Orlik castle (Czech Republic)

There are many interesting legends about the appearance of the castle. According to one of them, Orlik owes his name to the local bandit leader, whose young son was kidnapped by an eagle. Finding the child safe and sound in the eagle's nest, the grateful father built a fortress and named it after this proud, majestic bird. True, restless historians present their own version: they claim, that the Orlik Castle was built in the 13th century by the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II in order to make it more difficult to invade the Czech Republic via the Vltava River. To protect the ford here, the king ordered the building of a small wooden fortress, which soon became a symbol of the Czech monarch's strength and power. During its existence, Orlík nad Vltavou Castle underwent many transformations and was rebuilt in several architectural styles. Thus, at the beginning of the 14th century, a ten-meter observation tower was built on the western side of the fortress, a chapel and a hunting hall were built on the southern side and a stone wall was erected around Orlik. The interior of the fortress was created in the Gothic style. In 1508 Orlik survived a terrible fire. Seven years later it was bought by Krishtof Schwamberk, who not only rebuilt the fortress, but also gave it the features of the Renaissance era. In 1620 during the Battle of the White Mountain, the castle experienced a second destruction and a third reincarnation, already in the imperial style. But even after that, the architectural experiments at Orlik Castle did not end! In 1860 the famous Czech architect Bernard Gruber carried out the last reconstruction, during which the ancient castle became a monument in the neo-Gothic style. It has remained so until now. It is worth noting that, after the pond was installed, the water level in the Vltava River rose sharply, as a result of which the castle walls descend from a high cliff directly into the water.

A medium-complexity model for modelers of any experience, we advise beginners and modelers with little experience to stick this model under the supervision of a more experienced colleague and take their time. The model is well designed, moderately detailed, no complex details.