The Czech kingdom’s highest burgrave, Jan Josef of Vrtba, purchased Konopiště when it was in a decrepit state and transformed it into a luxurious Baroque chateau. After Adam Michna acquired the chateau, the serfs rebelled against his repressive measures and conquered Konopiště in 1657. The Swedes plundered it in 1648, and throughout the war, the chateau suffered serious damage. While Konopiště had experienced good fortune during the Hussite Wars, the same could not be said about their fate during the Thirty Years’ War. The Lords of Hodějov rebelled against the Habsburg monarchy in 1620, and the chateau was confiscated from them, placed in the possession of military leader Albrecht von Wallenstein. It became a Renaissance chateau when the Lords of Hodějov owned it in the 17 th century. Konopiště got a Gothic-Renaissance makeover during the late 15 th century thanks to George of Šternberk. Konopiště survived the 15 th century Hussite Wars without a scratch, a much different fate than so many other Czech castles that were plundered and even destroyed. The Šternberks took control of the castle in 1327, and it remained their property for more than 275 years. The chateau of four wings and three storeys came into being as a Gothic fort with stellar defense features in the 1280s. We wore our masks and were able to social distance from each other on the tours.īy my 2020 visit, I knew the history of Konopiště well. No tour buses traveled there at that time because of the pandemic. A few tourists waited on benches and fiddled with their cameras. (It would be our last day trip during 2020 because of the steady increase in coronavirus cases.) The courtyard was almost empty. It was during the coronavirus pandemic, at the beginning of September of 2020, when the situation was just starting to get worse. This time, though, there were only about five of us on each tour. About 40 kilometers from Prague, Konopiště is a popular sight for day trips from the capital city and is usually swamped with tourists. The tours were always packed with 30 tourists or more, which could be a bit disconcerting. I had been to Konopiště Chateau at least seven times.
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