Zlatá Koruna

The monastery Zlatá Koruna (Golden Crown) is situated on the headland surrounded by the stream of the river Vltava near Český Krumlov. The former abbey in Zlatá Koruna belongs to the best preserved Cistercian monasteries in the Czech Republic.

King Przemysl Otakar II founded the monastery in 1263 as the expression of gratitude to the God, who enabled him to win the battle near Kressenbrunn over the stronger army of the Hungarian King. The King called the Cistercians from the most important Austrian abbey Heiligenkreuz to come to Zlatá Koruna. He presented extensive grounds to the monastery. The name is derived from the thorn from the Jesus Christ’s crown. Przemysl Otakar II received the thorn from the French King Louis IX and gave it to the monastery. The monastery complex consists predominately of Gothic buildings with Baroque or Rococo adjustments. The architectural heart of the monastery is a three-nave basilica with a transverse nave. The convent with a cross corridor is attached to the church. On the northern side is the Chapel of the Guardian Angels from about 1370, the oldest preserved building of the monastery. The Exposition of the South-Bohemian Literature has been established in the monastery.