How do I combine Hluboká with Český Krumlov?

Hluboká Castle is 25 kilometres from Český Krumlov — about 30 minutes by car. The most efficient approach is to visit Hluboká in the morning (2–3 hours) and Český Krumlov in the afternoon, or vice versa. Several guided day tours from Prague cover both castles in a single day. Without a car, you can travel between the two by local bus via České Budějovice, though this takes about 1 hour each way.

What is in the Riding School art gallery?

The Riding School gallery, housed in the former castle stables, contains one of the most important collections of Dutch and Flemish painting in Czech Republic — works accumulated by the Schwarzenberg family over three centuries. The collection includes pieces by Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt's circle, Jan Brueghel, and numerous 17th-century Dutch masters. It is considered one of the finest provincial art galleries in Central Europe.

Hluboká Castle

Zámek Hluboká

Czech republic · South Bohemia · Near České Budějovice

Built 1253 · Tudor-Gothic Revival (inspired by Windsor Castle)

🎟Entry from €12 per adult

Quick Facts

Hours: Open April to October, Tuesday to Sunday. Peak season (June–August) 09:00–18:00. April, May, September, October 09:00–17:00. Limited winter tours available November and December on weekends only. Closed January to March. Guided tours mandatory inside.
Entry from: €12
Duration: 2–3 hours
Best time: May to September — the white facade against a blue sky is at its most photogenic
Nearest city: České Budějovice

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Highlights

✦One of the most striking castle facades in Central Europe — 99 towers and turrets of gleaming white limestone, consciously modelled on Windsor Castle after a visit by the Schwarzenberg family
✦The Riding School gallery houses one of the finest Dutch and Flemish painting collections in Czech Republic, with works accumulated by the Schwarzenbergs over three centuries
✦The castle library holds 12,000 rare volumes in a room whose carved wood ceiling and carved bookshelves are among the finest examples of Victorian Gothic craftsmanship in Bohemia
✦The deer park surrounding the castle contains a game reserve still stocked with deer — one of the few Czech castles where wildlife is visible from the castle terrace
✦Located just 8km from Český Krumlov, making Hluboká the natural first or last stop on the classic South Bohemia castle circuit

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Hluboká Castle is the most architecturally theatrical castle in Bohemia — a dazzling white Neo-Gothic confection of towers, battlements, and oriel windows that looks, and was intended to look, like an idealised English castle transplanted to South Bohemia. When Eleanor of Schwarzenberg visited Windsor Castle in the 1830s and returned home inspired by what she had seen, she set in motion a transformation of a Renaissance country house into one of Central Europe's most extravagant pieces of 19th-century castle romanticism.

The castle sits on a promontory above the Vltava River, 8 kilometres north of České Budějovice and a short drive from Český Krumlov. Its whitewashed exterior with 99 towers is visible for kilometres across the flat South Bohemian countryside. Inside, the state rooms are equally grand: carved wooden ceilings in the Schwarzenberg style, a library of 12,000 volumes, tapestries, and a remarkable collection of Dutch and Flemish paintings assembled by the Schwarzenbergs during their centuries as one of the wealthiest noble families in the Habsburg Empire.

The castle was transferred to the Czechoslovak state in 1947 after the last Schwarzenberg proprietor fled following the communist coup. It opened as a museum shortly thereafter and has been one of the most visited castles in Czech Republic ever since — attracting visitors as much for its fairytale exterior as for the genuine quality of its collections.

Hluboká pairs naturally with Český Krumlov for a South Bohemia day trip. The two castles offer complementary experiences: Hluboká's perfect Victorian exterior and elegant interiors versus Krumlov's medieval authenticity and UNESCO-listed town.

History

The first fortification on the Hluboká promontory dates to the mid-13th century, when King Přemysl Otakar II of Bohemia built a royal castle to protect the road south from Prague. The castle passed through several noble families before the Eggenbergs acquired it in the 17th century, who began remodelling it in the Baroque style. When the Schwarzenbergs inherited the Eggenberg estates in 1719, Hluboká became one of their principal residences in Bohemia.

The transformation to its current appearance began in 1841, when Jan Adolf II of Schwarzenberg and his wife Eleanor commissioned a radical reconstruction in the Tudor-Gothic Revival style — directly inspired by Windsor Castle. The project took over 30 years and involved creating the current facade with its 99 towers, the interior state rooms, and the landscaped park. The result was one of the most expensive private construction projects in 19th-century Bohemia.

The Schwarzenbergs retained Hluboká until 1945, when their estates were confiscated under the Beneš Decrees following World War II. The castle passed to the state in 1947 and opened as a museum in 1950. The Schwarzenberg family later unsuccessfully sought restitution in Czech courts.

How to Visit

Hluboká nad Vltavou is 145 kilometres south of Prague and 8 kilometres north of České Budějovice. By public transport, take the bus or train from Prague to České Budějovice (2.5 hours), then a local bus or taxi to the castle. By car from Prague, take the D1 motorway south and continue via Tábor and České Budějovice (approximately 2 hours).

The most popular approach is a day trip combining Hluboká with Český Krumlov — the two castles are only 25 kilometres apart and many guided tours from Prague cover both in a single day. The castle park is freely accessible; the interior is accessible by guided tour only. Guided tours in English are available in summer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — the transformation was explicitly inspired by Windsor Castle. When Eleanor of Schwarzenberg visited England in the 1830s, she was so impressed by Windsor that she commissioned Czech architects to redesign Hluboká in the same Tudor-Gothic Revival style. The similarity is striking, including the round towers, the battlements, and the white stone facade. It was an extraordinary display of aristocratic wealth and fashionable taste.