What is special about the Český Krumlov Baroque theatre?

The castle's Baroque theatre, built in the 1680s and developed throughout the 18th century, is one of only three fully intact original Baroque theatres in the world. It retains original stage machinery, 13 complete sets of painted scenery, costumes, props and lighting equipment from the 18th century. Unlike most historic theatres, it was never modernised — simply abandoned and then preserved as conditions changed. Today it stages occasional period performances and is considered the best-preserved Baroque theatre in existence.

How crowded is Český Krumlov and when is the best time to visit?

Český Krumlov has become heavily touristed since the 1990s. July and August bring very large crowds, with the town's narrow lanes becoming congested by mid-morning. May and September offer a much more comfortable experience. Arriving the evening before and spending the night gives you early morning hours before the day-trippers arrive — the town is beautiful and almost deserted before 09:00.

UNESCO World Heritage

Český Krumlov Castle

Zámek Český Krumlov

Czech republic · South Bohemia · Near České Budějovice

Built 1240 · Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque

🎟Entry from €14 per adult

Quick Facts

Hours: Apr–May & Sep–Oct: Tue–Sun 09:00–17:00. Jun–Aug: Tue–Sun 09:00–18:00. Nov–Mar: Tower only, Tue–Sun. Closed Mondays year-round. Guided tours only for palace interiors.
Tickets from: €14
Duration: 2–3 hours
Best time: May and September — the summer crowds are intense; autumn colours in the meander below are spectacular
Nearest city: České Budějovice

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Highlights

✦The second largest castle complex in Bohemia after Prague Castle
✦The entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — preserved medieval streets surround the castle
✦The Baroque theatre, one of only three surviving original Baroque theatres in the world
✦The castle sits on a rocky spur encircled on three sides by the Vltava river meander
✦The castle bear moat — live brown bears have been kept in the moat since the 16th century

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Český Krumlov is the town that time — and development capital — forgot. Looped almost entirely by a meander of the Vltava river, its medieval street plan has survived largely intact since the 15th century: a compressed tangle of Gothic lanes, Renaissance facades, Baroque fountains and Mannerist arcades, all dominated by the castle on its rocky spur above the river bend.

The castle is the second largest in Bohemia after Prague, its 40 buildings and 5 courtyards spread across a ridge connected to the town by a bridge over a deep moat where brown bears have been kept — as castle mascots and heraldic symbols — since the 16th century. The current bears are direct descendants of animals kept here for five centuries.

What makes Český Krumlov architecturally singular, beyond its setting, is the Baroque theatre preserved almost entirely intact in the castle's fourth courtyard. Built in the 1680s under the Eggenberg family and later developed by the Schwarzenbergs, it retains its original stage machinery, painted scenery, costumes and lighting equipment — one of only three complete original Baroque theatres in the world, and the best preserved. It still stages performances today.

The town suffered from its geographic isolation: bypassed by the railway in the 19th century, economically marginalised under communism, the old buildings were never demolished for redevelopment. What looked like neglect became, after 1989, an extraordinary inheritance.

History

The rocky spur above the Vltava meander was first fortified around 1240 by the Vítkovci lords. The castle passed to the powerful Rosenberg family in 1302, who held it for nearly three centuries and transformed the Gothic fortress into a Renaissance palace of considerable sophistication. The Rosenberg bears — the family coat of arms featured a five-petalled rose, but their heraldic bears established the moat tradition — were kept throughout their tenure.

The Rosenbergs died out in 1611 and the castle passed through several hands before the Eggenberg family acquired it in 1622 and began another wave of Baroque construction, including the theatre. When the Eggenberg line also died out in 1719, the castle passed to the Schwarzenberg family, one of the most powerful noble houses in the Habsburg Empire, who owned it until 1947.

The Schwarzenbergs completed the Baroque development of the castle, maintained the theatre, and created the formal gardens above the castle complex — accessible today via a covered bridge decorated with Baroque paintings. After WWI, the Czechoslovak state awarded the castle to the Republic following the Schwarzenbergs' decision to declare Austrian citizenship. After WWII, the family (who had actively resisted the Nazi occupation) had the estate confiscated by the communist government under the Beneš decrees, which targeted German-speaking landowners. Full restitution to the Schwarzenberg family's Bohemian branch was completed in 2011.

How to Visit

Getting there: Český Krumlov has no train station on the main network. The nearest rail hub is České Budějovice (30km north), served by direct trains from Prague (2.5 hours). From České Budějovice, regional buses run to Český Krumlov every 1–2 hours (45 min, €3). Direct buses from Prague (Student Agency/RegioJet) run 3–4 times daily and take 3 hours. From Vienna, bus connections via České Budějovice are possible in about 3.5 hours.

The bear moat: The bears are genuinely the first thing most visitors notice — the moat between the first and second courtyards is home to European brown bears, visible from the castle bridge. The animals are given significant space and the enclosure has been modernised for animal welfare.

Baroque theatre: The theatre can only be visited on a separate guided tour (Tour II). This is the most architecturally significant thing in the castle and is often missed by visitors who buy only the standard Tour I ticket. Book Tour II specifically if the theatre interests you.

The town: The old town below the castle is as remarkable as the castle itself — allow 2 hours to walk the lanes, visit the Church of St. Vitus and cross the bridge over the Vltava. The view of the castle from the river meander below is one of the best castle vistas in Europe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Brown bears have been kept in the castle's first moat since the 16th century, originally as living heraldic symbols connected to the Rosenberg family coat of arms (which featured a rose, but whose heraldic animals became bears). The tradition has been maintained through every change of ownership. The current bears live in a modernised enclosure with proper space and are direct successors to animals kept here for over five centuries.