Practical information

Bezděz Monastery  

Because the castle is located on a hill,  visitors have to pass through two gates to enter the first courtyard; the path up is fringed with baroque chapels on the right side. The tour begins in the first courtyard, where the burgrave's house, royal palace, cistern and the big tower are situated. In the burgrave’s house on the ground floor the monks had a large and  small dining room, in the basement there was a bakery and under the roof there were sleeping quarters. At present on the ground floor  is  an exhibition dedicated to one of the medieval castle wardens: Oldřich of Chlum. In the royal palace it is possible to see the embedment of original timbers, which originally supported the ceiling of the first floor, and there are even the remains of these original beams, as well as engravings left by visitors of the castle mainly from the modern era. The monastery sepulchre was originally used as the home of the chaplain and later was rebuilt by the monks into a large tomb. The best preserved part of the castle is the gothic castle chapel, which had been reconstructed already  before the First World War. The big tower and the second castle courtyard also form parts of the tour. On clear days in fine weather visitors can enjoy an expansive view of the surrounding countryside from the big tower, as well as from the second courtyard. The castle can be viewed with a guide or without .