Castle Budyně nad Ohří, Medieval castle in Budyně nad Ohří, Czech Republic

Castle Budyně nad Ohří is a former water castle in the town of the same name in the Litoměřice district, later rebuilt as a château. Its two visible wings differ: a rough light-brown stone wing with a red tiled roof and an open red door reached by a stone staircase, and a tall pale-yellow tower with a steep pyramidal red roof, a weather vane, half-timbering on its upper section and a small oriel window.

The castle was probably founded by King Přemysl Otakar II in the 13th century on the site of an earlier settlement. In 1336 the Zajíc family of Hazmburk acquired it and made it a main residence; they had it rebuilt in late Gothic style after 1463 and in Renaissance style in the second half of the 16th century. A gunpowder explosion in 1551 killed eleven people and damaged the castle.

One of the rooms contains an alchemist's workshop set up as it might have looked in the Middle Ages, with vessels, tools, and substances laid out on the tables. Visitors can walk through this space and get a sense of how scholars worked in that era.

The castle is open mainly during the warmer months, and it is worth checking the visiting days in advance. The courtyard can usually be accessed even when the interior rooms are closed.

A stuffed crocodile hangs from the ceiling of the dining room, directly above the Renaissance fireplace. Displaying exotic animals this way was a way for wealthy owners to show they had access to rare creatures from distant lands.