Far from highways and any major roads in general, among picturesque forests and fields, Bouzov Castle rises on a high hill. It rises because the roads lead to it from below and the castle appears before the eyes of travelers in a very romantic form.

Now there is a museum... However, first things first. Like any self-respecting castle, Bouzov has its own history and its own legends. The castle (originally called Buzov) got its name from the name of the founder; it was back in the 14th century and it was founded by a certain Buz. I couldn’t find any information about who this Buz was. Maybe he liked to get loud in the morning, or maybe he bred elderberries, it’s not known. The Czech guidebook limited itself to a brief explanation that the founder of Buz Castle was from Buzov. Well, this is quite logical, but why then use the same name for your castle? Apparently, Buz was such an entertainer and deliberately caused confusion in geography.

Buz owned the castle for forty years (not very long by historical standards), then he sold it to the Wildenberk family and two brothers Joshta and Benesh began to live there, but also not for long. After the brothers sold the castle at the end of the 14th century, it, as they say, “went from one hand to another.” It is not known why all the owners were in a hurry to get rid of it, but there were so many of them that even the official history of the castle cannot mention them all. Apparently, there was something wrong in the castle. This “something wrong” was with him until 1696, when he fell into the all-powerful hands of the Teutonic Order. And the Grand Master settled there.

Typically, while the castle was changing hands, each owner considered it his duty to add something to the castle and somehow improve it. As a result, the knights of the Teutonic Order received a magnificent castle in which they could live, defend themselves, manage the territory and keep prisoners. But over the course of two and a half centuries, when the order owned the castle, it gradually collapsed (and where is the vaunted German Ordnung?) and at the end of the 19th century almost turned into ruins.

Only in 1888, on the initiative of the Austrian architect Eugene of Hamburg, who accidentally saw the castle, reconstruction began (financed, by the way, not by the Teutonic Order, but by private individuals), and Bouzov regained its former splendor.

And in 1939 there was World War II, the SS office was located in the castle, formally the castle belonged to Himler. After the end of the war, the castle was nationalized and it became the property of the state, in which status it remains to this day. True, the Teutonic Order made an attempt to sue it from Czechoslovakia, but the international court did not heed the arguments of the knights. Today it is a national Czech treasure, a museum open to visitors.

The Bouzov Castle has preserved interior decoration, many interior items, and personal belongings of the inhabitants of the castle, including the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. There is a lot to see there, but photography is prohibited in the interior, so I, as a law-abiding tourist, do not post here what is prohibited.

Cinematography is very fond of Bouzov Castle as a setting. Many films were shot here, not only by Czech directors, but also by world stars. In particular, the castle was featured in some episodes of the Indiana Jones series; in my youth (or even as a child), I personally watched the fairy tale about Arabella and King Rumbarak; filming also took place in Bouzov. In general, 27 films were shot there (as of 2014).

Bouzov Castle was not spared by terrible legends.

During the period of frequent changes of owners, one of the heirs was the young Count Wenceslas. The young man loved to hunt and one day, during one of his hunting walks, his horse stopped at a stream for watering, and he saw a young peasant woman collecting brushwood. The girl's name was Katarzyna, she was very beautiful, and the count fell in love with her at first sight. For a long time Vaclav laid siege to the impregnable fortress, and in the end the sweet promises took their toll and the girl succumbed to his pressure.

At this time, Vaclav’s parents found a rich bride, and the young count either did not show firmness, or did not really resist, and soon they got married in the medieval Bouzov castle. The wedding was “correct” and Katarzynka was left out of work. And that same night the girl threw herself down from the highest tower. And the next morning her body was missing. Vaclav soon left for the war, and died there. Following this, the count’s young wife died of some illness, leaving no heirs.

