Rabí Castle - tour
Tour of the largest castle ruins in Bohemia
Halfway between Sušica and Horažďovice, on a limestone hill above the river Otava, the largest castle ruins in Bohemia can be seen. In its time, the castle had one of the most advanced defense systems in Europe. At that time, he protected trade routes and gold deposits in Ottawa. The core with two courtyards is surrounded by massive late Gothic fortifications, and Rabí is therefore one of the most important monuments of castle architecture in Western Bohemia.
History
The first written mention of the castle dates from 1380, the castle was probably built after 1142. In 1420–21 the castle was conquered by the Hussites. The castle was quickly restored, but then began to deteriorate. It was looted during the Thirty Years' War and was then used mainly for economic purposes. The castle continued to deteriorate, burned down and was finally closed completely in 1834. Repairs began in 1920 and today the castle is managed by the National Monument Institute
Žižka lost his second eye here
It was during the siege of this castle that Jan Žižka from Trocnov lost his right eye. It happened during his second siege of this castle in July 1421. According to legend, Žižek led the battle while standing under a lonely old pear tree. Suddenly, an arrow flew from the walls, hit the trunk of a tree and knocked out a splinter that flew into Žižek's only healthy eye. Hejtman was immediately taken to Prague for treatment, but to the grief of all the faithful, he did not regain his lost sight.
Entrance gates
The castle is entered through a system of three castle gates. The first served as an entrance gate, the second castle gate was connected to the porter's dwelling. The third gate is now the main entrance to the large courtyard, surrounded by massive artillery fortifications.
Large courtyard
After entering the castle, we are attracted by the large area of the Great Courtyard, which is the youngest part of the castle, built at the beginning of the 16th century. This part, including the area of the castle stables, can be visited independently without a guide. The space is dominated by the Břeňk Palace, where there are preserved rooms where you can see a model of the castle in three stages of development, the coats of arms of the castle owners and an exhibition of stove tiles.
Small courtyard
The older part of the castle is an inner courtyard with a well and farm facilities.
Parkan
In the oldest part of the castle complex, you walk through a narrow park.
Residential tower
The dominant feature of the castle is the huge residential tower (donjon), from the observation deck at the top you can look down on the entire Prácheň region,
Views from the tower
As part of the tour, it is possible to climb the 26-meter high residential tower and admire the view of the surroundings and the nearby Otava River.
Castle well
Building the castle well was a very demanding and expensive job. Allegedly, the work cost more than the construction of the fortifications. The well was broken out manually in the bedrock to a depth of 60 meters.
Castle cellar
The deep castle cellars are accessible as part of the tour, and the stalactite decoration, which was created by seepage of water, is interesting.
Movie backdrops
Because of its monumentality, the castle, castle cellars and surroundings have become a frequent backdrop for Czech and foreign films. The most famous are Markéta Lazarová, Božská Ema Radúz and Mahulena. Fairy tales and even Hollywood works were filmed here. Some props from the movies are preserved in the basement.
