The Black Tower can be visited without guide. Jindřichův Hradec castle is a complex of large and expressive buildings and it isn't possible to say that the Black Tower is its dominant point, but it is certain that the tower contributes to castle's imposing look. Comparing to other observation towers the local Black Tower offers panoramic and beautiful view of the whole town and its wide surroundings. Newly, the visitors of the Black Tower may visit also the Black Kitchen.
Lords of Hradec had to build the Black Tower along with the Old Palace and castle's walls at the beginning of 13th century. Such towers were called "Berfgrieds". Their reason was partly defensive but they weren't built in the line of defensive walls like fortified towers but stood often apart from other castle's buildings, connected with them just with light wooden walkways. They had the function of watchtowers and were prepared for cases of fight within the castle - as the refuge towers for the last resistance. The local Bergfried's only entrance was originally in the height of 13 m. The later structural development connected the tower with the Old Palace.
The tower's measurement are interesting. The height and circuit are the same - 32 m (104,99 ft. or 35yd.). The diameter makes slightly more than 10 m. The only wall of the tower is approximately 4 m thick (13,12 ft. or 4,37 yd.) up to 20 m of its height.
The Black Tower was also used as the prison. There were also well known personalities of Czech history among the people imprisoned in the local tower - controversial preacher Martin Houska in January 1421 and Baron Zikmund of Vartenberg who was imprisoned for the betrayal of Czech King Albrech in 1438. Baron Zikmund died in the tower after few weeks. In 1784, the new entrance into tower was created in the ground floor and the tower was used as a prison for "insubordinate dependants". The last inhabitants of the tower were two Russian bears, which brought earl Jaromír Černín from his travels in 1848.
This tour leads through the first floor of Adam's building. It presents especially the representative lifestyle of Czech kingdom's supreme officials - Lords of Hradec, who had very high expectations on the look of their main residence. The second half of the tour shows chambers with younger - baroque and classicistic furnishings, which remember...
this tour is not available today
240 CZK (full admission) Buy ticket
duration 50 minutes
max. 30 people
reservation needed for groups only
Gothic palace tour was newly furnished with many interesting exhibits, archeological finds and equipped with the new lighting lately. The tour represents, in an attractive way, the life style of the supreme chancellors, burgraves and judges of the Bohemian Kingdom, Lords of Hradec. The interiors of the Gothic Palace offer an overview of the...
this tour is not available today
140 CZK (full admission) Buy ticket
duration 70 minutes
max. 25 people
reservation needed for groups only
THIS YEAR'S NOVELTY of the Castle Museum is the exhibition of LEGO models with the playroom for not only the small visitors. Second part of the museum is the exhibition Czernins - ambassadors, travellers, collectors which presents many unique objects collected by Černíns during their diplomatic missions. And finally the third part of the museum...
this tour is not available today
100 CZK (full admission) Buy ticket
duration 0 minutes
max. 40 people
reservation needed for groups only
The selection of tours presents the bigger part of the castle's structural development. The visitors will see the buildings and interiors from the gothic period to the late Renaissance. The tour starts in the old Black kitchen, continues in the representative chambers of the Lords of Hradec and ends in the music pavilion Rondell.
this tour is not available today
220 CZK (full admission)
duration 50 minutes
max. 40 people
reservation needed for groups only