HISTORY
Švihov is one of the youngest Czech castles. It was
constructed at the turn of the 15th and the 16th centuries
by Půta Švihovský of Rýzmberk. After Půta’s death in 1503,
his sons, who invited a famous architect Benedict Ried to
take part in the construction project, proceeded with the
completion of the fortress. After the Švihovský family, the
family of Kavka of Říčany took over the castle in 1548;
already in 1598, however, their poor property management
forced them into selling the castle to the family of Černín
of Chudenice. After that came the period of the Thirty
Years’ War, and the Swedish troops passed by the Švihov
Castle two times, leaving it unconquered. After this war,
the Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand III issued an order to
demolish the castle.
 However,
due to its permanently being put off, the demolition was
luckily never carried out entirely; only part of the
fortification wall was damaged. Later on, the castle was
turned into a farmstead and a granary. The Švihov Castle
remained property of the Černín family up to the end of the
Second World War, after which it was nationalized.
The Czechoslovak state took over the important historic
landmark in a dilapidated state, and as one of the most
treasured monuments, the state decided to make it open to
public. In the second half of the 20th century, extensive
reconstruction work started turning the granary back into a
castle. Starting with this extensive reconstruction, smaller
scale work has been continuously carried out at the castle
up to the present day.
The Water Castle of Švihov
remains property of the Czech Republic to this day; it is
managed and operated by the National Institute for the
Preservation of Historical Monuments.
LOCATION OF THE CASTLE
The Water Castle of Švihov is
situated in the Pilsen Region at the principal railway and
highway route from Pilsen to Železná Ruda via Klatovy, and
you cannot miss the castle whether you are travelling by car
or by train.
Parking is available at the plaza of the Town of Švihov,
approximately 100 m away from the castle. The walking
distance from the train station to the castle is
approximately 20 minutes.
OF INTEREST
-
Our best preserved water castle.
-
 Shooting
location for many films and fairy tales. The one known
the most must be the fairy tale movie Tři oříšky pro
Popelku (Three Wishes for Cinderella) with the actors
Pavel Trávníček and Libuše Šafránková, where the castle
acted as Cinderella’s, her stepmother’s and her
stepsister’s home.
- Among other famous movies we may name for example
the film Šašek a královna (The Jester and the Queen),
the telefilm Král posledních dnů (The King of the Last
Days), or the recent fairy tale movie Tři životy (Three
Lives).
EXPOSITION TOURS
It is only possible to visit the
castle’s expositions accompanied by a guide. For our foreign
visitors we have prepared texts in several languages to be
borrowed, and we are planning the purchase of the AudioGuide
system. Based on prior arrangement, we may provide a guided
tour in a foreign language for larger groups (based on
availability,
100% extra pay).
1. “The Castle” Tour (first
tour round) - 60 minutes, max. 30 persons:
Admission: basic CZK 70.00;
discounted CZK 45.00.
The first guided
tour introduces the visitor into the historical development
of the property and the social premises of the castle. The
allusive display has been arranged so as to reflect the life
at the aristocratic mansion at the beginning of the 16th
century.
2. “The Kitchen” Tour
(second tour round) – 50 minutes, max. 12 persons:
Admission: basic CZK 50.00;
discounted CZK 35.00.
The second guided tour complements the
exposition especially by providing a view of the technical
premises of the castle, and takes the visitor to the site of
the everyday life. This tour cannot accommodate large
groups.
OPERATING HOURS
April, October … Saturdays, Sundays …
from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
May, September … Daily, Closed on Mondays … from
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
July through August … Daily, Closed on Mondays … from
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Lunch break is set for the time
between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.
After previous arrangement it is also
possible to visit the castle outside the regular operating
hours.
ADDITIONAL OFFERS
The castle offers
many additional options, such as a wealth of various
cultural and social events (concerts, theatres, exhibitions,
fencing performances etc.), renting of the premises for
weddings, different corporate events or conferences. Basic
refreshment is provided by the castle’s tavern directly at
the publicly accessible courtyard.
CONTACT
Mailing Adresse: Vodni hrad Svihov, Zizkova 1, 340 12 SVIHOV
Tel., Fax: (+420) 376 393 378
or (+420) 606 666 419
E-mail:
hrad@hradsvihov.cz
Web Site: www.hradsvihov.cz
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