Konopiště

The château of Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este — a 13th-century French-style castle turned lavish residence, set in a vast landscaped park with a rose garden, 2 km west of Benešov.

Konopiště began at the end of the 13th century as a French-style castle with round corner towers — an unusual import into Bohemia — and passed through the hands of half the great families of the kingdom before Archduke Franz Ferdinand d’Este bought it in 1887. The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne made it his family seat and poured his fortune into it: the interiors hold his enormous collections of hunting trophies, historic weapons and images of St George, and the rose garden below the château was his personal project. It was from Konopiště that he left in June 1914 for Sarajevo. The château is state-owned and open to visitors, and its landscaped park with ponds and tree-lined avenues is free to walk year-round.