Kunštát Castle, Renaissance château in Kunštát, Czech Republic
Kunštát Castle stands on a promontory southwest above the town of Kunštát in the South Moravian Region. It originated as a 13th-century castle, was rebuilt into a Renaissance château, and later received Neoclassical adjustments. The complex includes a late Romanesque palace and the Poděbrady Tower in the outer ward.
The castle was first documented in 1279 and later came under the rule of King George of Poděbrady. Major rebuilding took place during the 16th and 17th centuries, when it acquired its present form.
The name of the tower in the outer bailey, the Poděbradská Tower, recalls King George of Poděbrady, who began building the outer ward and shield walls in the second half of the 15th century. The castle hosts the annual Year of the Lords of Kunštát programme, part of the Po stopách šlechtických rodů series, and in 2019 it served as a filming location for the third episode of the miniseries Hlava Medúzy, titled Smrt na zámku.
The site is easily reached by road and is located in a small village. Parts of the Moravian regional archive are housed inside, which may limit access to certain areas.
In the knight's hall of the original castle palace, restorers uncovered in 2015–2016 a medieval figurative wall painting hidden under later plaster. It depicts a chivalric cycle from the first half of the 14th century.
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