PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Razím, Vladislav
TI  - The Rožmberk Palaces of Dívčí Kámen (Menštejn) Castle and Helfenburk Castle near Bavorov
Contribution to Research of Housing Culture in the Middle Ages
DP  - 2024 Dec 15
TA  - Průzkumy památek
VI  - 31
IP  - 2
IS  - 12121487
AB  - In the Šumava foothills, large ruins of two castles have survived, built close together by the powerful Rožmberk (Rosenberg) family in the third quarter of the 14th century as the administrative centres of the newly organised estates. Because the builders were the same, it is not surprising that the castles show similarities, particularly the core with the monumental three-part palace in the central part of the castle. Despite their rather exceptional information value and the rare possibility of comparison, the building historians have paid little attention to the two castles. This is manifested especially in the palaces as they rank among the largest and best-preserved housing structures of the time. Based on the author's research using a new geodetical survey and dendrochronological analysis of selected elements, the presented study brings a new perspective on the palaces as construction units with many similar but also different features. Furthermore, it provides many partial findings about the housing culture at the time of Charles IV.