The Royal Castle of Loket is located on the former trade route connecting the Czech lands with Germany and Western Europe. ● 00:50 History of the castle 04:45 Myths and legends -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ► You can subscribe to more videos here: http://bit.ly/ParMinutHistorie ► Polls and interesting facts await you on TWITTER: / pm_historie ► What's being prepared, you can find on FACEBOOK: / par.minut.historie -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ● You might be interested in: Brief History of Europe • Brief History of Europe #PárMinutHistorie / #PMHistorie / párminuthistorie Music: Village Consort • Medieval Song Village Consort [No Cop... Loket – history and legends The Royal Castle of Loket, located less than 10 km from the center of Karlovy Vary, is located on the former trade route connecting the Czech lands with Germany and Western Europe. It stands on a rocky promontory in a bend of the Ohře River, looking like a hand bent at the elbow. The castle and the town below are said to be named after the shape of the riverbed. Due to its strategic location and excellent fortifications, it was nicknamed the key to the Czech Kingdom and became a frequent resting place for Czech monarchs. History of Loket Castle It was located on the site as early as the beginning of the 13th century. However, it is not clear whether it was founded by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in an attempt to colonize the area (the territory was inhabited by the Slavic tribe of the Sedličans) or by the second Czech king Vladislav, on the contrary, as a defense against the Germans. The first written mention is certain from 1234 during the reign of King Wenceslas I, mentioning the local burgrave. During the revolt of the Czech nobility and King Přemysl, Loket was one of the few castles to remain loyal to Wenceslas. After 2 years, the uprising was suppressed, and after another 5 years, the king left this world and Přemysl II inherited the coveted crown. The young king had a new 2-meter-wide wall built on Loket with semicircular towers and invited German colonists to the area. In 1319, the castle provided shelter for Eliška Přemyslovna and her children from John of Luxembourg. Different personalities gave rise to several disputes between the royal spouses, and this one turned out to be the most serious. John eventually conquered Loket, punished Eliška, and imprisoned their three-year-old son Wenceslas in the castle cellar for two months. The queen never saw Wenceslas, the later Emperor Charles IV, again. Despite the terrifying experience from his childhood, Charles liked to go to Loket as an adult to relax and hunt in the local forests. Legend has it that on one of his hunting expeditions he discovered a hot healing spring and had the first spa town in Bohemia founded here - Teplá lázně near the town of Loket (Karlovy Vary). The emperor began rebuilding the castle, which was only completed during the reign of Wenceslas IV. The Margrave's Palace, a tower-shaped palace known today as the Hetman's Palace, new entrance gates, an access road and fortifications of the castle and the town were built. During the Hussite Wars, Loket was administered by Burgrave Půta of Illburk. The Kališnice troops tried unsuccessfully to conquer it several times. In 1437, the castle was pawned by Kašpar Šlik z Holič from Sigismund of Luxembourg as a reward for loyalty. The Šlik family acquired the Loket region as hereditary property in 1473. After a large fire, they began to rebuild Loket into a family seat. There were new palaces with large halls, chapels with a presbytery, deep cellars and a prison. The walls were reinforced with semicircular towers with artillery bastions. After the defeat of the Protestant Estates, the Loket region was confiscated from the Šliks and handed over to the townspeople for administration in 1562. Since the Thirty Years' War, the castle has fallen into disrepair, until in 1797 it was rebuilt into a regional prison that operated until 1949. It was a new home for usurers, thieves and, after World War II, collaborators. In the 1980s and 1990s, Loket underwent a rescue reconstruction and was opened to the public in 1993. Myths and legends Loket is a beautiful place for a trip, but keep in mind that according to legend, your children must come with their hair combed. The castle is home to the elf Štrakakal. In one hand he holds a comb with which he tries to comb the children and in the other a book, which he beats them on the back while combing them. You can also meet a petrified burgrave - a meteorite in the shape of a horse's head weighing 107 kg, which allegedly fell into the castle courtyard in 1422. Legend has it that this is Půta from Illburk. The burgrave was cursed by a poor widow to turn to stone, while he himself has a heart of stone. Only a copy of it can be seen in the