Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Veveří Castle

On Sunday, I went with Kamila and Slávka out to Veveří Castle. It is about 15 km northwest of the city. Now that the cleanup effort has been completed at the dam, and there’s water again, you can take a boat out to the castle. It takes about 50 minutes and 170 Kč (~$8) to get out to the castle. Fortunately, with my tram pass I got a 50% discount. Woo-Hoo!
I tease my co-workers that the boats on the lake make up the Czech navy. The boats come around every 40 minutes and on a sunny day it is nice to just relax and look out at the scenery. Apparently there is a nude sunbathing area a couple of ferry stops from the dam. And no, I didn't take any pictures there.

Hrad Veveří (Squirrel Castle) is one of the largest Moravian castle sites. Originally, it was most likely a hunting lodge and probably built around the 12th century. 



The castle held up to the Hussite attacks but fell to the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War. During WWII, the German army used it as barracks. 



In the 1950s it was used by a forestry school. There have been numerous property transfers and the place has fallen in to disrepair. 




Since 1999, it belongs to the Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments.




There’s not a lot to see there, when it comes to the castle, but it makes for a nice outing on a beautiful day.

Update:  In July 2023, Veveří Castle will be designated as a National Cultural Monument.

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