The reconstruction of the Karlštejn castle in the context of the political and cultural development of the Czech lands (1886-1918)
Abstract
On the occasion of the reconstruction of the Karlštejn castle dramatic discussions between Czechs and Germans concerning the different perception of the historical symbolism of this prominent medieval monument started. Czech Germans refused to support financing of the costly repair on the Bohemian land diet, because they thought, that they would support the creation of one of the centres of the Czech national movement this way.
Their antagonists labelled the castle as the original place of the safekeeping of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas, which was in the direct disagreement with historical sources. Their actions also inspired contemporary journalism.
The fictional story about a citadel guarding the Czech kings' crown was present also in the newspaper commentaries which wrote about the emperor's visit of the newly reconstructed castle in 1901. The shaping of the public opinion in the described era was influenced, apart from the press, by the historical short stories, the theatre and the historicist painting and drawing.
One of the chapters in this study is dedicated to the analysis of the works by Václav Beneš Třebízský, Jaroslav Vrchlický and Mikoláš Aleš inspired by the castle's history.