After an overnight stay in Brno, we hit the road to Bouzov Castle, which is located 28 kilometers from. This is a very famous castle, it is very fond of cinema - fairy tale films “Arabella”, “Princess Fantaghiro” or “About the Princess and the Flying Tailor” were filmed here. The castle is one of the five most romantic castles in the Czech Republic. In the form in which we see it now, it was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, the period was ending when wealthy owners of aristocratic residences wanted to demonstrate to themselves and the whole world the antiquity of their class and rebuilt their homes in the spirit of the building styles of the past.

In the second half of the 13th century, during the reign of the last Přemyslids, intensive colonization of central and northern Moravia took place. Along with the villages, fortresses also arose. One of them was Bouzov Castle, founded at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries.
The first known owner of the castle after 1317 was Buz from Buzov. At that time, Bozov was presented primarily as a guard fortress.

In 1382, the Moravian Margrave Joscht (nephew of King Charles 4) became the new owner. Powerful stone fortress walls were built
Further, during the Hussian Wars, the castle was owned by gentlemen from Kunštát and Podebrac, for example the future Czech king George, and by about the middle of the 15th century they built a new Gothic palace with a knight's hall on the north side.

The owners changed again. Hanusz Hatzgwitz was one of the most prominent builders of the castle - he built a further palace on the eastern side and thanks to this he practically completed the creation of the oval shape of the entire castle complex

The most unfortunate period for the castle was in the 16th century - in 1558 the castle burned down and the watchtowers collapsed. It remained in a devastated state until 1617 when it was bought by Friedrich of Opperdorf.
Thanks to him, a one-story wing was built in the late Renaissance style.

On September 21, the castle was sold to the Teutonic Order, which became the owner in the next two and a half centuries. A few words about the Teutonic Order (from the late Latin “teutonicus” - German). The order was founded at the end of the 12th century. Gradually, all of Prussia came under the rule of the order; by the end of the 13th century, the order actually became a state. The troubles of the Teutons began in 1410, when Polish-Russian-Lithuanian troops inflicted a crushing defeat on the knights of the order at Grunwald. It was there that the myth of the invincibility of the Teutons was buried forever. The order was dissolved in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars, but was restored a quarter of a century later.

For two centuries, no one lived in the castle permanently under the order, and the castle became more and more dilapidated.
A fundamental turning point occurred in 1894 after the election of Archduke Eugene of Habsburg as Master of the Order. Here is depicted Archduke Eugene of Habsburg, Master of the Teutonic Order (1863-1954).

He began developing a project for the reconstruction of the castle with the goal of restoring its medieval appearance and creating a museum of the order in it.

In 1939, all the property of the order was confiscated by the Nazis, and after the Second World War, the Czechoslovak state confiscated all the property of the order.
Since 1989, the order has been trying to achieve the return of its former property.
For example, after the end of the Second World War, the order's estates in Austria were safely returned to him.

There is a legend about the castle, according to which the knight fell in love with a beautiful peasant woman, but did not keep his promise and married a rich and noble woman. The girl did not survive the betrayal and threw herself from the castle tower. Before the funeral, her body mysteriously disappeared. Since then, a ghost has appeared in the castle: at night, a girl in a white wedding dress walks around the castle and mourns her unfortunate fate... The knight’s young wife died a month after the wedding under strange circumstances, and he himself disappeared without a trace on some military campaign.

And here I was marked against the background of the castle:

Other topics about the trip.

The romantic Bouzov Castle, now converted into a museum and open to the public, has survived to this day in excellent condition. It is located in the vicinity of Olomouc on a high hill in the middle of a dense forest and has a very unusual history. Among its owners were many famous Moravian families, Teutonic knights, and Nazis.

To get to it, you need to go to the village of the same name. Buses run from both Olomouc and the town of Lostice.

