Karlštejn Castle

The medieval Czech castle Karlštejn is one of the most famous Czech castles, a symbol of the flourishing of the Czech kingdom in the 14th century. Its construction began in 1348 by the Czech king, who was at that time and the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles IV, as a summer country residence and a treasury for imperial regalia and holy relics. In Karlstein, the emperor collected the most valuable things for all Christianity: the spear of St. Longinus, a large piece of wood from the cross of Christ, on which holes from the nails remained visible, a sponge acquired in Mantua from the Benedictine monastery of St. Andrew, and two thorns from the crown of Christ that were kept in churches of Saint-Chapelle in Paris and donated by John the Good, the French king. Later, the imperial treasures ended up outside the Czech Republic and to this day form part of the treasury in Vienna.