Helfštýn - Castle - Fortification - Towers - Horseshoe Tower - from 2nd courtyard 01

            According to local legend, Helfštýn is named after the robber Helfried of Linva, who founded it. The castle was probably built in the last quarter of the 13th century. Around 1320 Vok of Kravař, a member of a prominent Moravian noble family, became the owner of the castle. Helfštýn remained in the possession of the Kravař family for more than a hundred years and underwent far-reaching structural changes during this period. Construction work began on a larger scale in the first half of the 14th century, but the main reconstruction of the castle into a Gothic fortress did not take place until the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century. The Kravařs mainly improved the fortifications of Helfštýn. They replaced the makeshift fortification of the old parkland with a thick stone wall with four bastions, built a prismatic tower over the entrance to the castle itself and secured it with a drawbridge, built a fortified forecourt on the south side and cut the ridge of the hill with a moat carved into the rock.

The era of the Pernštejn family
In 1474, William of Pernštejn took over the castle estate and proceeded to its further reconstruction. In the last quarter of the 15th century,

Helfštýn Castle was enlarged with a thoroughly fortified, extensive farm forecourt (completed in 1480) and another forecourt, which formed a new outpost defending the entire enlarged building. At the same time, the fortifications of the old Kravaře castle were improved with bastions and a new system of towers and gates. The castle's ground plan was definitively given an elongated shape, and in its external form the perfect fortification system significantly overlapped all the other architectural elements.

Renaissance reconstruction
At the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, the inner core of the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance residence. The old castle palace was demolished, along with part of its original Gothic fortifications, and a magnificent Renaissance palace was built on the vacant space, in sharp contrast to the extensive system of late Gothic fortifications that surrounded it.

The destruction of the castle
In 1656, quite extensive demolition work was carried out, which, although it did not damage the fortifications of Helfštýn too much, definitively deprived it of the character of a manor house. And thus began the long-term destruction of the castle. The destruction was accelerated in the second half of the 18th century by the Ditrichstein family with demolition works. These attempts culminated in 1817, when part of the inner castle was destroyed by artillery fire.

Present day
The present-day character of the castle is that of a fortress with six gates and a series of 18th-century buildings and ramparts. Since the 19th century, the castle has been presented as a tourist and heritage site. Nowadays it has become a natural cultural centre of the region, with various cultural events taking place here throughout the season
   

Taken in: Bohemia / Olomoucký kraj / Týn nad Bečvou / Týn nad Bečvou (show map)

Taken on: August 8, 2023

Tags:

Helfštýn

castle

Czech Republic

Morava

Moravia

Architecture

tower

medieval

MedievalCastle

#medievaleurope

medievalwalls

#medievaltimes

#medievalfortress

#medievalarchitecture « less

Sets appears in: • Helfštýn (Czech republic, summer 2023)

Groups appears in: • Castles - Castillos • Towers more » • Castles of Europe • Palaces, Castles, Towers, Pagodas, Fortresses And Ruins of Old • Amateurs • Castles from the world. • European Castles • Castelli • Czech Castles - Cesky hrady a zamky • architecture.tower • Castles / Châteaux / Schlösser / Castillos / Castelli • Castles and Palaces all over the world • Elite Castle Picture • Rocche, fari e castelli (castles, lighthouses, bell-towers) • Burg Schloss Festung Castle Chateau • Castles and Châteaux • CASTLES • 0 fave and more/ never mind the amount/ • Castles, Towers, Chateau, Auberge and Bastions (no 30/60 rule) « less

Camera: Google Pixel 6 Pro, f/1.9, 1/1179 sec, 6.8mm, ISO 45 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Google Pixel 6 Pro
Aperture:	f/1.9
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1179)
Focal Length:	6.8mm
ISO:	45
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	HDR+ 1.0.540104767zd
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