Bouzov Castle was formerly called Buzov Castle. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century by a certain Buz. The fortress was ascetic and devoid of any amenities. In 1340, the castle was bought by the wealthy Wildenberk family, who set about rebuilding the new property and turning it into a comfortable Gothic castle. However, things were not going well for the new owners of Bouzov, so they were forced to say goodbye to the fortress they loved so much and sell it to the Moravian nobleman Jost, who decided that no one would look after the castle better than the former owners. So he appointed one of the Wildenberks as manager. He, in turn, fearing an attack from his own brothers, who were engaged in robberies on the high road, decided to significantly strengthen Buzov, for which he increased its walls. These precautions subsequently saved the castle more than once during its siege by the enemy. Thus, one of the owners of the castle turned out to be a supporter of Jan Hus and successfully withstood the attack of the army of King Sigismund. The castle was not taken by storm by the Hungarians in the 14th century or the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. In 1696, the new owners of the castle were the knights of the Teutonic Order, who owned it until 1939. Now the leadership of the order is trying to return the fortress, but to no avail.

Visitors to Bouzov Castle can not only explore the richly decorated interiors, but also accidentally encounter a local ghost - the Girl in White.

Address: Bouzov 8, 783 25 Bouzov, Czech Republic

Website: hrad-bouzov.cz

Phone: +420 585 346 202

The romantic Bouzov Castle, now converted into a museum and open to the public, has survived to this day in excellent condition. It is located in the vicinity of Olomouc on a high hill in the middle of a dense forest and has a very unusual history. Among its owners were many famous Moravian families, Teutonic knights, and Nazis.

To get to it, you need to go to the village of the same name. Buses run from both Olomouc and the town of Lostice.

Previously it was called Buzov. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century by a certain Buz. The fortress was ascetic and devoid of any amenities. In 1340, the castle was bought by the wealthy Wildenberk family, who set about rebuilding the new property and turning it into a comfortable Gothic castle. However, things were not going well for the new owners of Bouzov, so they were forced to say goodbye to the fortress they loved so much and sell it to the Moravian nobleman Jost, who decided that no one would look after the castle better than the former owners.

So he appointed one of the Wildenberks as manager. He, in turn, fearing an attack from his own brothers, who were engaged in robberies on the high road, decided to significantly strengthen Buzov, for which he increased its walls. These precautions subsequently saved the castle more than once during its siege by the enemy. Thus, one of the owners of the castle turned out to be a supporter of Jan Hus and successfully withstood the attack of the army of King Sigismund.

The castle was not taken by storm by the Hungarians in the 14th century or the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War. In 1696, the new owners of the castle were the knights of the Teutonic Order, who owned it until 1939. Now the leadership of the order is trying to return the fortress, but to no avail.

Visitors to Bouzov Castle can not only explore the richly decorated interiors, but also have the chance to encounter a local ghost - the Girl in White.

Bouzov Castle is an architectural pearl of the Czech Republic. This medieval castle perches on a forested cliff. Initially it was built as a Gothic castle and was called Buzov.

The castle was built by Moravian aristocrats at the beginning of the 14th century to protect one of the main trade routes in Prague. The basis of the castle is a high defensive tower. Over the course of its history, the fortress belonged to many owners, including the Czech King George of Poděbrady.

At the end of the 17th century, when the castle passed into the hands of German knights for almost two and a half centuries, it turned into almost ruins. Its next owner, Archduke Eugene of Habsburg, subjected it to more significant changes in its design. The surviving premises were reconstructed, and a new palace was completed. Thanks to the artistic design, Buzov acquires a more romantic appearance, which has survived to this day. Now the castle is characterized by a combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles.

Currently, the castle's furnished Column and Gothic halls and representative chambers are open to visitors. The interior is decorated with paintings and carvings. The pride of Bouzov is the 58-meter-high sound tower, which offers a dizzying view of the ancient park, the bridge over the moat, and smaller towers. Particularly noteworthy is the chapel with a Gothic altar and the tombs of the Grand Masters of the Order of German Knights.

Against the backdrop of the castle, filmmakers often shoot scenes for their films, including “The Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones”, “Arabela”, “Before the Fall”, and the children's fairy tale “Fantazhiro”.

Throughout the year, various festivals, costume events and fairs are held in Bouzov.

You can get to the castle by train from Prague to Olomouc, then by bus.