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Castle Karlštejn, also called Charles’s stone, was built by Roman Emperor and Czech king Charles IV. It was designed as a monumental symbol of both Emperor and Empire and also as an impregnable safe deposit box for the most important state documents and the Czech imperial coronation jewels. The building was inaugurated on the 10 ^th June 1348 and partially finished as soon as seven years later, it was in 1355, when Charles stayed at the castle for the first time. We also have records about the first Karlštejn burgrave Vít of Bítov from the same year.

The final stages of the castle’s development were in the building of Chapel of the Holy Rood in the big tower that took place between 1357 and 1367. The Chapel was consecrated in 1365.

The Emperor dwelled often at Karlštejn, sometimes several times a year. Also his son Václav considered the castle to be of significant importance. His relationship to the castle was, however, negatively influenced by the sad event of 1386 when his first wife Johanka died there. The talk has it that she was at Karlštejn strangled by a greyhound. Another unfortunate event took place in 1397 when four of Václav’s favourites were massacred here. What happened in year 1412 could be labelled as howlers for tabloids. In this year Václav IV threw a banquet in honour of his guest Arnošta Štýrsky. His guest became so exhilarated that he was dancing with Václav’s wife Žofie on the table!

After Václav’s death his brother Sigismund transferred the imperial coronation jewels from Karlštejn to Hungary and nominated Zdeslava Tluksu of Buřenice as a castle burgrave. He was an enemy of Hussites and castle was therefore besieged by Praguers and the army of Zikmund Korybutovič. The siege started on 20 ^th May 1422 and lasted until the 11 ^th November of the same year. Even though besiegers had four cannons (even if not of very high quality) and were tormenting the castle by throwing barrels loaded with burning stuff and faeces, the siege wasn’t a success and ended in a year long truce.

Emperor Sigismund didn’t until 1429 support the castle economically and soldiers of fortune at the castle were increasing their living standards by plundering and selling Karlštejn’s treasures. When in 1436 Sigismund finally came to the Czech throne, the Czech coronation jewels returned to Karlštejn. The castle also became a seat of state archives which further established the already great prestige of the castle. In 1437 Menharta of Hradec was established as castle burgrave by Sigismund. He was an enemy of George of Poděbrady and therefore when George conquered Prague he imprisoned Menhart in his town Poděbrady. After Menhart’s death in 1449, his son Oldřich refused to surrender Karlštejn to George and he even took the coronation jewels to the castle Velhartice. Eventually in 1450 he, however, surrendered and three years later, after the coronation of Ladislaus the Posthumous, coronation jewels were returned to Karlštejn. Other burgraves to come such as Jindřich Berka of Dubé or Beneš of Veitmile were nominated by George of Poděbrady and were deeply devoted to the king.

During the reign of Vladislaus II the Jagiellonian, a situation of Karlštejn was to a certain extent changed. He granted the Czech estates wish and certified that a king is not allowed to use the castle and coronation jewels without the permission of the nobility, knights and towns of Prague. Subsequently, in 1488, two burgraves were nominated for Karlštejn: one belonging to the aristocracy and other one was a nobleman. They both took an oath not only to the king but also to assembly of the Estates.

Since the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth century, there was a significant building activity at the castle. The most radical changes of its appearance that in fact meant its Renaissance conversion, took place during the reign of Emperor Rudolph. They were carried mostly by burgrave Jáchym Novohradský of Kolovraty who called upon the Emperor’s royal architect Oldřich Avostalis de Sala. The alterations cost 1.500 threescore of Groshen and were finished in 1596. The assembly approved the amount of 5.000 threescore of Groshen for the Renaissance alternations of the Emperor’s palace interiors, the work was carried between 1605 and 1611during the times of burgrave Vilém Slavata of Chlum. This was, however, the swan song of Karlštejn as a first-rate object of national history. The last estate document to be placed here was the Rudolph Imperial Charter. The castle wasn’t suitable to serve as a fortress any more. Coronation jewels and state archive were moved to Prague castle and in 1625 emperor Ferdinand cancelled existing statute of Karlštejn and the castle became just a dowry estate of Czech queens.

The last Karlštejn's burgrave was Bedřich of Talmberk, Přibík Jeníšek of Újezd and Humprecht Černín of Chudenice. In 1626 Empress Eleonora pawned the castle to a parvenu Jan Kavka of Říčany and the castle was further declining. It was plundered in 1648 by Swedes who got hold of the whole area, excluding the big tower. Since the end of the seventeenth and during the first half of the eighteenth century the castle was rented out and was further dilapidating. In 1755 Empress Maria Theresa gave the castle to the newly founded Institution of Noblewomen which served as a retreat for impoverished aristocratic women. The administration was transferred to the castle but this step didn’t improve dismal situation of the building

In 1812 Karlštejn was visited by Emperor Francis I of Austria and his daughter Maria Luisa, a wife of the French Emperor Napoleon. He was captivated by the castle and therefore decided to have it repaired. It was partially done between 1815 and 1818 under the auspices of Antonín Libštejnský of Kolovraty who was the highest burgrave of Czech kingdom. In 1836 the highest burgrave Karel Chotek ordered for the renovation of the castle to be covered from the estate budget, even though the castle was owned by the Institution of Noblewomen. Ten thousand florins were given for the repair works between 1837 and 1838 which helped to save the castle. In 1853 in Vienna was founded a Central Committee for Monuments Preservation that was also overseeing renovation works on Karlštejn. The Committee entrusted a top Vienna’s specialist, Professor Fridrich Schmidt to draw a plan for the castle’s restoration with a budget of 240.000 florins. Half of the expenses were covered by Austrian government and another half by the Czech one. The building work, however, started as late as 1887. A purist architect Josef Mocker was chosen as an Art director of the renovation work and he made several deviations from Schimdts’ project. He carried strict regothisation changes that in fact meant the almost complete elimination of Rudolhine’s buildings and at some places even interference with the original ground plan. It can be said that even though the quality of the castle’s renovation, which was finished in 1897, was of a high standard from both technical and artistic points of view, it meant a significant interference with the authenticity of the building. In 1902 original frescos were preserved and after exhibits were placed at their locations, Karlštejn was in 1910 opened to public.

Source: Chateaux and castles etc.