Hi, I wrote this post in English and Slovak language.
In today's post, we will take a look at one of the most important and famous castles in Moravia. In the past, it went through many challenges, but it withstood them all and still stands today, reminding us of the history of this region.
We turn off the main road and drive through a dense forest on a narrow asphalt road. At first, the road descends sharply, almost as if it’s not leading to the castle. But after a few meters, it starts to ascend, and the silhouette of Buchlov Castle appears before us. The castle looks majestic, and it’s clear that it once ruled over the surrounding area.
We park the car in a parking lot below the castle. It's just a few meters to the castle gate. We buy tickets and find ourselves in the first courtyard. This is the view of the castle after passing through the main gate.
The castle was built in the first half of the 13th century at the command of King Wenceslas I. It was a royal castle that served both economic and strategic purposes. Its main role was to guard the trade route from Brno to Uherský Brod, which continued further into Hungary.
Its construction, shape, and fortifications at that time were also influenced by events in the region. These were turbulent times. Eastern Europe was facing the Mongol invasion, and some Mongol raiders even reached Moravia. Another problem was the raids of the Hungarian Cumans, who had fled from the advancing Mongols and settled in Hungary, where they gained autonomy and became valuable fighters in the Hungarian army. We saw a large collection of weapons in the castle's armory.
The first written mention of the castle dates back to 1300. At that time, the hunting rights were transferred to the castle, and it became the seat of officials and judges. The nearby town of Uherské Hradiště was developing rapidly, and the castle's significance as the administrative center of the area began to decline.
The castle faced attacks by the forces of King Matthias Corvinus in 1468. His artillery destroyed two-thirds of the castle, but despite this, he failed to capture it.
The castle was subsequently repaired and rebuilt in the Gothic style. The residential section and the defensive walls were reconstructed, adapted to new standards and threats. The walls were also fortified for artillery fire, and a knight's hall was added.
The last major reconstruction of Buchlov Castle took place in the 17th century. At that time, the Turks were making their presence felt in Europe, and the castle had to be prepared for a potential Turkish attack. The castle was expanded with a new courtyard, a tower gate with a bastion.
In the Middle Ages, royal feasts were held in estates like Buchlov Castle. Some feasts lasted for days, with guests eating and drinking until they couldn’t anymore. When they were full, they would insert a goose feather down their throat to induce vomiting, emptying their stomachs so they could continue feasting. This custom seems incomprehensible today, at least to me, especially when considering that the common people were starving while the nobles didn’t know what to do with food.
In another room, I was fascinated by this beautiful sink. It’s intricately decorated and has its own charm.
Buchlov Castle also saw action during the Thirty Years' War. In 1642, the Swedish army under General Lennart Torstensson reached Buchlov after defeating the imperial forces. The imperial army retreated to Uherské Hradiště, and the castle stood in the way of the advancing Swedes. They managed to reach the third courtyard, and the last defenders sought refuge in the citadel. The castle’s owner then negotiated with the Swedes, offering them a large ransom to leave with their army. The Swedes agreed.
From the window of the castle chapel, we can see the early Baroque chapel of St. Barbara. It stands on the hill called Modla, and the owners of the castle estates, the Petřvald and Bechtold families, are buried there.
In one of the castle's rooms, we see this painting. It is undoubtedly the most intriguing painting in the castle, and for its time, it is very bold.
Buchlov Castle suffered the same fate as many other castles. It ceased to be a comfortable and representative residence for its owners, who moved to the nearby Buchlovice Chateau. The castle became permanently uninhabited in 1751.
However, thanks to its owners, the Berchtold family, the castle was transformed into a family museum, where they gathered their collections from travels.
Since 1945, the castle has been state property.
Every castle has its own legend, and Buchlov Castle has several. This one is connected to this linden tree. It is said that a prisoner sentenced to death wanted to prove his innocence. He claimed that he would plant a tree seedling upside down in the courtyard, and if the tree grew despite this, it would prove his innocence. The linden tree indeed grew, and the young man was set free. Since then, the tree has been called the Linden of Innocence.
Buchlov Castle was one of the most important castles in Moravia. It has a rich history and has faced many threats. Visiting this castle enriched me culturally, and I learned many new, interesting facts. I can only recommend a visit to this castle.
Thank you.
Ahojte
V dnešnom príspevku sa pôjdeme pozrieť na jeden z najdôležitejších a najznámejších hradov na Morave. V minulosti si prešiel nejednou skúškou, no všetky ustál a aj dnes tu stojí a pripomína nám históriu tejto oblasti.
Odbočujeme z hlavnej cesty a cez hustý les prechádzame po úzkej asfaltovej ceste. Cesta najprv prudko klesá, akoby ani nešla na hrad. No po pár metroch začne stúpať a nám sa ukáže silueta hradu Buchlov. Hrad pôsobí majestátne a je vidno, že bol pánom širokého okolia.
Auto parkujeme na parkovisku pod hradom. K hradnej bráne je to pár metrov. Kupujeme si lístky a sme na prvom nádvorí. Takýto je pohľad na hrad po prekonaní hlavnej brány.
