Krakovec Castle was founded in 1381 by burgrave of Křivoklát, Jíra of Roztoky. As the head of the royal ironworks and a protégé of King Wenceslas IV, he built a comfortable residence in an advanced architectural style. The remains of the castle still prove that Jíra was a rich and powerful man. The castle he built was a spectacular and luxurious facility, on the same level of art value and comfort as royal castles.
The palace of the Krakovec castle was built as a three wing, two floor building. Some building adjustments were made in the early 16th century (late gothic windows), and in the 17th century (renaissance gables, unpreserved). The horseshoe-shaped tower in the front side of the castle core is made of rubble-stones.
No major reconstruction has ever been done at Krakovec. In 1783, wooden parts of buildings were destroyed by fire, never to be repaired.
In 1855, a large part of the chapel collapsed; in 1883, the eastern wing was torn down by dynamite.
Currently, the best preserved part of the palace is the southern wing in its entire height. Of the western wing, the outer wall has been preserved, and parts of the lateral walls; all that’s left of the eastern wing is the outer wall under the courtyard level.
References:Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.