The heritage conservationists will restore the castle in Vimperk

photo: Lubor Mrázek

Vimperk - South Bohemian heritage conservators today began the restoration of the castle in Vimperk in the Prachatice region, for which they have secured 110.1 million crowns from the European Union. The transformation will last until 2020, with construction work expected to start at the end of the year. The Vimperk castellan Vojtěch Brož told ČTK today. The castle has been a national cultural monument since 2010 and attracted over 10,000 visitors last year, offering two tour routes.

The repairs are starting nearly 25 years later. "We took over the castle two years ago from the Šumava National Park in unsatisfactory condition. The masonry and plaster are significantly damaged, wooden elements are affected by wood rot, a large part of the interiors is in a state of emergency, and the visitor and service facilities are only provisional," said Naďa Goryczková, the general director of the National Heritage Institute, to ČTK.

For the restoration of the castle complex featuring a Gothic tower, Renaissance coffered ceilings, and a series of Art Nouveau paintings, the heritage conservators have secured a subsidy of 110.1 million crowns from the IROP program. Thanks to this, they will repair the Upper Castle. "All engineering networks will be completely replaced, a new ticket office will be built, visitor facilities will be created, a new museum exhibition focused on local history will be established, and we will reconstruct spaces for a newly conceived tour route," Vojtěch Brož, the castellan, told ČTK. The route will focus on the aristocratic stewards of the estate, recalling the Thirty Years' War as well as the life of servants during the time of the Schwarzenbergs.

Part of the castle is the Vimperk Museum, which has been located here since 1961. "Right at the beginning, we will set the scene for audiences in the 19th century, which was catastrophic for the Šumava region: in 1870, a great storm hit, causing enormous blowdowns, followed by a bark beetle calamity. We will also remind visitors of wood production, printing, and glassmaking traditions. An important place will be the Šumava Jewelry Vault, where we will exhibit an exceptionally valuable print by Josef Váchal titled Šumava dying and romantic, which we manage at Hluboká Castle. We perceive the awakening of the castle as an event that occurs once every hundred years," said Petr Pavelec, the director of South Bohemian heritage conservators, to ČTK.

The castle was purchased in 1991 from the town by the Administration of the Šumava National Park. In 2009, there were plans to turn it into an International Environmental Center, but the project failed to secure the necessary 700 million crowns. In 2015, it was taken over by heritage officials. "It is one of the oldest castles in South Bohemia; it was originally a guard fortress. We would like to restore its glory. The environment is amazing, it reminds me so much of my native Jeseníky," Goryczková said.

On the site of today's Vimperk Castle originally stood a royal castle established around 1260. It was intended to protect one of the branches of the Golden Path, along which salt and other goods were transported from Bavaria. The castle was acquired by the Rožmberks in the mid-16th century, who began its reconstruction into a Renaissance castle. The state has owned it since 1947, and it housed the South Bohemian State Forests.