Castle No. 59 - Dairy
Location :
The building known as the Dairy is located under the Upper Castle
(see Castle
No. 59 - Upper Castle) on the edge of the original second
castle moat between the IInd
Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle and Upper Castle.
Description :
The house is two-storied with a quadratic layout. The facade facing
the courtyard is decorated with Renaissance shields. On the north
side of the building is another structure which has no operational
connection with the building. The ground floor ceiling is vaulted,
and the entrance is through a semicircled Renaissance vaulted
portal. There used to be an open arcade in place of today\'s
portal, but today this is indicated only by marks on the facade.
The first floor holds three stories, one of which is vaulted while
the other two contain wooden-beamed ceilings. In the room on the
southern side of the building a black kitchen of Renaissance origin
has been preserved. The first floor is accessible from outside, due
to the building\'s situation on a slope, through a hewn Gothic
portal. This portal together with the preserved windows attest to
the building\'s Gothic origin.
Historical building development :
Originally the building served as a part of the fortifications of
the Upper Castle. A staircased tower was here from which a wooden
drawbridge provided entrance to the Upper Castle. The Dairy
obtained its present appearance during the reign of the last
Rosenbergs during the 16th century, when a wooden corridor was
built to allow vehicle entrance into the Upper Castle (see Corridor
Connecting IInd and IIIrd Courtyards of Český Krumlov
Castle).
The building thus ceased to serve its function as a pathway to the castle as well as its defensive function, and was used for agricultural purposes. Dairy products were prepared here (butter and cheeses) for the castle personell, hence the modern name of the Dairy. Later the building was used for clerical apartments.
Significant architectural details :
The building draws attention by its Rennaisance sgrafito facade and
Renaissance shields. Also notable are the Gothic portal and sundial
on the facade.
Legend :
Once the place was used for wood storage for the castle. The castle
servants quite disliked coming here for wood - it was said to be
unsafe. The story was that someone had died a violent death here,
and the soul of the deceased was treacherous, playing evil tricks
on people. Once a pile of wood nearly fell on one servant, who
managed to jump out the way just in time.
Information on facilities and space rental at the Český Krumlov Castle complex
Current use :
Churn the
Castle Restaurant
Czech Culture Gallery - Czech
Ceramics Design Agency
(ds)