The Konopiště Chateau with Private Guide - H3

Central Bohemia: The Seat of the Imperial Successor to the Throne

The original Konopiště Castle was built in the 13th century in the midst of a romantic rolling landscape with green hills in the very heart of Bohemia. It has maintained the appearance of a medieval fortress until today. Visitors will first stop by the castle moat, complete with bears and enjoy the extensive park that surrounds this castle – one of the most majestic castles in the entire country.

The interior tour illustrates the life-story of a significant and fascinating historic figure – Franz Ferdinand d´Este. After his cousin Rudolph, son of Empress Sissi and successor to the throne, committed suicide in Mayerling, it was Franz Ferdinand who became his successor. His wife was the Czech Countess, Sofie Chotková, whose aristocratic title was no match to Franz Ferdinand’s, but whom he deeply loved. Thus he became the black sheep of the family and decided to move to his wife’s homeland. To enjoy all the comforts available at the time, Franz Ferdinand commenced an extensive reconstruction of his family residence at Konopiště in the style of historicist Romanticism. His goal was to transform the castle into his future Imperial Seat. Back then there was a good deal of time left before Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Serbian Sarajevo – an event that eventually lead to WWI.

The chateau interiors are richly decorated with precious furniture and many artworks that were a part of the collections of the future Emperor, including a collection of sculptures and paintings depicting St. George, an impressive collection of weapons inherited from the Italian branch of the d´Este family, as well as several thousand hunting trophies.

Tours are available from April to November.

The price of the tour includes the cost of transportation and guide services. We calculated the listed basic price for transportation using a luxury minivan for the minimal duration of the tour. Please add 15 € or $20 for every additional hour.

*Alternate modes of transportation are available for this tour by train or bus. The price is considerably lower than using the minivan. We’ll be happy to provide you with a tailor-made calculation.

Why is there a surcharge for a longer tour? Occasionally the tour is prolonged in order to visit a particular monument or allow more free time. In any case, all of this depends on your desires.

Entries to the monuments form a rather small part of the overall cost of your trip. You will pay for them separately and directly. We will include information about entry costs in our e-mail communication.

IN THE FOLLOWING FORM, WE WILL BE ALSO ASKING YOU ABOUT:

Which of the above sights highlighted with a mark would you like to visit inside, beyond the scope of the basic walking tour? You will be asked to pay for entries to the sights directly on spot to their respective box offices.