Gold Coin 5000 CZK Bezděz Castle 2016 Proof

1/2 Oz Gold Coin - Bezděz Castle

The obverse side of the coin depicts the interior of the castle chapel. The inner surfaces of the windows are filled with a composition of heraldic animals from the large state emblem. In the centre is the Czech lion, to the left of it the Moravian eagle and to the right of it the Silesian eagle. In the lower part, the name of the cycle "HRADY" and the denomination of the coin with the abbreviation of the monetary unit "5 000 CZK" are placed in two lines, bordered by dots at the beginning and at the end. The name of the state 'CZECH REPUBLIC' is in the description at the bottom edge of the coin. The mark of the Czech Mint, which consists of a composition of the letters 'Č' and 'M', is to the left of the name of the state.

The reverse side of the coin depicts Bezděz Castle. At the left edge is the year of mintage "2016", which is bordered by a dot at the beginning and at the end, followed by the text "HRAD BEZDĚZ". At the right edge of the coin is the mark of the author Asamat Baltaev.

Bezděz (German: Bösig) is a castle ruin in the Česká Lípa district. It is located on the hill of Velký Bezděz (603.5 m) in the Doka hills, above the village of Bezděz, near Lake Mácha, 6 km southeast of the town of Doksy. It is a castle with a perimeter building (application on a narrow building site). The castle was first mentioned in 1264 during the reign of Přemysl Otakar II. The castle is the property of the state and its administration is entrusted to the National Heritage Institute, it is open to the public.

The foundation of the castle is directly related to the extensive colonization efforts of the Czech King Přemysl Otakar II. The castle was intended by the monarch as the administrative centre of the vast royal estate and to protect it, as well as to protect the important trade route leading to Mělník around Bezděz and on to Žitava. The construction of the castle took place between 1265-1278. The construction was carried out with immense precision, creating a very impressive work in the early Gothic style, perfectly representing the person of its founder Přemysl Otakar II.

It has also entered Czech history as the place where the later King Wenceslas II and his mother Kunhuta were imprisoned. In 1621, after the Battle of White Mountain, the castle was captured and burnt down. After 1624 it was acquired by Albrecht von Wallenstein, who called in the monks of the Order of St. Augustine. In 1642 the Swedes conquered the castle during the gradual building of the monastery. From 1662 to 1785 it was a monastery of the Benedictine Monks of Montserrat, which also functioned as an important Marian pilgrimage site. In 1666, one of the three copies of the black Virgin of Montserrat was transferred to the castle chapel. In 1778 the castle was conquered by the Prussian army and the end of the monastery was brought about by the decree of Joseph II. After the dissolution of the monastery, the castle was abandoned and the monks distributed the furnishings in the surrounding

In the 19th century, the castle became an inspiration for many romantic artists (e.g. K. H. Mácha, Bedřich Smetana: The Secret). Until 1932, the castle was owned by the Wallenstein family, then it was given to the Czechoslovak Tourist Club for a symbolic sum. In 1953, the castle was handed over to the state monument care. Since the 1960s it has been under the administration of the District National Committee in Česká Lípa.

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