Hluboká Castle

One of the most visited castles in the Czech Republic, Hluboká, rises on the northern edge of Budějovické pond basin, on the sharp promontory above the Vltava river. Originally a royal castle, Hluboka (Frauenberg) was founded together with the neighboring town of České Budějovice in the 13th century by the Czech King Premysl Otakar II. The castle underwent a complex development, and its appearance has been marked by four reconstructions. In 1871, it obtained its present Neo-Gothic appearance thanks to the Schwarzenberg family, in whose possession the castle had been from 1661. They created an object with 140 lavishly furnished rooms, with eleven towers (the main one is 60 m tall) and bastions, whose indented facade is dominated by a large Schwarzenberg heraldry with the family motto "NIL NISI RECTUM" (Nothing but the right). Hluboká obtained its today's form under the rule of Johann Adolf II. Schwarzenberg and his wife Eleonora, who decided to design the reconstruction according to the royal Windsor Castle.

In the vicinity of the castle, there is the English style Castle Park. In the original riding hall with an open-frame hall, collections of Aleš South Bohemian Gallery are now installed.