Křivoklát

Křivoklát (Pürglitz) is a market town in Rakovník District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It is known for the Křivoklát Castle.

Administrative parts
The villages of Častonice and Písky are administrative parts of Křivoklát.

Geography
Křivoklát is located about 12 km southeast of Rakovník and 32 km west of Prague. It lies in the Křivoklát Highlands. The highest point is at 419 m above sea level. The market town is situated in the meander of the Berounka River at its confluence with the stream Rakovnický potok, which flows west of Křivoklát below the castle. The entire municipal territory lies within the Křivoklátsko Landscape Protected Area.

History
The castle was founded at the beginning of the 11th century. Between the 14th and 15th centuries, the first cottages appeared below the castle and the hamlet became known as Budy. Nearby hamlet Čamrdoves grew up, and during the 17th and 18th centuries they became one village. In 1886 the hamlets Budy, Amalín, Čamrdoves, and Častonice created a single administrative unit, the municipality of Křivoklát. In 1896, the municipality was promoted to a market town.

Transport
Křivoklát is located on the railway line Beroun–Rakovník.

Sights
Křivoklát is a popular tourist destination known for the Křivoklát Castle. It is an importance medieval royal castle from the 13th century. From the 1470s to the 1520s, it was extensively rebuilt. It is protected as national cultural monument. Today the castle is owned by the state. It is open to the public and offers guided tours.

A notable building is the Church of Saint Peter. It was originally a late Gothic church from 1522, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style in the 1880s according to the design by Josef Mocker.

Notable people

 * Irma Reichová (1859–1930), operatic soprano