The State Castle and Chateau Český Krumlov

Castle Tower

This rounded six-storied tower, surrounded by the residential palace of the Little Castle, is situated on a narrow rocky promontory towering above Latrán and the Vltava River between the Ist and IInd Courtyard of Český Krumlov Castle.

The origins of this structure are partly Gothic and partly Renaissance, as is evident from the tower's external appearance. The tower as well as the Little Castle is a segment of a structure dating from the first half of the 13th century.

The oldest part of it is the groundfloor and first floor. The origin of the second floor is around the 14th century, while the third floor is part of the Renaissance belfry. We can not eliminate the Gothic origin, however, due to the bell dated 1406. Under the architect Baldassare Maggi of Arogno, the castle was remodelled and converted from a plain Gothic palace into a Renaissance residence, and the tower was provided with an arcaded gallery at the top in 1581. In 1590 the tower was decorated with mural paintings and figural and architectural motifs by Bartoloměj Beránek - Jelínek. In 1947 an ambitious reconstruction of the tower was realized. In 1994 - 96 the paintings and murals underwent reconstruction as well.

The Tower is the symbol of the town of Český Krumlov, of its history and beauty. It is "The towerest of all towers" as once characterised by Karel Čapek.

The tower is publically accessible and offers a beautiful view over Krumlov and surroundings.

Technical parameters

Height	54,5 m
Height to arcade	24,6 m
Height from arcade to the top	29,9 m
Height above Vltava river	86 m
Number of steps	162
Number of steps in the tower (from bottom of the tower jail)	79
Number of Tuscan columns	19
Maximal diameter of the tower	12 m
Maximal thick of the wall	3,7 m
Depth of the tower jail	4,28 m
External length of the Arcade	32,91 m
Internal length of the Arcade	24,31 m
Voltage	220 V
Frequency	50 Hz

Bells
Number of Bells - 4