Silver Medal Jindřichův Hradec Castle 2013 Proof

The largest monument complex

The Jindřichův Hradec Castle and Chateau complex has its origins in the site of a former Slavic hillfort above the confluence of the Nežárky River and the Hamerský Brook. Later, the Vajgar pond was built here.

The construction of the castle is connected with the name of Jindřich Vítkovec, the founder of the Vítkov branch of the Lords of Hradec, who used a coat of arms with a golden rose in a blue field. In the second half of the 16th century, during the reign of Adam II of Hradec, the castle was radically rebuilt into a representative chateau, following the model of Italian Renaissance palaces. The Lords of Hradec used the castle, later enlarged with a chateau, as their main residence until the extinction of the family in 1604. Members of the family influenced economic, political and cultural events and held important positions at the royal court. Heřman Jakub Černín of Chudenice acquired Jindřichův Hradec by marriage to Maria Josefová Slavatová, who inherited it as a share of the inheritance. The performance of state functions and the relationship to the Habsburg family brought important visitors to Jindřichův Hradec. The Černín family owned the castle until 1945, when it was confiscated. Between 1976 and 1993 the castle and chateau underwent a general renovation and was gradually opened to the public.

The obverse side motif points to the vastness of the complex with its reflection in the water.

Thanks to the slightly detailed suppressed reflection in the water, it appears twice, which is emphasized by the rotation of half of the relief text oriented deliberately by the order of the words to the order of the buildings in the mirror "CASTLE AND CASTLE". The real mass of the buildings is emphasised by the horizontality of the negative inscription "JINDŘICHŮV HRADEC", applied to the strip illustrating the promontory on which the complex stands. On the reverse side there is a composition based on a free stylization of the town emblem based on the coat of arms of the founders, the Vítkov family.

The consistency of both sides of the medal is emphasised by the adaptation of the stylisation of the Bohemian lions to a pure geometric form inspired by the architecture of the buildings on the obverse.