Study for Utilization of Cellars in the IIIrd Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle

After the successful adaptation of the Václavské Cellars in the IVth Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle, the idea arose of how to associate them with further, hitherto unused, cellar areas on the northern tract of the IIIrd Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle. The accessible part of these cellars is by a staircase which leads under the eastern tract to which connect the cellars of the northern wing, which themselves are two stories deep. On the first floor is located, in the internal part along the double-tract of the courtyard, a cellar corridor which connects to an external tract of a roughly square-shaped cellar area. Under these on the second floor, inaccessible cellars have been found of the same layout and dimensions as the cellars above. Only two of the last cellars towards the east are undivided, over two floors deep, also inaccessible. This part of the structure is known as Wilhelm´s expansion. Its origins are associated with the gradual extensive reconstruction of the castle during the reign of Wilhelm von Rosenberg. On the site of castle and sub-castle walls arose cellars on which were built a new palace wing. This origin of this wall as a fortification wall is attested to by the preserved ramparts on the exterior side. No mention of cellars in this part of the castle have been preserved in historical sources, only one mention of long front-facing room on the ground floor, under which was equipped a wash-room in the 16th century, later reconstructed for different uses.

The idea now is to make this lowest part of the cellars accessible by stairs which would lead through newly-created doors across both stories. What these areas will show us after being closed for hundreds of years is a mystery. Perhaps it will help us uncover further secrets of the Krumlov Castle. In a further stage of the cellar modification it would be connected with the Václav Cellars, which according to studies of historic ground plans and research, evidently once existed.

The objective of this reconstruction is to return to the space´s original layout, free from later secondary elements, renewal of preserved details, and constructional layout. Thanks to these interventions, the expositional space of the Václav Cellars on the IVth courtyard will be enlarged, and another area of the Český Krumlov State Castle and Chateau will be accessible to the public.

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