Karlstejn
The biggest value among Czech castles indisputably belongs to Karlstein. The grand chateau was built by a famous European ruler, Roman emperor and Czech king Charles IV in the years 1348-1357 as a place to keep the imperial crown jewels.
The elaborate, skilfully built fortress reveals with its symbols the understanding of the world and the way of thinking that was inherent to people of Middle Ages. A big tower rises over the buildings arranged in hierarchical sequence. Inside the tower there is unique chapel of the Holy Crucifix, which depicts the Heavenly Jerusalem. The Chapel layout, rich gilding, decorations with semiprecious stones, wood paintings of Master Theodor depicting celestial Christian troops (127 paintings) created a unique environment for keeping imperial honours and the remains of Holy people.