The Palace in Historical Photographs

Valuable information about the condition and appearance of the palace in the past can be found in historical photographs. The earliest images were taken by local historic researchers at the turn of the 19th century.

We have detailed documentation of Helfštýn, for instance, from Isidor Kahlig, Jan Baďura, and Florian Zapletal. To this day, their observations and images form basic sources of knowledge of the history of Helfštýn’s architecture. Especially the photographs from the 1930s show a large amount of foliage, which sped the process of deterioration of the extensive palace. At the time, the building had been roofless for more than 100 years. The majority of valuable stonework and metallic elements were already missing, but the period images still capture plastered mixed masonry with remnants of sgraffito decorations.

Systematic photographic documentation of the castle palace was made seven decades later by the architect Zdeněk Gardavský during historical survey works. His pictures illustrate the gradual process of the building degradation. Although the high-grown chestnut trees at the courtyard were cut down, it is clear that various self-seeded shrubs flourished on the terraces, outworks, as well as remnants of the vaults of the chambers. The documentation also reveals considerable losses of the original plaster and gradual degradation of masonry. The alarming condition of the castle in 1980 is also illustrated by the appearance of the wall coping and vaulted lintels of windows.