Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0276Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of a castle overlooking a village from a small mountain top. Above the image "T385 (Star)" is printed, below the image "15668T Historic Caristen Castle, Medieval Stronghold of Bohemian Kings, near Praha (Prague)." is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company COPYRIGHTED Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Chicago, Ill., London, England." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
15668
CARLSTEIN CASTLE, MEDIEVAL STRONGHOLD, NEAR PRAGUE
Bohemia is a province of Czechoslovakia, the new country which resulted form the Great War. It lies north of Austria and Hungray, south of Germany, and west of Poland. It contains nearly a foruth of the old Austria-Hungary. Its people are mostly farmers well educated, and deeply religouos. Their new capital is Prague, a famous university city.
Even more famous than Prague is the place that lies before you. Carlstein Castle was built on these limestone cliffs by Emperopr Charles IV in the fourteenth century. Here the Bohemian kings dwelt in their medieval pomp and power. The tall donjon tower which you see overtopping the building, is 121 feet high and has walls 15 feet thick.
To-day the castle still contains many valuable works of art. Some of the earliest painting done in oil adorns its walls. The floors and walls of certain of the rooms are inlaid with precious stones. Beneath the castle are its dungeons where prisoners were kept. There, too, is the torutre chamber. What stoires these old walls might tell!
When the wandering tribes spread westward in Europe centuries ago, the Czechs of Bohmia were halted by the mountains that bordered the country. There they prospered until they were conquered by Austria, and for over two hundred years were oppressed by the Austrians. As a result when the war borke out between Austria and Germany on one hand and Russia, France, Belgium and England on the other, the Czech soldiers, though fighting under the Austrians, deserted in thousands to the Russians and were kept as prisoners. When Russia collapsed, these Czechoslovakian soldiers who were prisoners fought for the Allies against the Soviet Russians.
Copyright by The Keystone View CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection