Navigation
Select language
Content
The State Castle and Chateau of Český Krumlov
Castle Lapidarium
The Castle Lapidarium is locacated on the I. castle courtyard under the northern wing of the New Burgrave´s House. The Lapidarium interior is at basement level from the north, while from the south it is deep under the level of the courtyard. This Lapidarium, together with rhe cellars of Prague Castle, is unique in the castle architecture of all of Central Europe.
The main cellar area, originally unified, is 48 meters long and 8.5 meters high, while the wagon vault of the cellar is 4.6 meters high at its peak. The room has retained its Renaissance appearance up to the present. In the 16th century the cellars served as stables, and according to archival information up to one hundred horses could have been kept here. The window segments are five-sided, confirming the Renaissance origin of these rooms wchich were built around 1580. The western part of the cellars were modified by a younger Baroque wall wchich now divides the area. There is access to other cellar spaces from the eastern side which, as archival sources indicate, were used as a prison in the 19th century. The present-day entrance to the cellars is original, and was separated from the I. courtyard by a moat in the 16th century. This moat was localised during archeological excavations in 1997 in the are of today´s carriage houses.
The recent reconstruction of these spaces revolved around the fundamental philosophy of respecting the original spaces-protecting the original construction as much as possible, preserving the character of the cellars, installing the new functions into the layout while respecting the preserved constructions, and applying conservational methods during the renovation of the wall and vault areas. The spaces have been newly arranged and are now used as a lapidarium, where all originals of castle statues have been placed following their on-site replacement with replicas. The Castle Lapidarium now serves as an independent expositional space, accessible by the public.
Individual statues in the Castle Lapidarium exposition, as seen from the main entrance:
St. Joseph with baby Jesus
Original location: bridge over Bear´s moat
Author: Jan Antonín Zinner, 1759
Virgin Mary Immaculate
Original location: bridge over Bear´s moat
Author: Jan Antonín Zinner, 1759
Attribute: globe with snake and crescent moon
St. Felix of Cantalice
Original location: Cloak Bridge (Plášťový most)
Author: Jan Antonín Zinner, 1756
Attributes: Verge and satchel
St. Antonio of Padova
Original location: Cloak Bridge (Plášťový most)
Author: Jan Antonín Zinner, 1747
Attributes: Jesus (and lily)
St. Wenceslas
Original location: Cloak Bridge (Plášťový most)
Author: Jan Antonín Zinner, 1747
Attributes: guidon and shield
St. John of Nepomuk
Original location: Cloak Bridge (Plášťový most)
Author: Jan Plasker, 1727
Attribute: crucifix
Statues from the Cascade fountain:
Original location: Cascade fountain in the castle garden
Author: created by sculptors Jan Antonín Zinner from Vienna
and Josef Matyáš Griessler from České Budějovice
based on sketches of Andreas Felix Altomonte in
1749 - 1765
Material: shell limestone mined in Eggenburg and
Mannesdorf, Austria
Decorative Vases from cascade fountain
Sculptures of fisches and frogs
River god Akis with paddle and child
Sea nymph Galateia with dolphin and tritons
Nymph with pearl and Silenos
