The Palace in the Gothic Era

In the mid-12th century, a style was born in France that influenced the aesthetics and architecture of prominent secular and religious buildings for many centuries. The Gothic style was brought to Helfštýn by the House of Kravaře, whose members held important social and political offices. They built their seat where the palace stands today. Stand-alone buildings, surrounded by wide double fortifications, comprised the core of the castle. The entrances were in the form of sandstone portals topped with pointed arches, which were also present at the rich tracery in the windows. Vaulted ceilings were supported by profiled ribs with richly decorated keystones in the crossings. The main symbol in the coat-of-arms of the House of Kravaře was the infolded dart called the “odřivous” in Czech. Additionally implemented keystones with this heraldic symbol are among the most valuable finds from archaeological and conservation surveys of the palace. The number of keystones documents that there were several ostentatious rooms in the palace. All sandstone elements were richly coloured (polychromous). Likewise, lime plaster was decorated with various heraldic and figural paintings. Prolific use of blacksmithing is documented by preserved ironwork in fragments of the portals as well as regular spacing of openings where lattices were once installed.

Several outer buildings probably stood near the two representative buildings connected by a staircase tower. Impressions of their vaults were uncovered in the north-western part of the courtyard. The exact position of the chapel remains in dispute, but there is no doubt that one existed.

Until the early 16th century, Gothic architecture was also used at Helfštýn by the members of other significant families, such as the House of Sovinec, the House of Kostka of Postupice, and the first generation of the House of Pernštejn.