Svihov water castle

Model kartonowy l -  Svihov water castle

The Švihov water castle is one of the most famous and interesting fortifications in our territory, which is why we have included it among our paper models. The first manor house probably stood in Švihov as early as the end of the 12th century, but the large fortress built by Vilém of Švihov is not mentioned until the first half of the 14th century.

A small town with a parish church was established near the fortress. During the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish army looted the adjacent village, but did not dare to enter the castle. In 1655 Emperor Ferdinand III. he ordered the destruction of a number of castles in Bohemia, including Švihov, so that they could not become a refuge for the enemy in the future. Fortunately, by delaying the demolition, the foundation of the unique fortress was preserved. However, it remained uninhabited and gradually fell into disrepair, later it was used as a farm building, which probably saved it from complete destruction.

It remained in the possession of the Černín family until 1918, in the 1930s the most necessary roof repairs were carried out, other organized repairs followed only after the castle was transferred to state ownership in 1949, which continues to this day. Architecturally, it is a truly remarkable building. The residential part consists of two almost identical palaces connected on one side by a chapel and on the other side by an entrance building with a staircase. The five-storey entrance tower is advanced above the inner moat and is part of the fortifications, which consisted of a fence and four bastions, of which only two have survived - Red and White.

The castle was further protected by an outer fortification with six round and three prismatic bastions and an entrance tower, which were interconnected by a wall and whose outer walls stood in a moat. Part of this system was also the granary and the Kašperka tower standing next to it, which served as a famine - both of these buildings have been preserved to this day.

Assembly instructions are available in Czech, German and English.

Scale 1/200

Model size: 350 x 310 x 210 cm.