Konopiště château is located about 50 km southeast of Prague, outside the city of Benešov. Castle was founded at the end of the 13th century, most likely by bishop Tobias. In the early 20th century, the Austro-Hungarian throne passed to Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The bullet that killed him, fired by Gavrilo Princip, is now an exhibit at the castle’s museum. Before his assassination, Franz Ferdinand lived in Konopiste and gathered a large collection of hunting trophies, paintings, weapons, antique furniture and two Gobelin tapestries from Paris. This collection is now the main attraction of the castle, along with rose gardens, ponds and a pair of bears living in a castle moat.
Getting there: organized excursion or by bus (from Florenc station).
Recommended time at location: 2 hours.
