Benešov

Benešov is a town in the Czech Republic, notable for nearby Konopiště Castle.

Understand
Konopiště was the residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne). He purchased the castle and took up residence several years prior to his assassination in Sarajevo. Archduke Ferdinand married a woman of Czech nobility (a scandalous affair due to her only being a duchess). Feeling ostracized from the nobility in Vienna, he chose Konopiště as his residence instead.

Get in
The best way to get to town, and then to Konopiště, from Prague is by train. You have to catch a train to Benešov and from there walk 2 km to the castle. To get from the train station to the castle find the yellow tourist trail and follow the markers to the castle. The departing train schedule is posted very clearly in the train station and you may want to review it to choose a departure time prior to heading up to the castle.



See
The, as far as Czech castles go, is not overly impressive. It does have a large tower, a mote with two live bears, extensive gardens as well as a lake. Inside of the castle you can see Archduke Ferdinand's (whose assassination started World War I.) large collection of weapons, guest room, living quarters, etc. all of which are also not too unique. The weapon's and armor collection though is quite impressive. The aspect of the castle that does differentiate it from other castle's in the Czech Republic is that the castle tour will touch on issues that are very much relevant to 20th-century history. The guide will go into some detail about the mysterious death of Crown Prince Rudolph, information about the assassination and the relevance of these events to the decline of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the early 20th century. For those interested 20th-century European history, the castle is definitely worth a visit.

There are three tours of the castle:

Cost: 140 Kč for tours in foreign languages
 * Basic -
 * Section II - A tour of Ferdinand's living quarters, guest area, 'harem' gifted to him by the Turkish Sultan, his arms collection and a modern 'elevator.'

Cost: 250 Kč for tours in foreign languages
 * Section III (extensive tour) - no information available

The castle is open from 09:00 to 17:00 during the summer. During the off-season it is open during most of the day (with varying hours by month) except for the months of January and February, during which time the castle is closed.



Buy

 * Beautiful small toy and gift shop in the centre of Benesov city.