Duration: 5 hours, half day excursion

Note: Castle closed Nov.25 - Mar.1

 This royal castle was built in the 14th century as a residence of King Charles IV and to safeguard the crown jewels. The originally Gothic compound was rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 16th century and in neo-Gothic style in the 19th century. The magnificently decorated Chapel of the Holy Rood where the crown jewels were once kept, houses a unique set of 128 panel paintings by Master Theodoric, dating back to the 1360´s. As a seat of the Holy Roman Emperor, Karlstein was once an important centre of medieval European diplomacy.