Schwarzenberg Portrait Gallery
The 2nd Guided Tour in
Český Krumlov Castle introduces us to the interiors of the Castle,
mainly from the 19th century period, and is completely focused on
the Schwarzenberg family. The Schwarzenbergs
belonged among the most important and wealthiest aristocratic
families in the whole of the Habsburg monarchy. Members of the
family settled in Bohemia permanently in 1660 and gradually
expanded their estates. Members of the family became renowned for
their qualities as landlords, politicians, and military leaders.
The portraits in the Gallery show the most important members of the
Schwarzenberg family starting with their primal father Erkinger
(1362-1435). The next Schwarzenberg, Adolf (1551-1600), became
famous as a soldier and was awarded a motif of a Turk with a raven
for his coat of arms. Jan Adolf I (1615-1683) was given the title
of Prince of the Empire, and Adam František (1680-1732) became the
first Duke of Krumlov. Josef Adam (1722-1782) is respected for his
Baroque reconstruction of the Castle, Jan Nepomuk (1769-1833)
brought a number of significant economic projects to completion
which utilized the natural resources of the Šumava, and Jan Adolf
II (1799-1888) continued to expand the properties in a creative and
economic manner.
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