Towering over the River ?eletavka for centuries, Bitov Castle is one of the oldest and largest castles in Europe. The castle has changed shapes many times throughout its history due to different owners and it perfectly reflects the traces of each specific era. Bitov Castle is a true site of heritage for the Slavic culture in the world.

More than a thousand years ago, the region that is today’s Czech Republic belonged to the Moravians. Moravians were a tribe of Slavic descent and even today there are roughly 500,000 Moravians living in the Czech Republic. Quite possibly during the 8th or 9th centuries, they decided to build a defensive fort above the region’s river.

After building the fort, they also established a town right below the castle naming it “Bitov.” Two centuries later, the P?emyslid dynasty built a newer castle over the ruins of the former fort which became to be known as Bitov Castle. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the members of the house continuously developed the castle.
Due to the castle’s influence, the town of Bitov became a center of commerce and rest for the merchants of Eastern Europe. The oldest stone tower in the castle today belongs to these times. However, in the 14th century, the last of the P?emyslids died and the castle became the property of the Lichtenburgs.

giuliogroebert

While Bitov Castle had a Gothic style originally, in the 19th century, the new owners of the castle gave it a Bar...