Zámek Orlík nad Vltavou

Over het museum

The exact date when Orlík was founded is not known, but already at the start of the 13th century a fortress stood on a rocky spur above the Vltava; it protected the trade route and collected tolls from river traffic. Around the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries it was rebuilt as a Gothic castle and became one of the strongholds of royal power. Until 1357 it belonged to the Bohemian kings; then several noble families held it, among them the Zmrzlík family of Svojšín and the Švamberk family. After a fire in 1508 the Švamberks restored the castle in the Renaissance spirit and raised it by a second storey.

After 1620 the Švamberks' property was confiscated; Orlík passed to the Eggenberg family, and in 1719 to the Schwarzenbergs. The castle became the true family seat after 1802, when the family split into two branches and the younger secondary line, with Marshal Karl Philipp Schwarzenberg, chose Orlík. After a fire in 1802 the castle was raised by a third storey, and in the mid-19th century it received a Neo-Gothic façade to a design by Bernard Grüber. At the same time an extensive English park with the family crypt was created.

The Schwarzenbergs' castle was nationalised in 1948 and afterwards served as a state monument open to the public. It was returned to the family in restitution after 1992, and today it belongs to the Princely Schwarzenberg Foundation. Apart from four rooms on the first floor, the interiors survive in the state of 1948 and therefore faithfully show how the nobility lived. The park shrank from 180 to 140 hectares after the Orlík reservoir was filled in the 1960s.

Hoogtepunten

• interiors from 1948 in almost original condition
• Empire halls with furniture from the Paris residence of Marshal Karl Philipp Schwarzenberg
• Teska Hall with a carved coffered ceiling
• armoury, rifle corridor and almost two thousand hunting trophies
• castle library with almost eighteen thousand volumes
• English park with the Schwarzenberg family crypt

Vaste collectie

• Zámecká expozice – prohlídkový okruh – The tour leads through the first and second floors: the Blue Salon, the Empire halls, the Teska Hall, the Knights' Hall, the armoury, the library and the rifle and trophy corridors. Apart from four rooms, the interiors survive in the state of 1948.

Beheerder

Orlík nad Vltavou, s.r.o.

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The prices apply to the tour in Czech; the tour is possible only with a guide, and the prices include 12% VAT. Payment is possible in cash or by card; payment in euros is not accepted. For smaller foreign-language groups of up to about 8–10 people, a printed text is available to borrow at the ticket office for the price of the Czech tour (English, German, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, Polish, Hungarian, Chinese). A tour outside the stated opening hours is subject to a surcharge (usually 100%).

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Step-free access is possible only to the courtyard, the souvenir shop and the toilets; the tour route in the castle is not step-free. Animals may be taken into the castle only in a closed carrier.

Kinderen & gezin

• Kinderwagenvriendelijk: niet aanwezig

Families can use the family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children under 18). Children under 6 enter free of charge and receive covers instead of slippers. Prams are not admitted to the castle interiors.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The castle stands on a rocky spur above the Orlík dam, near the village of Orlík nad Vltavou.

Service & horeca

• Restaurant
• Museumwinkel

In the castle courtyard there is a souvenir shop (selling, among other things, bottled water). The castle eatery U Toryka in the former stables building offers Czech cuisine as a buffet, open 10:00–16:00 (on Mondays only the outdoor garden with refreshments and coffee).

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Tot 40 personen.

A civil ceremony takes place in the wedding salon on the first floor (up to 40 guests, of whom 24 sit; hire CZK 5,000) or in the castle park (CZK 4,000). A church ceremony takes place in the castle chapel, which holds about 40 guests (hire CZK 5,000).

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