Rožmberk Castle Rožmberk ( German : original Rosenberg ) is a castle situated in South Bohemia near Rožmberk nad Vltavou in the Czech Republic . Considered as one of the oldest castles in Bohemia , it stands on a promotory carved out on three sides by the river Vltava . It was first mentioned in 1253 in a document signed by Vok " von Rosenberg " . It is regarded as the cradle of the House of Rožmberk , also known as the " Lords of the Rose " , a historical Czech aristocratic family . History . The Rožmberk castle was founded in the first half of the 13th century either by Vítek the Younger of Prčice , or by his son Vok of Prčice , a member of the powerful Vítkovci family ( " Witikonides " in Latin ; " Witigonen " in German ) who later styled himself Vok of Rožmberk ( " Vok de Rosenberch " ) after this castle . The original castle , known as Horní hrad ( Upper Castle ) , consisted of a high tower known as the Jakobínka ( 9 , 6 m diameter ) with corbelled raparts and a palace . The structure was completely surrounded by castle walls with a moat . Within a short time , a tributary town grew in the barbican . The castle became the administrative and economic centre of the family ' s lands , a part of which Vok gave to the newly established Cistercian monastery in Vyšší Brod . In 1302 , when the cadet Krumlov branch of the Vítkovci died out , Vok ' s offspring inherited Český Krumlov and they settled there permanently . After 1330 Jindřich of Rožmberk built the Dolní hrad ( Lower Castle ) , which was defended by ramparts placed above the moat , which was cut through the neck of the rock . In 1420 Oldřich II of Rožmberk ( 1403 – 1462 ) , father of Perchta of Rožmberk , the White Lady , was forced to pawn the castle to the Lords of Walsee from Austria to get money to finance the army he was fielding against the Hussites . The loan was paid off , but in 1465 the castle was pawned again to the Lobkovic family . This loan too was paid off . The Starý ( Horní ) hrad ( Old or Upper castle ) burned down in 1522 and was never rebuilt . In 1600 Petr Vok of Rožmberk bequeathed the castle and its estates to his nephew Johann Zrinski of Seryn ( 1565 – 1612 ) , son to Nikola Šubić Zrinski . Zrinski rebuilt the Lower castle in Renaissance style . When he died in 1612 , the estates were inherited by the Švamberks , relatives of the Rožmberks . But they soon lost the castle because all their estates were confiscated after the Battle of White Mountain by Emperor Ferdinand II , who gifted it to the commander of the Imperial army , Charles Bonaventure de Longueval , Count of Bucquoy , who played an important role in the suppression of the rebellion of the Czech Estates . The Buquoys , whose main residence was in Nové Hrady , repaired and altered their family seat ( 1840 – 57 ) , remodelling the building in the style of Romantic Neo - Gothic , and keeping it until 1945 when it was nationalised after the end of World War II . Architecture . The castle was opened to the public in the middle of the 19th century as one of the first museums in Bohemia . The Rožmberk tradition is represented by the Renaissance sgraffito decoration of the outside facades and beautiful painted decorations of the interiors . The Gothic fortress was changed during the Renaissance era and then in the 19th century within the " Tudor Gothic Passion " period . The last owners of the castle , the Buqouy family ( who were Czech nobles of French origin ) , transformed it into a museum open to the public , one of the first museums in the Bohemian land . The main palace , with its architectural features of several historic styles , shelters a unique collection of Baroque furniture and paintings as well as a wonderful Renaissance Hall with a famous " musical niche " in the so - called Knight ' s Hall . The message " Loves disappear , colours fade " was discovered in 2004 carved on a wall in the Knight ' s Hall . This was done by Spanish soldiers in the 17th century . The interiors , mostly renovated in the Neo - Gothic style , are furnished with valuable pieces of furniture , some of which feature custom wood carvings commissioned for the museum . Neither the style nor the furniture of the castle have been changed since its reconstruction in the Romantic style was completed . The castle picture gallery contains several valuable Czech and European paintings from artists of the Late Renaissance and Baroque eras , such as Bartholomeus Spranger , Karel Škréta , Jan Kupecký , and Norbert Grund . Among them the painting of Perchta , " the White Lady " of Rožmberk , one of the most famous ghosts in Bohemia . She has supposedly appeared several times during the centuries since her death . A local legend has it that if one understands what is written in secret signs on the picture , this one would free her and find a silver treasure . The armoury contains a unique collection of stabbing and cutting weapons , firearms , war relics , and heraldic emblems . The picture gallery is full of remarkable paintings dating as far back as the Renaissance era . The bronze elephant sculpture in the courtyard is a copy made in 2003 . The original elephant from 1916 was stolen by Nazis and was lost for 50 years standing here in the yard . The owners found it and it was given back to them to make amends for the Holocaust . Now the elephant is back home in Switzerland and the copy is here to delight visitors , who gently touch it .