There are several options how to enjoy this castle. You can either visit only the exteriors for a very small fee or take a tour through the medieval part and/or through the renaissance part.There is also a small restaurant. At the time we were visiting, there was a free art exhibition in the basement of the restaurant.Make sure you make some pictures with the beautiful stone bridge!

The castle consists of a medieval wing and a renaissance wing, both toured separately. We toured the medieval wing with an excellent tour guide who spoke about the castle's history and told us many interesting "gossip" stories that one does not find in history books. The inside of the castle is enchanting and really evokes the atmosphere of old times. Well worth the visit when in the Sumava region.

This is one of the three great castles in this region. You shouldn't miss it, the others are: Rabi and Kasperk. All of them are very spectacular.

The castle is very original, it can really pleasantly surprised you. Someone for his unusual defense system, another for romantic atmosphere enhanced by the wooded slopes of one of the most beautiful ?umava's valley.After many years efforts have been gradually opened to the public various parts of the castle and castle building conceived with unusual installations. Poetic audiovisual projections offered outside the mentioned areas for those interested in an unconventional way acquainted with the history, architectural development and rehabilitation of this heritage site. Since 2009 he has also opened a new guided tour outside the castle. This is a free tour of folk architecture file - open-air museum.

In the posh part of the castle it is forbidden to take pix. On the outskirts of the village on a cliff above the River Ostru?n¨¢. Founded 1290-1310 as residence of squires of Velhartice (ownership till 1390). Commissioned by Bohumil of Bud¨§tice, construction works continued by Bu?ek the Elder and his son Bu?ek the Younger of Velhartice, favourite and legendary chamberlains of King Emperor Charles IV. 1390 Jan of Hradec, acquired by marriage. 15th century, one of the castle's significant owners: Zden¨§k Lev of Ro?mit¨¢l . 30 Years' War and Velhartice Castle was in a dismal condition. Emperor Ferdinand II gave the castle to one of his generals, Don Balthazar de Marradas who, in 1628, sold it to General Martin de Hoeff Huerto (Emperor's army) acquired the confiscated Velhartice estate and a comprehensive remodelling was carried out and a new late Renaissance palace was erected in the east section of the upper courtyard. 1790 Owners Desfours family (built a paper-making factory in Velhartice which, during the World War II, made sleeping bags for the German Army). 1882 A leather-tanning factory opened, during WW II provided leather for military boots. 1945 several armoured units of George S. Patton's 3rd Army were stationed in Velhartice. Last owner of the Velhartice castle, Prince Windisch-Graetz, was expelled to Austria in 1946. According data, in its earliest origins situated at the southernmost ledge of rocky crag (current upper courtyard), a high castellated peripheral rampart, hiding wooden or half-timbered structures. Development: first castle's south stone palace erected on the rampart, second the north palace. Central portion composed of two palaces by walls interconnected, double-palace disposition accommodated to surrounding terrain. Paradise House occupies highest position of castle rock. At the NW castle front a medieval donjon (Putna, bulky prismatic residential tower) is connected with a defensive Tower by an arch bridge (32 m long, 3 m wide, 10 m high, 4 pointed arches supported by massive cylindrical pillars). The donjon was erected to protect the castle by its mass. The huge masonry walls are + 2.5 m thick. 15th Century defence system reinforced by a rampart encircling the whole northeast and southwest sections of the castle and merging into a deep dry moat hewn deep into the rock. Rampart included gatehouse with wide Gothic portal, to enter the site, with pointed flanker and a wooden fall-bridge to cross the moat.

Durch Zufall hat uns der Weg zu dieser sehenswerten Anlage gef¨¹hrt.Die Burg entstand am Anfang des 14. Jahrhunderts ¨¹ber der Gemeinde Velhartice. Lt. Erl?uterungen soll die Festung wahrscheinlich von Herrn Bu?ek von Velhartice, der auch den Burgpalast mit einer m?chtigen Wand errichtete, gegr¨¹ndet worden sein. In der n?chsten Entwicklungsperiode wurde ein m?chtiger vorgeschobener prismatischer Turm erbaut, der durch eine einmalige Steinbr¨¹cke mit dem alten Palast verbunden wurde. Menhart von Hradec, seit 1436 der h?chste Burggraf von Karl?tejn (Karlstein), wollte die Burg befestigen, um hier die Kr?nungskleinodien aufbewahren zu k?nnen, die hierorts w?hrend des Streits von Menhart und Ji?¨ª von Pod¨§brady verlagert wurden.Sp?ter kam die Burg an die Herren ?vihovsk? von Riesenburg und Zden¨§k Lev von Ro?mit¨¢l. Nach einer St?ndeerhebung gewann der kaiserliche General Baltazar de Marradas die Burg und verkaufte sie an den bekannten don Martin de Hoeff Huerta weiter. Dieser hat die durch den Krieg zerst?rte Burg grundlegend neu gestaltet. Sp?ter blieb die Burg schon fast unver?ndert.Die letzten Inhaber waren bis zu 1945 die Herren von Windischgr?tz.Dem Besucher der sp?tgotischen Burg stehen zwei Rundg?ngen zur Auswahl und ein audiovisuelles Programm zur Verf¨¹gung.

Ich habe diese Burg am Ende Juni besucht, ich bin mit dem Bus aus Klatovy angereist. Es gabnur eine anwendbare Verbindung um 10 Uhr, das gleiche galt f¨¹r den R¨¹ckweg um ca 14 Uhr.Deswegen w¨¹rde ich eine genaue Zeitplanung oder Benutzen des Autos empfehlen.Die Geschichte der Burg erf?hrt man ausf¨¹hrlich w?hrend der Besichtigung "Burg", das 70 Kronen kostet und mit einem Spaziergang ¨¹ber die einzigartige gotische Br¨¹cke mit 4 gebrochenen Bogen verbindet ist. Man kann aus der Br¨¹cke die Aussicht auf die umliegenden W?lder, die Teile der Burg und auch ¨¹ber die Gemeinde Velhartice genie?en.