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Konopiště Castle

Franz Ferdinand's castle, and the hunting trophies of a man who shot everything

Konopiště Castle
Photograph: Ввласенко / CC BY-SA 3.0

Konopiště is a castle about 45 km south-east of Prague, bought in 1887 by Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who rebuilt it as his principal home and filled it with arms, armour and the results of a lifetime's shooting. He left it for Sarajevo in 1914. The interiors are shown only on timed guided tours, and the hunting trophies — antlers and heads by the thousand, lining whole corridors — are what people remember.

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Getting there

Trains run from Praha hlavní nádraží to Benešov u Prahy and take about an hour; it is a main line with a frequent service. From Benešov station the castle is about 2 km west, a walk of twenty-five to thirty minutes on a signposted route, or a short ride on a local bus, which does not run often. Allow about an hour and a half each way between central Prague and the castle gate, including the walk from the station. The final approach from the car park and ticket office rises gently through the park to the castle gate.

What you see

The castle is shown in several separate tour routes, each covering a different part of the house, and you choose when you buy — one takes in the state and reception rooms, another the private apartments the family actually lived in, another the armoury and the chapel. The private apartments are the better of them: they were left largely as they were in 1914, with bathrooms, electric lighting and a lift that were advanced for the date, and the effect is of a modern household rather than a museum. The trophy corridors run between the rooms and are hard to take in — Franz Ferdinand's game books recorded enormous numbers, and the walls carry the proof, with brass plates giving place and date. The armoury holds one of the better private collections of European arms and armour, assembled by inheritance from the Este family. There is also a large collection of objects depicting St George, which the Archduke gathered obsessively. Outside, the rose garden on the terrace and the park with its ponds are open on their own ticket and worth a loop afterwards; a bear was long kept in the moat, and the enclosure is still there.

What to pair it with

Český Šternberk is the other castle on this side of Prague, though the two together make a long day by public transport. Benešov town has a ruined Minorite church. Most visitors treat Konopiště as a day on its own.

When to go

Weekday mornings are best. Summer weekends fill the English-language tour slots early, which is the real reason to book. The castle closes for the winter months and runs reduced opening in the shoulder season, so check before you go. The roses in the terrace garden are at their best in June and early summer; autumn in the park is good and much quieter.

What is hard about it

Everything inside is tour-only, at a fixed time, in a group, and the default language is Czech — English tours run at set times and should be booked in advance, or you risk arriving to find the next English slot hours away or full. Tours last the better part of an hour and you cannot wander or go back. The trophy corridors distress some visitors and are genuinely grim at scale. There is no photography in most of the interiors. The walk from Benešov station is unremarkable and takes half an hour in each direction, and the bus timetable is thin, so the travel time is longer than the distance suggests.

Common questions

How long do you need at Konopiště?

About two and a half hours on site for one tour plus the park and garden. With travel from Prague it is a six to seven hour day.

Can you visit without a guided tour?

No. The interiors are seen only on timed guided tours. The park, the garden and the exterior can be walked freely.

Are there tours in English?

Yes, at set times each day rather than continuously. Book ahead, especially in summer, because the slots fill.

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