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It was in the 11th century that the first castles began to appear in the country. The building of such properties reached a peak in the early 13th century and carried on for the next 150-200 years. As well as being residents, they served as bases to oversee territories gained or held, and, of course, they fortifications proved useful in times of war and upheaval, particularly throughout the entire Middle Ages. In later years, such citadels were extended and improved in a manner befitting the period and new ones erected on sites with natural defenses. These might include being high up and on a hillside with vertical drops or having rivers or dams as barriers. It is possible, therefore, to split them up into two camps – promontory ones, castles on peaks, bluffs or hillsides and lowland ones, those in proximity to water or mudbanks. Builders viewed them as three main types, property for royalty, nobility, and for the church.   

A major change happened in the 16th century when methods of combat and warfare were different, times were more peaceful and power and authority stabilized in the country. It was no longer necessary to have a fortified castle, so construction of large mansions became all the rage, with the emphasis on luxury and comfort rather defense. A number of castles were converted into sumptuous residences, some retaining their medieval appearance. Others were less fortunate, however, and having been abandoned, they fell into ruin. Fore the next 300 years, new mansions were built in the Baroque, Rococo, Classicist and Empire styles. Trends and fashions vary throughout the ages, in the 19th century the neo Gothic and neo-Renaissance were in favour and former castles and mansions underwent alteration, which also marked their final phase of reconstruction. All these citadels and stately homes, some of which go back nearly a thousand years, are an enduring and inherent part of the Czech Republic, its countryside and history.

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Hrady, Zamky (2005)