ZÁMEK BLATNÁ

Blatná Castle (sometimes called the Mud Palace in Polish) is located in the south-west of the Czech Republic, approx. 50 km from today's town of České Budějovice. The first written records about Blatná Castle come from around 1230 and it was probably then or shortly before that this fortification was erected. Its first major reconstruction took place in the 14th century, and another in the 15th century. The second of them quite clearly changed the shape of the castle, making it a more magnificent representative building. Another reconstruction took place in the 16th century, this time it was carried out in the spirit of the Renaissance. Unfortunately, at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the building burned down to a large extent, and its reconstruction took place only in the years 1763-1767. The castle, with some damage, survived both world wars and was nationalized after 1945. However, in 1992 it returned to its former owners - the family Germenis-Hildprandt. Lock Blatná is considered to be one of the most important facilities of this type in the Czech Republic. It is open to tourists in the summer.