Točník

The grand castle Václav IV built for himself in 1398–1401 on the ridge above his older Žebrák — royal library, part of the royal treasure, and floor heating far ahead of its time.

Točník was king Václav IV’s private project: after fire damaged Žebrák below in 1395, he founded a bigger, more comfortable castle a hundred metres higher on the same ridge and had it built between 1398 and 1401. He kept part of the royal treasure and his collection of illuminated manuscripts here, and the palace had warm-air floor heating — remarkable for its day. The two castles face each other across the saddle, and the view from Točník’s walls runs far over the Podbrdsko country.