Bečov nad Teplou Castle

Bečov nad Teplou Castle (Hrad Bečov nad Teplou) is a Gothic fortress built on a rocky outcrop above the Teplá River, in the small town of Bečov nad Teplou in the Karlovy Vary region of western Bohemia. Older than the Baroque chateau standing right beside it, the castle spent centuries guarding an important crossroads of provincial trade routes, and it still keeps its medieval core: a massive keep with a chapel built into its walls, and the remains of its original fortifications.

When was the castle built, and by whom?

Construction is usually dated to the first half of the 14th century. The oldest surviving structural timber has been dendrochronologically dated to 1352, and the first written mention of a fortified seat here dates from 1349, when it belonged to the Lords of Rýzmburk (Riesenburg). It was the Rýzmburks, including brothers Bareš V. and Slavek, who built the castle's oldest Gothic core — a document from 1346 already links their name to the site. Under Bareš z Rýzmburka, the chapel tower and the monumental keep (donjon) were raised, and both still define the hilltop's skyline today.

What is the keep, and what does the chapel inside it look like?

The donjon, built after 1356, ranks among the largest residential towers of its kind in Bohemia. It served a representational purpose, and its walls once carried late-Gothic wall paintings. Around 1360, a chapel dedicated to the Visitation of Our Lady was fitted into the tower — unusually, it spans three separate floors of the donjon. The chapel was consecrated on 14 May 1400. Its ribbed vault rests on two keystones, one carved with the Rýzmburk coat of arms in relief, the other with a heraldic four-leaf motif. The most valuable feature inside is a set of original Gothic al secco wall paintings showing seventeen biblical scenes, among them the Calvary, the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, and Saint Christopher. Unusually, the chapel's altar faces north rather than the traditional east.

How was the castle fortified?

The defensive system combined a bergfried (a stand-alone defensive tower) linked by walls to the residential keep — the classic layout of a Bohemian Gothic castle, with separate towers for defense and for living quarters. Architectural and archaeological research in what is now known as the Pluh Houses (Pluhovské domy) uncovered a two-part Gothic palace dating to the 14th century, older than the donjon itself and likely the castle's original residential building, predating the tower. In 1656, a lower bastion was added to reinforce the defenses on the side facing the settlement below the castle.

What changes did the Lords of Pluh z Rabštejna bring?

In 1495, the castle passed to the Pluh z Rabštejna family, who had grown wealthy from tin mining in the Slavkov Forest. Their fortune funded a Renaissance rebuilding of the castle's oldest section behind the bergfried — buildings still known today as the Pluh Houses. From 1501, Hanuš Pluh z Rabštejna added a connecting wing between the keep and the chapel tower, known as the tabulnice (banqueting hall), built in the late-Gothic, Saxon-influenced style with large windows across two spacious upper floors.

What happened to the castle during the Thirty Years' War?

In 1624, the estate passed to the Questenberg family. The Thirty Years' War brought serious damage: in 1648, the castle was occupied by troops under the Swedish general Königsmarck. After that, the older Gothic castle was gradually neglected — by the 19th century, the keep and adjoining buildings were even used as a grain store, while daily life on the hill shifted to the Baroque chateau the Questenbergs had built nearby in the early 18th century.

Where is the castle located?

The castle stands on a rocky hill above the Teplá River, in the town of Bečov nad Teplou, in the Karlovy Vary district of western Bohemia. Together with the neighboring chateau, it forms a single protected complex, designated a national cultural monument in 1995.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the castle and the chateau at Bečov nad Teplou? The castle (hrad) is the older, Gothic part of the complex — a fortress with a 14th-century keep and chapel. The chateau (zámek) is the younger Baroque palace the Questenbergs built next to it in the early 18th century, known for the Reliquary of Saint Maurus.

Who built the castle? The oldest part was built by the Lords of Rýzmburk in the first half of the 14th century, and the keep itself was raised after 1356 under Bareš z Rýzmburka.

What is worth seeing inside the keep? The Chapel of the Visitation of Our Lady, built around 1360, spanning three floors of the tower, consecrated in 1400, and decorated with Gothic al secco murals depicting seventeen biblical scenes.

How was the castle damaged during the Thirty Years' War? In 1648, it was occupied by troops of the Swedish general Königsmarck, an event that contributed to its lasting damage and later neglect.

Where is Bečov nad Teplou Castle located? On a rocky hill above the Teplá River in the town of Bečov nad Teplou, in the Karlovy Vary region of western Bohemia.