Hrady CZ 2026 - Bezděz

Hrady CZ is a summer cultural festival; its 21st edition will take place in summer 2026 across eight historic monuments throughout the Czech and Moravian regions. The programme features performances by leading acts from the Czech and Slovak music scene. Confirmed headliners include Daniel Landa, Rybičky 48, Mirai, Trautenberk, and MIG 21. Saturday admission includes guided tours of the castles' permanent exhibitions.

The festival aims to raise awareness of historic monuments in the regions. One of the stops is Bezděz Castle, founded by King Přemysl Otakar II as a stronghold of royal power in northern Bohemia. Construction began after 1260 and was completed in its main features by 1278. The castle's core was the upper castle with a royal palace, chapel, and a 30-metre-high defensive tower.

After Přemysl Otakar II's death, Václav II and his mother were imprisoned at the castle. Until the reign of King Sigismund, Bezděz remained mostly in royal hands, then passed between various owners — the most notable being the Berks of Dubá, the Vartemberks, and Albrecht von Wallenstein, who intended to make it one of the main fortresses of his duchy. In 1621 the castle was plundered and burned by imperial forces; in the 17th century it served as a Benedictine monastery, and after its dissolution in 1785 gradually became a ruin. Restoration work continues to this day.

Bezděz represents the most advanced stage of development of royal castles in 13th-century Bohemia; the single-nave castle chapel with cross vaulting is an exceptional work of art.