Hrad bol vybudovaný v prvej polovici 13. storočia na pokyn kráľa Václava I. Bol to kráľovský hrad, ktorý plnil hospodársku, ale aj strategickú funkciu. Jeho hlavnou úlohou bolo strážiť obchodnú cestu z Brna do Uherského brodu. Táto obchodná cesta pokračovala ďalej do Uhorska.
Jeho výstavbu, tvar a silu opevnenia v tom čase ovplyvňovali aj udalosti v okolí. Boli to nepokojné časy. Východná európa čelila vpádu Mongolov. Časť mongolských nájazdníkov prišla aj na Moravu. Druhým problémom boli nájazdy uhorských Kumánov. Tí pôvodne ušli pred postupujúcimi Mongolmi, usadili sa na území Uhorska, kde získali autonómiu a boli platnými bojovníkmi v radách uhorskej armády. Početnú výzbroj na hrade sme si pozreli v miestnej zbrojnici.
Prvá písomná zmienka o hrade je až z roku 1300. V tom čase sa na hrad preniesli lovecké právomoci a sídlili tu úradníci a sudcovia. Neďaleké Uherské Hradište sa rozvíjalo rýchlym tempom a význam hradu ako administratívneho centra oblasti začal pomaly upadať.
Hrad čelil útokom vojsk kráľa Mateja Korvína v roku 1468. Jeho delostrelectvo zničilo dve tretiny hradu, no hrad sa mu napriek tomu nepodarilo obsadiť.
Následne hrad opravili a prestavali v gotickom štýle. Prestavali obytnú časť, ale aj obranné múry. Prispôsobili ich novým štandardom a hrozbám, ktorým by mohli čeliť. Hradby prispôsobili aj na delostreleckú paľbu a vybudovali aj rytiersky sálu.
Ďalšie a zároveň posledné stavebné úpravy sa na hrade Buchlov uskutočnili behom 17. storočia. V tom čase sa v Európe udomácňovali turci a hrad bolo nutné pripraviť na prípadný turecký útok. Hrad v tom čase rozšírili o prvé nádvorie, vežovú bránu s bastionom.
V stredoveku prebiehali na hradných panstvách, ako bol aj hrad Buchlov, doslova kráľovské hostiny. Niektoré trvali aj niekoľko dní. Hostia jedli a pili kým vládali. Keď už boli najedení, strčili si do hrdla husacie pierko, ktorým si vyvolali zvracanie. Potravu vyvrátili a mohli pokračovať v hodovaní.
V dnešnej dobe je to dosť nepochopiteľný zvyk. Teda aspoň pre mňa. A hlavne keď si uvedomím, že poddaný ľud hladoval a oni nevedeli čo s jedlom.
V ďalšej miestnosti ma zaujalo toto krásne umývadlo. Je zaujímavo zdobené a má svoje čaro.
Hrad Buchlov sa zapojil do bojov aj počas tridsať ročnej vojny. Píše sa rok 1642. K Buchlovu sa dostalo vojsko švédskeho vojvodcu Lennarta Torstenssona, ktoré porazilo cisársku armádu. Tá ustúpila k Uherskému Hradišti a hrad s obrancami stál švédom v ceste. Tí sa dostali až na tretie nádvorie. Posledný obrancovia našli útočisko v citadele. Majiteľ hradu sa vtedy dohodol, že švédom vyplatí veľmi vysoké výkupné ak odtiahnu so svojou armádou preč. Švédi súhlasili.
Z okna hradnej kaplnky vidíme ranne barokovú kaplnku sv. Barbory. Je postavená na vrchu Modla a sú v nej pochovaní majitelia hradného panstva rody Petřvaldů a Bechtoldů.
V jednej z miestností hradu vidíme tento obraz. Je to jednoznačne najzaujímavejší obraz umiestnený na hrade. Na svoju dobu je veľmi odvážny.
Hrad Buchlov postihol rovnaký osud, ako väčšinu hradov, ktoré stáli. Pre svojich majiteľov už nebol pohodlným a reprezentatívnym sídlom a tak sa jeho majitelia odsťahovali do neďalekého zámku Buchlovice. Hrad sa stal trvale neobývaným v roku 1751.
Hrad sa však vďaka jeho majiteľom, rodine Berchtoldů, premenil na rodinné múzeum. Tí v ňom sústredili svoje zbierky z ciest.
Od roku 1945 sa stal hrad majetkom štátu.
Každý hrad má svoju povesť. Hrad Buchlov ich má niekoľko. Táto sa viaže k tejto lipe. Hovorí sa, že jeden väzeň odsúdený na smrť chcel dokázať svoju nevinu. Vravel, že na dvor zasadí sadenicu stromu koreňom navrch. Ak sa strom napriek tomu ujme, dokáže sa tým jeho nevina. Lipa skutočne vyrástla a mladík bol voľný. Od tých čias ju volajú Lipa neviny.
Hrad Buchlov patril k najdôležitejším hradom na Morave. Má bohatú históriu a čelil viacerím hrozbám. Návšteva tohto hradu ma kultúrne obohatila a dozvedel som sa veľa nových, zaujímavých informácií. Jeho návštevu vám môžem len odporučiť.
Ďakujem