscape of the Příbram district, Rožmitál sounds like a rare example of the conversion of the medieval castle in the palace. According to the German Rosenthal - the valley of roses - the ancient tradition of the 13th century to name fortifications by German names, although the Czech settlement prevailed.

The castle was founded in the middle of the 13th century by Oldřich z rodu Buziců, which was proud of the title of the first, which newly used the adjoining "from Rožmitál." Over the centuries, however, his fates were accompanied by a complex ownership history. In 1347, when Sezima gave half of the castle, town and surrounding villages of the Archbishop's house to Prague, a division was created that strained the generation. Disputes between Sezimo's brother Zdeněk and Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice followed the Hussite wars.

The previous generation, especially Zdeněk Lev z Rožmitálu, has initiated the Renaissance conversion of the castle, but so spiteful a way of life has dragged it into debt. After his death, the property had to be transferred to creditors. The sons of Zdeněk Leo - Zdeněk, John and Adam - lost their home and went to Moravia where they served Bishop John Dúbrav in Olomouc. In 1550, a new owner appeared: Bavarian-Austrian nobleman Florián Gryspek, a high royal official who gradually bought out the estate from creditors and transformed the castle in the style of the Italian Renaissance between 1559 and 1564.

His work gave birth to a two-storey Great, also called Gryspekov Palace, which excelled elegantly from the original oval of the walls. The Bransky Tower went up two floors. Gryspek did not overlook practical things - he built a brewery, bakery and granary, bringing water from nearby top at Voltuš using a wooden pipe to the castle courtyard. Twelve years of his reign divided Rožmitál from submissive towns - it gained the right to organise markets, its own Magistrate and criminal law.

In September 1622, however, there was a break. The Gryspek property was completely confiscated by Emperor Ferdinand II for participating in the state uprising. A year later, the Prague Archbishop Arnešt Vojtěch of Harrach, who was ordered by the king to Catholic the rebellious people. But reCatholisation was painful. When Imperial Commissioner Jan Píbík Hanisek arrived in 1627 with Jesuits and troops, the believers held the prisoners in the castle dungeon while many fled to the woods. Even the Archbishop of Harracha himself did not respond to the violence.

The castle passed two serious tests in the 17th and 18th centuries - fires in 1660 and 1724. Ernest of Harrach repaired it in 1660, and when the flame struck it again in 1724, it waited for 40 years to be repaired until the time of Archbishop Jan Morice Gustav of Manderscheid-Blankenheim. The tower was reduced by one floor.

In 1793- 1810 the Archbishop Wilhelm Florentin came to Salm. He turned the original swamp into a garden of English style, which has been accessible to ordinary visitors for decades. Salm liked Rožmitálsko and enjoyed the favour of the locals.

Since 1958, the castle has been protected as a cultural monument. It remains privately owned and partially accessible to the public.