Hukvaldy Castle

One of the largest castle complexes in the Czech Republic, since the 19th century a place of frequent tourist trips. The name of the castle is derived from the name of the Rhineland count family Hückeswagen, whose member Arnold received the castle of Jičín /today's Starý Jičín/ with an extensive territory as a fief sometime between 1228 and 1235. However, the founder of Hukvaldy Castle was probably Arnold's grandson Jindřich. Soon after its foundation, Hukvaldy became part of the property of the bishops of Olomouc. In addition to its fortress character, the castle was also important as the administrative seat of a large estate. When, in 1760, the apartments and offices of the civil service were transferred from the castle to the sub-castle, Hukvald Castle began to turn into a ruin, which was mainly used as a cheap source of building stone. The new use of the castle began in the 19th century with the development of the "tourist industry". People's great interest in the castle led to efforts to preserve this monument for future generations and to use it as a center for cultural events, which was also successful. The most prominent personality associated with Hukvaldy Castle was the music composer Leoš Janáček. Hukvaldy Castle is a branch of the Beskydy Museum Frýdek-Místek contribution organization.