Karlštejn (Beroun District)

Karlštejn is a market town in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. It is known for the Karlštejn Castle, which is among the most visited tourist destinations in the country.

Geography
Karlštejn is located about 9 km east of Beroun and 16 km southwest of Prague. It lies in the Hořovice Uplands. The highest point is the hill Velká hora at 423 m above sea level. The built-up area in situated in a valley of the Berounka River and its tributary, the stream of Budňanský potok. The entire municipal territory lies within the Bohemian Karst Protected Landscape Area.

History
The predecessor of Karlštejn was Budňany, a settlement founded in 1348 by craftsmen who built the Karlštejn Castle. In 1952, the modern market town of Karlštejn was created by merging Budňany and Poučník municipalities and named after the castle.

Transport
Karlštejn is located on the railway line Prague–Beroun.

Sights
The large Gothic Karlštejn Castle is one of the most famous and most frequently visited castles in the Czech Republic. It is protected as a national cultural monument.

Notable people

 * Kateřina of Komárov (15??–1534), serial killer; lived and murdered here

Twin towns – sister cities
Karlštejn is twinned with:
 * 🇫🇷 Althen-des-Paluds, France
 * 🇮🇹 Montecarlo, Italy
 * 🇩🇪 Reichenbach im Vogtland, Germany