1358
Gothic castle on a stone promontory

Emperor Charles IV had a smaller Gothic castle built on a granite promontory.

1370-1376
Charles IV

stayed at the castle several times during these years.

In 1370, he granted the Loket rights to the town and donated the villages of Obora and Drahovice, which was confirmed in 1401 by King Wenceslas IV. After that, Karlovy Vary was a chamber town administered by the Burgrave of Loket.

1437
The Schlick Family

The castle was pledged by the royal crown to the Schlicks, together with the town of Karlovy Vary and the entire Loketsko region.

1475
Matthias Schlick

pledged the castle and likely the town to Knight Václav Polacký of Polak for 500 Reichsgulden. However, disputes arose between the new indebted holder and the townspeople, which Polacký resolved by locking the opponents in the castle tower. There were also conflicts with the Schlicks regarding the pledge of Karlovy Vary, which the Schlicks resolved by capturing the castle and imprisoning the unruly knight.

1489
Jerome Schlick

Following Matthias Schlick’s death in 1489, the castle and town went to his eldest son, Jerome. During Jerome and his son Sebastian’s tenure, the citizens of Karlovy Vary, along with Loket and Loket’s vassals, united against the usurping overlords.

1502
The townspeople of Karlovy Vary and Loket

formed an alliance and actively participated in the local war.

1504
The Schlicks conquered the castle and town of Karlovy Vary
1505
The castle was recaptured by the land forces, and the Schlicks were expelled.

The Schlicks were accused of violating the kingdom’s laws and the rights of subordinate towns, and the castle was confiscated.

1506
The castle and town were once again granted to the Schlicks

A compromise settlement was reached at the land assembly. The expelled townspeople could return, and the castle and town were once again granted to the Schlicks as accessories of Loket Castle.

1547
The Schlick estate was once again taken into direct royal possession.

As the Schlicks participated in the estates’ revolt against Ferdinand I, the town of Karlovy Vary, along with the rest of the Schlick estate, was once again taken into direct royal possession. By then, the castle was scarcely inhabited and gradually fell into disrepair.

1567
Emperor Maximilian II donated the dilapidated castle,

which threatened to collapse onto the nearby old town hall, to the town of Karlovy Vary. The donation contract dated December 13, 1567, describes the castle as “a decayed and desolate deteriorating residence on a stone rock in the town of Karlovy Vary, where old walls and three heaps of stones stand.” The municipality of Karlovy Vary then used the dilapidated structure only as a storage for firefighting equipment, but no reconstruction of the castle was undertaken.

1598
Rudolf II sold the castle to the town

for 8,500 Meissen groschen along with the remaining accessories of the former castle, i.e., the extensive surrounding forests.

1604
The former castle burned down

in a great fire and turned into ruins.

1608
The remaining tower was converted into a town belfry.
1766
After another fire in 1759, the tower was modified again.

The tower was then topped with a distinctive Baroque roof with a bell tower, new windows were added on the side facing the Market, and an arcaded gallery was added to the tower, from which important guests of the spa town were ceremoniously welcomed with fanfares. The tower keeper used to live in the tower, whose task was to provide guard service, especially to report fires.

1911
Municipal tower elevator

A massive elevator shaft was added to the rocky gallery of the Castle Tower according to the design of Friedrich Ohmann The city tower elevator, implemented in 1911, was electric, double and panoramic, with entry from the vestibule at street level. Plans for the elevator were drawn up by the Viennese elevator firm Wertheim & Company in 1910. Both lifts had a capacity for 12 people and became a popular tourist attraction. Similar solutions existed elsewhere in Europe, for example the Santa Justa lift in Lisbon or the Mönchsberg lift in Salzburg.

1961
The elevator was modernized and served as a “high-speed elevator”.

The lift was operated by the Transport Company of the Town of Karlovy Vary, then ČSAD. A modern glass cabin was installed in 2007.

1964
The Castle Tower was declared a cultural monument.
2017
Dependence of the Municipal Art Gallery.
2021
Reconstruction of the interior

In cooperation with the Office of Architecture of the Town of Karlovy Vary and the creative studio 3Dsense, the latest interior reconstruction took place.

2022
Great Spa Towns of Europe exhibition

In May, the Great Spa Towns of Europe exhibition was officially opened on the occasion of the first anniversary of the inscription of Karlovy Vary and 10 other European cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

2023
Café

The first floor underwent a change and a stylish cafe with a unique view of the spa town was also created here.

Also listen to an interview with architectural historian Mgr. Lubomír Zeman